I don’t have the historical statistics on return rates for mattresses when they were only sold in stores. However,Guest Posting I imagine that they were in the 3-5% range due to the impossible to understand fine print, and restocking fees associated with trying to take back a mattress to a brick and mortar store. Once the bed in a box revolution really started rolling with the release of Casper, a key to their success was the 100 day at home return policy. Imagine buying something as important as a mattress sight unseen without a trial period. There is no way anyone would make that leap of faith.
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With little competition for this new direct to consumer mattress market, return rates jumped up to 5-10%. Much higher, but these companies could still balance their increased profit margins (by not having a retail presence) with the increased cost of returning the customer’s money. The model was such a success that hundreds if not thousands of new mattress brands sprung to life in the few years after the success that Casper proved to the marketplace.
Along with increased competition came four fundamental changes that have increased return rates:
Are You a Mattress Renter?
It’s a serious question. You could choose to buy a mattress, try it for 90 days and then return it. Of course, that would leave you without a bed, so you would simply order another one from a different company. After buying 4 mattresses from 4 different companies you have just about filled your year and assuming all of those companies are still in business, you have all of your money back. This means to be a mattress renter you have to have the ability to float a bit of money for the lag time between ordering a new one and getting a r