Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Gold Bond Takes Aim at Online Mattress Retailers
March 27,
2017 by Larry Thomas in Business Strategy, Industry, Mattresses, Product, Web Retail 
Independent mattress producer Gold Bond is coming out swinging against online bed-in-the-box retailers with a new merchandising strategy that provides a lineup of mattresses retailing for under $1,000, backed by marketing support for local retailers.
The company said its assortment of products gives brick-and-mortar retailers a competitive advantage that includes a powerful lineup of quality mattresses, face-to-face service for consumers and a much better retail experience.
Robert Naboicheck, Gold Bond president, said he’s committed to pushing back against the swelling tide of poorly made product, including the bed-in-a-box category.
“With internet return rates hovering around 30 percent, it’s clear that consumers aren’t happy with the bed-in-a-box product in the marketplace,” he said. “There’s a real opportunity for traditional retailers to move in and fill the void, and they can do this by selling better-quality goods in the $600 to $1,000 price range and by employing better-trained RSAs.”
He said Gold Bond has a variety of products that provide retailers quality choices including its popular S-Series, priced to retail from $599 to $799 in queen, offers an open-cell structure that delivers active air technology for a cooler, dryer, more comfortable sleep. The company also has an extensive two-sided mattress offering in the Chelsea Collection with retail price points from $499 to $799 in a variety of comfort preferences.
“The media and the industry embrace anything that’s hot, but this train is heading for a head-on collision because consumer dissatisfaction is growing,” Naboicheck said.
He said he took a stand five years ago denouncing the industry trend of lowering the quality of materials used in mattresses to keep costs down, and his current viewpoint on the bed-in-a-box craze is similar.
“Today’s trend is to take a piece of foam, put it in a box and call it a mattress,” he said. “At Gold Bond, we’re going all guns blazing to support our brick-and-mortar retailers with well-made, quality mattresses that provide them a strong margin. We are working diligently to protect our retail base against encroachment of online bedding sales.”