Big box and discount retailers sell the vast majority of pillows today. In these self-service environments, the consumer experience is overwhelming, confusing and most importantly unassisted. Packaging is uninspiring and the majority of the benefits the consumer may expect are lost. This trend is changing as bedding retailers are recognizing that the pillow is just as important to proper spinal alignment and sleep quality as the mattress and that both items need to be fitted to the individual to obtain total body support. This introduces an attractive opportunity for both the retailer and the consumer.

As mattress retailers are competing to capture every possible customer and maximize every sale, it makes sense to productively utilize every square inch of floor space to obtain these goals. This includes the top of the mattress. Concentration on providing a complete and customized sleep system, including pillows, for every customer will substantially increase sales and change the way "better rest" is sold.

Why Sell Pillows?

There are 3 major reasons to sell pillows in your sleep shop or furniture store:

Reduce Retail Returns: Purchasing the correct pillow will create a consistent experience from the store to the home. Unsupportive pillows at home may unknowingly contribute to the reason that a customer is in the market for a new mattress. An old pillow on a new mattress may not provide the customer with their desired result. If not satisfied, they will blame the new mattress, not their old pillow.

Selling Total Support: A mattress with pillow should be considered a combined sleep system, both equally important in properly aligning and maintaining the arcs or curves of our spine and neck.

$$’s: Pillows are a logical add-on to a mattress sale.

RejuveNite^® from Latex International

Latex International, the largest Talalay latex producer in the world, has created a branded pillow program targeting bedding specialty retailers and furniture stores. The pillows in the RejuveNite program, which provide personalized comfort for the neck and head, come in a variety of constructions to meet the varying needs of sleepers. The lineup features 14 SKU’s that retail from $60 to $125. The product line is supported by a complete retail sales training and merchandising program, including the company’s ComfortMatch^® pillow personalizer system, designed to help consumers select the perfect pillow for their size, comfort preference, and sleep position.

"One key to selling better pillows is to integrate pillows into the mattress selling process," said Kevin Stein, VP of Marketing. "Using the ComfortMatch program, retail sales associates are taught to introduce pillows as a component of a complete sleep system. They do so relatively early in the mattress selection process—after the sales associate has determined if the consumer is interested in a firm or plush mattress. In less than a minute, the program helps the consumer find the low profile, high loft, contour, or down pillow best for her. Then the consumer is invited to take her chosen pillow with her during the mattress testing experience in the store, Stein added. That gives the consumer a chance to experience the difference that the right pillow makes. At the conclusion of the mattress sale, customers are clutching their pillows and don’t want to let go."

Natural Talalay Latex

Determining customers’ comfort preference —plush, firm, ultra firm—has become standard procedure in mattress retailing. Helping a customer select that perfect level of comfort is critical to reducing retail return rates. It’s no different in the pillow world. However, inferior pillow fill technologies historically have limited feel, firmness levels, height and shapes. For decades, pillows have been a one-size-fits-all proposition. The only real choice was feather, fiber or foam. Consumers did their best to scrunch, bunch or beat their pillows into a shape that would provide support and comfort while in their preferred sleep position. The results were often disappointing—leading to mattress returns caused by an incorrect pillow fit.

Today, there’s a better material technology—natural Talalay latex. RejuveNite pillows feature revolutionary Talalay latex to provide superior support and pressure relief for any individual’s preferred sleep position, body stature, and level of comfort.

Why RejuveNite Pillows? A Comfort Revolution

Natural Talalay latex provides some compelling consumer benefits:

It Breathes—Talalay latex features an open cell structure and perforated holes, keeping the sleeper cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Naturally derived from the rubber tree, Talalay latex is ideal for allergy sufferers as it is anti-microbial and dust mite resistant.

It Relieves—Independent lab testing* scientifically proves RejuveNite pillows provide up to 97% more pressure relief than others. High-pressure areas (shown in red) that cause tossing and turning are virtually eliminated, enabling greater relaxation of shoulder and neck muscles while enhancing circulation.

It Revitalizes—The science behind the importance of a correct pillow and how it impacts our sleep is based on our anatomy. Maintaining proper spinal alignment is critical to achieving restorative sleep. While a quality mattress offers support for the back, it does not provide support for the natural curvature of the cervical vertebrae C1 thru C7, typically called "the Arc of Life". These vertebrae in the neck and upper back are extremely important to our mental and physical well-being. Nerve impulses travel from the brain to all parts of the body, carrying messages that facilitate the rest and recovery process. Talalay latex is a resilient material that actively supports the shape of the body to support the head, neck, and cervical vertebrae in a natural, relaxed position.

It Responds—Talalay latex instantly conforms to your body adjusting to your every move.

It Lasts—All RejuveNite pillows are meticulously crafted taking over 6 hours to produce and are each hand inspected and weighed to meet the industry’s highest quality standards. Talalay latex is extremely durable and will last twice as long as other pillow materials. It will never bunch, flatten, sag, or need fluffing.

By merchandising RejuveNite pillows, retailers will also benefit greatly. First, mattress performance and comfort is optimized during the selling process and after the customer gets their new mattress. Therefore, the mattresses stay sold and will not come back. Second, store profits can increase over 17% without using a lot of valuable floor space. Third, the ComfortMatch pillow personalizer will set you apart from other bedding retailers. And lastly, RejuveNite has a comprehensive product portfolio to accommodate every sleep position and any size person.

RejuveNite offers 14 different pillows to allow retailers to properly fit customers. The company recently launched 2 new pillows.

The Melody pillow combines two technologies in one great pillow. One side features Talalay latex, which provides breathable comfort and superior pressure relief. On the other side is temperature sensitive memory foam which provides plush cradling support.

The Zoned pillow’s unique design provides enhanced neck support to better align the spine, similar to a contour pillow but in a more traditional bed pillow shape. In fact, the packaging (which is a unique compression packed box) features the following tagline: "the support of a contour pillow, with the classic look you love", reflecting the consumers’ desire to have superior support yet still have a 2-sided pillow that fits into standard pillow cases.

To consider creating a RejuveNite and ComfortMatch pillow program or for more information on our new products, call Kevin Stein, Vice President of Marketing at 1-800-LATEX-US or visit www.RejuveNite.com.