These 2013 trends and happenings made an impact on the sleep products industry. Do you agree? What would you add to this far from complete list?
1) Recovery
The “slow but steady” economic recovery continued in 2013, with U.S. mattress sales showing overall modest gains as compared with 2012 levels.
2) Recycling
The states of Connecticut, Rhode Island and California broke new ground by passing used mattress recycling legislation to keep old beds from clogging landfills–or landing in the hands of unscrupulous renovators. And the International Sleep Products Association worked closely with legislators every step of the way, and continues its work in states considering similar legislation.
3) ‘Climate change’
This year, as consumers’ interest in full-foam and hybrid mattresses continued to climb, the mattress industry’s obsession with temperature regulation entered a new “phase.” Many mattress component makers–most notably, foam producers–offered new technologies to mechanically help improve airflow through the bed. But, in addition to new cuts, contours and coring, there has been a big push in the use of phase change material. Foams and gels with microencapsulated PCM, are widely available. PCM technology is based on centuries-old thermodynamics research into the nature of latent heat.
4) Mobile explosion
The New York Times “Bits” blog reported that U.S. mobile Internet traffic doubled in 2013–thanks to faster cellular connections and larger smartphone screens. That means more people are interacting with your company on the “small screen”–and more consumers are “showrooming” while out mattress shopping. Are you serving up “responsive” content that is compatible with every screen?
At BedTimes, mobile visits climbed steeply this year:
5) Fusion
In the first quarter of 2013, specialty sleep superstar Tempur-Pedic completed its acquisition of rival Sealy, becoming Tempur Sealy.
At Serta Simmons Holdings–formed in 2012–operations and company leadership were consolidated. In addition to other management changes, industry veteran Bob Sherman departed Serta and former Simmons CEO Gary Fazio was named CEO of the holding company.
6) ‘Thoughtful’ sleep research
Some of the most compelling sleep research of 2013 focused on the impact of sleep on brain function. Adequate sleep is believed to scrub the brain clean, while poor sleep in old age hampers memory and inadequate sleep can worsen the symptoms of schizophrenia.