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I’d Like a Large TempurPedic to Go; Hold the Pillows.
January 8, 2008

From around the Web: Furniture Style profiles Sleep Squad, an innovative business that brings product to the customer’s home to try. Shoppers pick mattresses they want to try online (or by phone). The retailer, which has no storefront, drives a mobile showroom containing those and a few comparable samples to shoppers’ homes. Customers try the mattresses in private — even the salesperson leaves — and get delivery in minutes.

Sleep Squad's hybrid concept removes one of the worst roadblock to online sales: the customer’s desire to try before they buy. (Free shipping for returns such as Zappos.com uses is another way to head off fear of buyer’s remorse.) For any home products retailer, making house calls is worth considering. Customers who make an appointment are likely to be serious about buying; you save them hassle from parking and crowds, and seeing their other furnishings lets you make more informed suggestions. Not to mention that customers love to eliminate wait time without extra charges. (Bricks and clicks retailers can offer similar instant gratification with in-store pickup.)

But the lessons of Sleep Squad go beyond the specifics. Founder Michael Cotes created his business by finding an industry that had a lot wrong with it and creating his business model around fixing those problems. So what’s wrong (and taken for granted) in your business? There’s your next opportunity. — Meredith Schwartz

Posted by Virtual Merchant Today on January 8, 2008 | Comments (0)