Alison Keane • President
I’ve spent a lot of time on the road this fall, visiting legislators’ offices, factory floors and recycling facilities, and I come away impressed every time. Those visits, along with committee meetings and conversations with members, have given me plenty of opportunity to think about how our industry is changing and what that means for ISPA.
More than one person has asked me some version of the same question: What do you think will actually be different a year from now?
I don’t have a crystal ball. After the last few years, I’m suspicious of anyone who claims to have one. But I do know what keeps coming up in conversations. Here are five things I’m watching as we head toward 2027.
1. The consumer. People haven’t stopped buying mattresses, but many have gotten very comfortable waiting. ISPA’s data confirms this. Unit shipments fell 13.2% last year, while value held up better, driven largely by price and product mix. The question is what will finally get consumers moving again. Lower interest rates? A stronger housing market? Replacement needs that can’t be put off any longer? I don’t think anyone knows yet.
In the meantime, we can’t stop talking to consumers. That’s one reason I see the Better Sleep Council’s work as particularly important right now. When people are ready to buy, we want them thinking about sleep, understanding the role their mattress plays in it, and seeing that purchase as something worth prioritizing.
2. Retail. What happens when consumers start shopping again? How they research, where they shop, and what they expect from the retail experience continue to change. A slower market gives retailers a chance to sharpen how they talk about mattresses beyond price and promotion. What makes one product different from another? Why does it matter? What does value really mean to the person who will sleep on the mattress for years? Those questions matter even more when consumers are watching every dollar.
3. Regulation. If you read September’s column (“In Overdrive: An ISPA Advocacy Update”), you know there’s no shortage of activity in this department. Recycling legislation, packaging requirements, flammability standards, product verification, and leadership changes at both the state and federal levels after the elections this year all affect our industry.
Some of these issues will become clearer in the first quarter of 2027. But if the last two years are any indication, others may get more complicated. This will be one of ISPA’s most important roles in 2027—managing government affairs. Most companies can’t have someone sitting in every statehouse or tracking every regulatory development that could affect their business. We can. More importantly, we can bring the industry together to respond when it matters.
4. Innovation. This one gets more interesting every time I visit a plant. Changes in materials, manufacturing, and automation are happening steadily, even if they don’t always make headlines. When I visit Mattress Recycling Council recycling facilities, I get to see innovation from the other end of a mattress’s life.
We find innovation in design labs and on factory floors, and it ends up in bedrooms. The mattress industry is rapidly adopting automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics to increase production speed, improve precision, and reduce material waste. The industry is also seeing growing interest in smart and connected sleep technologies that can monitor or respond to the sleep environment. Smart production and smart beds are growing rapidly.
On the recycling front, watching what comes apart easily, what doesn’t, and what can find a second use changes the conversation about product design. ISPA and MRC are bringing manufacturers, suppliers, and recyclers into that discussion, because decisions made at the design table today can affect what happens to that mattress years from now.
5. Collaboration. Nearly every issue I’ve mentioned touches multiple parts of our industry. Consumer behavior affects manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers. Regulation rarely stops with one company or one segment. Innovation moves faster when we share what we’re learning, and recycling starts long before a product reaches the end of its life. The more connected we are across the industry, the better positioned we are to solve these challenges together.
That’s what I keep seeing as I travel. This industry has plenty of competitors, as it should. But we also have similar difficulties, and it makes more sense to tackle them together.
I don’t know exactly what 2027 will bring. I’m pretty certain it will give us something we didn’t see coming. And when it does, I’d rather have this industry in one room, asking questions, challenging assumptions, and figuring out what comes next together.
