Tempur-Pedic Gets Top Spot in New J.D. Power Report

November 16, 2017  by Larry Thomas in Business Strategy, Industry   

The newly released report, which measured customer satisfaction with mattress purchases based on seven factors, showed that Tempur-Pedic scored 887 on the 1,000-point satisfaction scale, edging out Sleep Number, which came in second with 867.

Serta was third at 846, followed by Simmons Beautyrest at 835 and Ikea’s private-label bedding at 832.

The two lowest-scoring brands were Sealy and Stearns & Foster at 829.

No other brands were included in the survey.

Tempur-Pedic was the only brand receiving a five-circle rating, which means “among the best,” and Sleep Number was the only one with four circles, meaning “better than most.”

Serta, Beautyrest, Ikea and Sealy all received a three-circle “about average” rating, while Stearns & Foster was the only one with a two-circle “the rest” rating.

J.D. Power said the seven factors on which they were ranked, in order of importance, were comfort, price, support, durability, features, warranty and customer service.

The report noted that overall satisfaction had declined from the 2016 survey due to comfort levels and ineffective pricing.

However, satisfaction was highest among the 83% of customers who replaced their old mattress (848 on a 1,000-point scale).

The most frequent reasons cited by customers for replacing their old mattress are old mattress/worn-out mattress (51%); wanted a more comfortable mattress (37%); and mattress had reached a certain age (32%).

"There's a clear connection between a customer's level of product knowledge and level of satisfaction," said Greg Truex, senior director, at-home practice at J.D. Power. "Manufacturers and store salespeople who focus on product communications and effectively highlight features can have a strong influence on how satisfied the customer is with their mattress selection."

Other key findings of the report include:

• Satisfaction drives loyalty, advocacy: Among highly satisfied customers (overall satisfaction scores above 900), 82% say they "definitely will" purchase the brand in the future, compared with the report average of 61%. Additionally, satisfied customers make an average of 4.2 positive recommendations, compared with the report average of 3.1.
• In-store sample and adjustable base availability are impactful: Satisfaction is higher among customers who purchased from a retailer that had an in-store sample of the mattress they wanted than among those whose retailer did not have a sample available (858 vs. 809, respectively). Also, satisfaction is higher among customers who purchased a mattress with an adjustable base vs. those who did not (883 vs. 836, respectively).
• Mattress delivery matters: Satisfaction is higher among customers who received their mattress on the date promised vs. those whose mattress was delivered late (851 vs. 737, respectively) as well as among customers who received their mattress as ordered vs. those that did not (845 vs. 766).

The report is based on responses from 1,219 customers who purchased a mattress in the 12 months prior to fielding the survey in October.