How To Find The Perfect Mattress | Buying Online vs. Mattress Store

One of the most frequent questions we get is the differences between buying your mattress online vs. in the mattress store.

Traditionally, when a person is on the hunt for a new mattress, they would hop into the car and drive to the mattress store to spend the day trying out all the mattresses on display, giving each 5 to 10 minutes of their time in order to find one they like.

Times are changing now with online mattress companies, but what does this mean for the consumer when it comes to purchasing the best mattress? If you are a side sleeper, can you really purchase the best mattress for side sleepers sight unseen? Or what if you sleep hot, can you actually find the best cooling mattress for hot sleepers? The answer is a resounding yes! And when you look deeper into the process and understand the reasons why this is becoming the preferred way for finding the perfect mattress, you will be shopping online too and find the best online mattress sales too!

In this article, we’ve made a comparison to easily help you understand the differences between buying your mattress online vs. in the mattress store.

Before diving into the detailed comparison (see further down for full comparison chart), there’s one fundamental difference between online and mattress stores – the number of middlemen between you and the mattress.

Understanding the Mattress Store Supply Chain

Let's follow the path of the Mattress using the Mattress Store Route:

1) Factory → 2) National Wholesaler → 3) Regional Distributor → 4) Local State Distributor → 5) Distribution Center → 6) Mattress Store → 7) You!

The average mattress will go through at least 5 to 7 middlemen between the factory and your bedroom, each one adding their own profit onto the cost to you, which means that by the time you try it out in the store, the majority of what you pay for your new bed goes into the pockets of the all businesses who got your mattress to the store rather than your hard earned money paying for the mattress itself! 

Mattress Stores = A LOT of middlemen adding profit before the mattress is sold in the store. 

Online Mattress Supply Chain

Now let's follow the path of the Mattress using the Online Route:

1) Factory →  2) Online Seller → 3) You!

Notice the much shorter path?

One that does not include several wholesalers or distribution centers who add their own profits to the cost of the mattress? 

When shopping online there’s no wholesalers, distributor, retailers or sales people that need a cut of the profit. The price for an online mattress is "the production cost" + "the online seller's profit" = "final price to the consumer" – that’s it!  

Online Mattresses = Only ONE middlemen (the seller) adding profit and then you, the consumer.

[BONUS FACT]  The number of middlemen in the supply chain to mattress stores is the SOLE REASON why ANY mattress bought in a mattress store will ALWAYS be a worse bargain and less value compared to buying your mattress online.

So, Why Do People Still Buy Mattresses in at Mattress Stores?

Essentially, it's tradition. They want to try it before they buy it, but therein lies the downside. Trying the bed for 5 to 10 minutes will not give you an accurate representation of what it will be like to sleep on the bed for months, and returning the bed is a hassle.

Online supply chains know this, and most offer a generous risk-free trial period (Here at Nolah, we offer 120 nights, that's 4 months!) to let you really try out the bed so you can be sure that it is the best choice for you. Should the bed not be right for you, returning it is far easier than it will be at a traditional mattress store, plus Nolah donates every returned mattress to a local charity! 

NO MIDDLEMEN WHEN SHOPPING ONLINE = ALWAYS A BETTER DEAL/VALUE THAN IN ANY MATTRESS STORE.

 

 

Full Comparison - Online vs. Mattress Store

At Nolah we removed all the middlemen of the mattress industry and sell our Nolah mattress online only with shipping directly from our factory to your front door, but even beyond the price tag, there are many more advantages to buying your next mattress online. See the full comparison below!