Retail shopping program could give Simmons edge

Simmons, which has a reputation for product innovation, is now seeking to change something else: The mattress shopping experience.

That's a bigger challenge than changing the way the industry looks at two-sided beds, which Simmons did with its introduction of single-sided bedding in 2000.

Now,

with the debut of the Simmons EDGE program, the producer is seeking to redefine the bedding marketplace. The comprehensive program identifies four separate consumer segments, and gives retailers all the tools they need to successfully target and sell to each segment. EDGE, by the way, stands for "Economic dominance. Generating excellence."

Simmons prides itself on being in touch with today's consumers, and its extensive consumer research has revealed that bedding shoppers fit into four broad categories: Replenishers, High-end Replenishers, Refuge Seekers and Poor Sleepers.

Each of those groups is looking for something different in a new mattress, and each must be approached differently to meet its unique needs, Simmons found.

Simmons officials presented the program to me the other day. I think it makes a strong case for segmenting bedding consumers and speaking the language best suited to each segment.

Simmons has big plans for its EDGE program, hoping that eventually it will transform the mattress shopping experience. Since old habits die hard, that won't be an easy assignment. But Simmons is clearly tapping into valuable research.

The program could give Simmons an edge in the marketplace. If the producer is correct in identifying the four basic types of bedding consumers, it is zeroing in on dynamics at the heart of the retail bedding experience. Other producers might put different names on the consumer groups, but that will only validate the insights gleaned by Simmons.

The producer says that while its various lines are ideally suited to the EDGE program in a Simmons-only format, the program also can be used in a multi-vendor environment. But that will force those other producers — or the retailers themselves — to identify how the other bedding lines fit into the four consumer segments.

And Simmons still will get credit for setting the overall tone of the store.

The EDGE program seeks to close the "buying gap" in mattresses, which currently stands at almost 40%. That is the percentage of consumers who shop for a mattress but don't buy. Simmons sees a big opportunity to close that gap by speaking the various languages of today's bedding consumers.

It's a powerful program that testifies to the wisdom of focusing on the consumer.