Mattress retailers stitch growth plan

The mattress industry in India is dominated by small-size unorganized players, who constitute 90 per cent of the total market. However, rising health conscious consumer base coupled with growing awareness about right mattress, is leaving ample room for organized retailers to enter the Rs 5,000 crore branded mattress market in India.

Growing Awareness

The Indian customer is more reluctant towards their decision of investing in mattresses. Most of them continue with a mattress for a long time, without changing or knowing which kind suits their body better. “In the recent times, however, thing are getting changed, as many customers are far more aware of the importance of the right mattress,” says T Sudhakar Pai, MD, Kurlon.

“The buying capacity and the openness of people to spend on a mattress have increased. Associating mattress as a premium product and an essential commodity for luxury is very much in the process,” he adds.
 

However, the Indian market is very different from rest of the world in high-end mattresses. The prime reason is the domination of non-standard sizes of mattresses or no standardization in sizes of mattresses, as found in the rest of the world. “This is a growth dampener for the whole mattress industry as no one can keep ready stocks in any part of the supply chain and every mattress needs customization. This is a huge challenge, which every manufacturer is struggling with,” informs Archit Gupta, MD, King Koil Mattresses.

Educating Customers

Though the awareness level among Indian consumers is gradually growing, changes in actual behavior are slow to catch up. Retailers are putting a lot of effort to educate people about the need to use quality mattresses. “Whenever any consumer walks-in our showrooms, our sales people always try to provide as much information as possible on the product benefits, which can motivate their buying decisions. Today’s customers are becoming aware of health hazards being faced by using below-the-line mattresses. So, they don’t mind spending few extra pennies to have a comfortable sleep,” informs Gupta.

Luxury segment on a high

Luxury mattress market in India accounts for 10 per cent of the organized market. The consumers are placing more importance on getting a comfortable sleep and are looking for better options.

To fulfill their growing need, “Our entire collection including Europedic, Comfort Rest and Orthomedical have been developed through extensive research and a deep understanding of what Indian consumers want most in a mattress - luxury and support, without the problems they experience with traditional coir or cotton mattresses,” says Ashok Sharma, CEO, Spring Air- Middle-East and Indian Sub Continent.

There is plenty of opportunity for mattress retailers. To cash in on the same, players such as Sealy are offering an EMI option to attract more and more customers. Retailers and mattress manufacturers are betting big on the growth of the segment and have huge growth plans for the country.