Q & A

As more consumers became comfortable shopping online over the past few years, manufacturers and retailers have invested more heavily into their ecommerce strategy—even incorporating new digital technologies into their brick-and-mortar experiences. More than just offering consumers greater convenience, this shift is also providing manufacturers and retailers with more meaningful information about their customers and their shopping habits. Today, we have access to a wide range of consumer data, from demographic insights to search term trends and online shopping customer journeys. But simply collecting this kind of data is only step one—it’s what you do with these insights that really matters.

How are you helping retailers integrate new consumer data into their sales strategies?

STEVE RUSING PRESIDENT OF US SALES | TEMPUR SEALY

We have always conducted in-depth consumer research as a critical means of understanding the consumer mindset and how it might impact the manner in which we and our partners address their evolving needs. We are known for providing our customers with in-depth consumer and category insights. Through our comprehensive Retail Edge program, we offer consultative services and omnichannel support to our retailers, which leverages our unique insights and data, in particular providing assistance with digital and ecommerce capabilities. Retail Edge support also provides solutions for media and messaging optimization, localized marketing and enhancements to the in-store experience. Our Retail Edge team identifies best practices and opportunities to maximize profit, increase traffic, connect with more consumers and become the market leader through enhanced marketing. Plans are customized for each business to capitalize on its specific market opportunities and to manage retail’s constantly evolving demands. In addition, we recently expanded our Retail Edge program with a new Retail Edge Activation Team in order to support small and medium size retailers with a team of subject matter experts in a wide range of topics— from marketing best practices to analytics, consumer insights and more in order to help them drive traffic, conversion and a higher average ticket.

WES KEEVER PRESIDENT | COLONIAL LLC

Consumers are doing a lot of research online, and we know that businesses are learning from consumers’ online habits and using those insights to help the consumers through their purchasing journey. Colonial can’t impact what consumers see online, but can certainly offer assistance when a consumer comes into a store by having the same messaging from their online research. Putting information in writing and being consistent with your online messaging reinforces its authenticity, since there’s a document that can be checked and verified. Therefore, consumers have an expectation that for something to be in writing, it must be true. Today’s top-of-bed displays provide lots of places to put as much printed material as the brand and the retailer may feel necessary, all without hurting the look or feel of the product. If the online information is printed and added to the in-store displays, a level of trust and credibility is added that will help raise the close ratios and the average transaction size. Colonial Rule Number Five states, “if it is written, it must be so,” and reminds us not to forget that finding a place for the written or printed word is a key part of reinforcing the messaging the consumer sees online, which in turn builds trust and increases mattress sales.

LISTEN

What Industry Leaders Are Saying On The Sleep Retailer Podcast

AMANDA EVANS VP OF SHOPPER MARKETING | NATIONWIDE MARKETING GROUP

TO OUR FULL CONVERSATION AND MORE AT SLEEPRETAILER.COM/ PODCAST

On exploring and understanding Google Search trends . . .

“Consumers are still searching for the tried and true mattress for their homes. But when you look at what their search terms are—“best,” “top rated”—it really clues you in to what’s important to that customer. So as they’re going through the journey, they may have seen certain ads on TV, but they’re really looking for peer reviews. As they’re searching about what to buy, it’s not first based on price, it’s based on consumer reviews.”