How Do Mattress Stores Stay In Business

Helen Skeates
Helen Skeates
13 min read

Are you curious about the success of mattress shops? There is a mattress store in every major city.

It seems like no one is shopping, but new stores keep popping up.

Mattresses are ubiquitous, but most adults only replace theirs every five to ten years.

This phenomenon has left us bewildered and questioning.

How come there are so many places to buy a bed?

How are they able to keep their doors open when the showroom clearly goes unoccupied on a regular basis?

Are the owners still making money despite infrequent purchases and high overhead costs? How do they stay alive?

You may be asking yourself these things every time you walk by a mattress store.

One humorous explanation for their prevalence is the widespread belief that humans have an insatiable need for sleep. However, this is because of the economy.

Your questions will be addressed in a moment. Read on down the page.

Is Owning a Mattress Store Profitable?

Gaining market share is the primary goal of any successful mattress business owner. It’s challenging to maintain a profitable mattress company with a negligible share of the market.

This is why we see national mattress chains like Mattress Firm and Sleep Train trying to expand their market share.

How Do Mattress Stores Stay In Business? 5 Best Reasons Why! - Krostrade

Let’s pretend it’s true that most people replace their mattresses every ten years. If so, selling mattresses to the nation’s 33.5 million sleepers per year could be a very lucrative venture.

The prevalence of mattress stores across the country is indicative of the industry’s emphasis on visibility as a means of expanding its customer base.

Of course, you can expect to find these shops in highly trafficked areas. Even if you never set foot in the shop, you know it exists and have likely visited it at some point.

How Much Money Do Mattress Sellers Make?

One urban legend claims that the production cost of a $300 mattress is also $300. That’s a whopping 900% profit margin! This information cannot be contested.

Unless the mattress store also makes mattresses, we have to assume that the owner isn’t contributing 900% to the profit on each mattress it sells.

Salespeople in the mattress industry make an average of $30,000 per year, while managers make $55,000 per year before taxes and other deductions.

You’ll need to be a great salesperson if you want to make a lot of money working in a mattress store.

The real issue is probably the store owners’ income. This is a difficult question to answer, but at least they are not starving.

You may know that Mattress Mack’s annual revenue used to be 200 million but has dropped to 150 million in recent years. It is said that he is worth $300 million.

The mattress industry appears to be highly lucrative, and perhaps the reported markups of 900% are accurate.

What Is The Profit Margin On Mattress Sales?

While there are many different indices to examine, the truth is that they all rely on mean values. Averages over the course of the year are what investors use to evaluate the market.

The reason for this is that there are numerous elements to consider. What is the monthly rent, how many employees do you have, and so on and so forth.

When you consider that some of the mattresses sell for over $3000, the reported profit margin for the store owner is approximately 50%.

The actual margin may be the same, but the incoming revenue is much lower because not every mattress is high end. Therefore, it is critical to recognize that mattress shop owners also require substantial mattress sales.

Discounts are a common form of advertising that can help mattress stores sell a high volume of products every month.

The sales at local mattress shops never seem to end, and regular discounts are provided to bring in new customers.

If you own a mattress store, this is especially important. There is room for growth in already successful product lines. Bedding and pillows could be a natural next step for you to take.

The success of Mike Lindell’s pillow business is well-known among you.

A mattress shop owner has a ton of room to grow their business and increase profits.

How Much Does It Cost To Start a Mattress Firm?

The first step is to do your homework. Is it possible to run a successful shop there? You need a highly visible location with a lot of potential customers coming in and out.

Mattress shops can commonly be found inside of shopping centers. The Mattress Factory’s strategic placement in the mall caters to the convenience of its potential customers.

A first-time mattress store owner may be put off by the longer lease terms and higher rent.

The demand for mattresses is high enough that you can open a mattress store in cities like Chicago for as little as $50,000.

You should locate your mattress store in a populous area. The rent will be higher in a city with a higher median income.

However, starting a mattress store in Houston, Texas will require a much larger initial investment and present much tougher competition.

Don’t look at rivalry as something to be avoided. They have advertised on your behalf and paved the way for you to enter the market.

Business Plan

No matter your financial situation, you should always have a solid business plan ready to go. You should detail all of your projected expenses and projected revenue in your business plan. If you want a realistic idea of how much money you can expect to make, it’s best to look ahead several years.

You should also compose an executive summary alongside your business plan. This is merely your justification for thinking that putting a mattress store there would be a good idea.

Consider the rival firms as well. Find out who your rivals are and what they’re charging for similar products.

Your company’s strategy should devote considerable time and resources to marketing. Gaining market share without having to lower prices is something you should be familiar with.

The pursuit of profit should always remain your primary motivation.

Having a business plan is crucial, but there are many other considerations as well.

It would appear that with a capital investment of only $50,000, you could launch your own business.

Franchise

One can launch a mattress company in a variety of ways. There are many benefits for a first-time mattress firm franchisee who decides to go the franchising route.

You could invest in a well-known mattress company with established brand recognition. Brand equity…what do I even mean by that?

People know who you are, and your company has credibility. There are, however, a few drawbacks.

The franchiser will have you commit to a certain amount of sales and sell only their products.

For the inexperienced business owner, this could mean an easier entry into a potentially lucrative market sector.

How Do Mattress Stores Stay In Business? - Sleep Savvy

Box Mattresses

The box mattress industry is one of the fastest-growing in the United States.

More and more of us are making purchases online and having them shipped directly to our homes. It’s easier and more cost-effective than going to a store.

Box mattresses are a great option if you’re sick of being pressured into making a purchase.

There has been an explosion in the popularity of mattresses sold in boxes. Value-wise, you can’t beat the comfort and support you get from a box spring and mattress set.

Is there a way for you to get involved with selling box mattresses and turn a profit? The answer is yes, and the barrier to entry is low when compared to running a mattress store.

Profitable opportunities exist once your websites gain traction and customers begin placing orders with you. The mattress-in-a-box vendor handles everything else, including wire transfers of payment.

Mattress Life Cycles

When used regularly, all mattresses eventually wear out; the typical lifespan is 8 years, and most people replace their mattresses once every decade.

The demand for both conventional and box mattresses in the United States is huge, and it is only expected to increase in the years to come.

Reasons On How Mattress Stores Stay In Business

How do companies that sell mattresses stay afloat?

Mattress sales are expected to increase at a 6.8% CAGR from 2018 to 2023, according to research from Global Market.

In the United States alone, there are 175 online bed-in-a-box companies, and IBIS World reports that there are nearly 16,000 mattress stores.

The United States has the highest per capita spending on mattresses of any country, and its market is expected to bring in over $14.5 million, up 0.9% from last year.

So many, but why? Given the current state of the economy, you might be taken aback by those numbers.

Keep reading to find out the details.

#1. Introduction of new technology

The availability of personalized mattresses has increased as a result of the introduction of new technologies in the mattress industry.

What the mattress industry really wants is for people to be open to trying out new and different kinds of mattresses.

Because of this calculated move, the typical buyer will need to buy a new mattress every eight years.

#2. Growing demand for mattresses in the hospitality industry

The expansion of the hotel business has also played a role in driving up demand for bedding products like mattresses.

Mattress sales have increased as a result of the international hotel industry’s emphasis on guest comfort and satisfaction.

#3. High-margins and low overhead

At this point, economic considerations become important. Mattresses have the greatest potential for profit in the retail industry.

According to the report, mattresses have a 40-50% profit margin despite the fact that some retail chains may only see a 5% increase in profitability.

A mattress selling for $3,000 may have only cost $300 to produce.

It has also been reported that a mattress store in a shopping mall may only need to sell 20 mattresses per month in order to cover its monthly rent.

As opposed to McDonald’s, which needs to sell 500,000 burgers just to pay the rent.

The fact is that stores don’t need to move very many mattresses in order to break even.

Because they stock fewer products than other types of stores, mattress shops can keep their prices low without employing as many salespeople.

They usually don’t have a huge workforce active at once. Most employees work on commission and deal with products directly from the manufacturer.

This could explain how mattress stores with one receptionist can keep their showrooms looking so deserted.

#4. One of the few businesses where customers prefer to buy in-store versus online

Getting a new mattress is a big deal.

You’ll use it for at least 8-10 years before thinking about replacing it. In addition, you snooze for an additional 33% of the day.

This is why many people are wary of making a rash mattress purchase.

Mattresses, like furniture and automobiles, are big ticket items, so most customers prefer to make these purchases in person rather than online.

Customers who are set on purchasing a mattress online will still always stop by a store first.

Businesses can attract window shoppers by offering specials and discounts in exchange for the influx of customers.

#5. Lower product losses

The owners can keep the mattresses in storage for a while if they are unable to sell them.

Although mattresses aren’t widely purchased, mattress manufacturers can easily rake in $1,000 or more per unit.

Unsold mattresses, similarly, maintain a high market value. A mattress that has been on the market for a while but hasn’t moved a lot of units can still be sold for the same price.

They’d all go out and get mattresses at long last.

How Do Mattress Stores Stay in Business? (by Experts!) » Home Guiding

Final Words

How do companies that sell mattresses stay afloat?

While conspiracy theories involving mattresses can be entertaining, the real reason for their popularity is a matter of sound business practice.

A good night’s sleep necessitates a mattress.

This is the most efficient model for providing customers with essentials while keeping overhead to a minimum.

At this point, hopefully, all of your questions have been answered.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this.

Helen Skeates

Helen Skeates

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.