A big mind battle many shoppers fight is whether it to buy a cloud 9 mattress online or in a physical store. Each approach has its own benefits, and your decision is all up to what fits your needs the best.
Research shows, there are more than 10,000 mattress showrooms in the US, and still, a new store pops up every week. Most online brands are also tapping into the offline mattress market as well. All this suggests, people like testing beds in-store before buying.
In this blog, we’ll explore all the pros and cons of purchasing a mattress online or offline, in a physical store. With these best mattress shopping tips, our analysis will help you make an informed decision.
Pros of Buying a Mattress in Physical Store
1. In-Person Mattress Trial
The biggest plus of in-store trial is, you can test the mattress in-person before buying. Lying on a sleep surface and experiencing its features is different from surfing its specs on the internet.
You can check the mattress for odor, noise, comfort level, support, and other technical details like type, durability, thickness, etc.
2. Assurance and Reliability
You can enjoy online shopping in your PJ’s from the comfort of your home, but a scammer may easily fool you. Offline mattress shopping requires a little more effort for finding the right store but protects you from such fraudulent transactions.
The factors like store environment, the competence of its associates, and face-to-face reviews of other customers improve reliability and buyer’s satisfaction.
3. Your Own Unbiased Opinion
Online mattress shopping depends on what other buyers suggest about a particular product. However, the majority of these reviews are biased, and you can’t trust them because one mattress doesn’t fit all.
In-store shopping means relying on your own views. If a sleep surface is comfy enough for you, who cares what others say about it!
4. Advice Of Experts
Majority of the top-notch mattress showrooms like SleePare have their own in-house experts and chiropractors to guide you. Their salespersons are also knowledgeable about their products.
If the sales staff are trained and experienced, they can help you pick the sleep surfaces best for your needs and preferences. As a result, you can make an informed decision.
5. Store Return Policies
Most brick-and-mortar stores offer generous return policies to cover your loss. If the mattress is damaged or it causes discomfort in your sleep, the store is there for you to return and make a claim.
Some stores also allow you to return the mattress for a refund or exchange it, paying a restocking fee.
Cons of Buying a Mattress in Physical Store
1. Pushy Salespeople
The in-store shopping may turn into a nightmare if you don’t seek out the right place. An aggressive salesperson can constantly chase you to make an expensive purchase because each sale adds to their commission.
2. Hesitant at In-store Mattress Test
Lying on a mattress in the presence of a salesperson might be odd and uncomfortable for some. Even if the staff leaves you alone, if you’re hesitant in lying on a bed before others, it will be difficult to concentrate on the mattress feel and features. Your self-consciousness might also cloud your judgment.
3. Difficult Comparison
Mattress store retailers often make comparison shopping difficult by giving different names to the same models. So, it becomes difficult for the buyers to go from store to store and compare brand policies and product price.
4. Short Trial Period
Offline shopping allows you to lie down on the bed and take a sleep test on it. However, this short time (usually 15 minutes) isn’t enough, and you end up making a blind investment. According to the Research Triangle Institute (RTI International), only 38% of the offline mattress buyers succeed in selecting the right sleep surface.
5. High-priced Mattresses
Majority of the old in-store mattress shops offer expensive deals. They have to incur a lot from their earnings to compensate for their expenses, including utility bills, store rent, employee wages, etc. So, their prices are comparatively higher, especially for buyers who are not expert at negotiation.
Pros of Buying a Mattress Online
1. Easy Comparison
Online shopping allows you to enjoy a detailed comparison of different sleep surfaces in the comfort of your home. Many reputable websites like SleePare have mattress comparison tool to facilitate side-by-side analysis of various features. If you already have a brand you’ve been eyeing on, you can check the comparison of the different mattresses that they offer. CreditDonkey can help you in choosing the perfect Saatva mattress for you with their detailed comparison review from their Classic to Solaire mattress. You can use it to discover the best mattress with high value for money.
2. Abundant Choices
Unlike physical stores, online mattress brands offer wide-ranging options in sleep products. From inexpensive memory foam beds, luxury latex hybrids to unique beds like Purple, you can get it all online.
Furthermore, you can filter your search and find the mattress with features most important to you. Moreover, the brands which are not available in your nearby stores, you can purchase them from certified online sellers or brand stores.
3. Comparatively Low Prices
Majority of the online mattress stores offer products at lower prices due to a more competitive field. Due to the direct-to-consumer approach, online brands have no additional expenses. Thus, they help you save up to 50% on the same quality beds. Sales and discount coupons further decrease this price point.
4. Time-Saving
None of the physical stores can serve you 24/7, but online shops can! There’s no time restriction for order placement. You can also read their customer reviews for understanding mattress features or listen to pro reviews and comparisons for speeding up your buying process.
5. Great Delivery Options
Online mattress stores usually offer a free home delivery service. Though mostly you have to wait for some days, some online brands also provide same-day delivery service. Moreover, options like red carpet delivery, white glove delivery, and FedEx/UPS shipping make it more convenient to shop online.
Cons of Buying a Mattress Online
1. No In-Person Trial
The biggest flaw of online shopping is, you can’t test a mattress in-person before buying. Though the stores offer prolonged in-home trial period (anywhere from a 30-night shortest time to 365-night), it isn’t free; you have to pay for the mattress first.
2. Problems with Return and Refund
If you buy a mattress and it doesn’t seem like the right fit, you can exchange it within the trial period. Or, you can also get your money back and return the product. However, returns and refunds can get delayed with online shopping. You can’t load it up in the truck and take it to the store for immediate action.
3. No Advice from Experts
The information available online can only tell you about the mattress features and how they can respond to your needs. Unlike stores, there are no experts to listen to your requirements and guide you accordingly.
4. Poor Customer Care
With a few exceptions, most online mattress stores offer poor customer service. You can’t have face-to-face communication with the store associates. Moreover, there are so many unexpected delays in your chat that waiting for the response becomes nagging.
5. Uninformed Decision
Physical interaction and experts’ guidance, both make it easy to make the right decision with minimum hassle. However, since you’re shopping online, no matter how much time you invest in your mattress research, your final decision will remain doubtful. You can only feel confident once your mattress arrives and you’ve slept on it for a month or so.
So these were the most important pros and cons of buying a mattress in physical store vs. online. Armed with this information, we hope you can choose the shopping method most compatible with your needs. Happy mattress hunting!