If you’ve ever experienced shopping for a mattress in the US, you’ll empathize with Casper‘s lament. “Buying a mattress is just like buying a used car,” observes Casper co-founder and head of product design, Jeff Chapin. “We’re not interested in the quick sale, we want to change the whole experience,” the former IDEO designer tells Quartz. Launched last April, Casper is an e-commerce start-up with the mission of selling “outrageously comfortable mattress” direct to consumers. Chapin, along with a team of product designers with experience from IDEO and NASA, spent almost two years perfecting their product—sourcing the best materials, finding manufacturers, and zeroing in on the right “Goldilocks standard” mattress firmness. But Casper’s success goes beyond offering a superior sleeping surface. It’s the systems approach to overhauling the $13-billion mattress industry that’s gaining the company accolades. Here are some industry pain points they’re seeking to soothe:
“Plush top, pillow top, luxury plush, micro-coil firm, euro top”—the buzzwords, sales jargon and schemes are discombobulating for the consumer. Casper is simplifying things and offering one option: a semi-firm mattress in six standard sizes. Except for a referral coupon, Casper does not discount its well-priced mattresses, so customers do not have to chase that President’s Day sale for a deal. As a web operation backed by a brigade of helpful customer service agents, Casper alleviates consumers from dalliances with pushy salespeople. Chapin and his design team have developed a way to compress-ship the mattresses so it fits in a nifty branded box that can squeeze in any doorway. This allows them to stock inventory more efficiently. In Manhattan, Casper offers same-day courier delivery service, at no additional cost. With the opening of their showroom in Los Angeles, customers can presumably fit the mattress box in their Prius for instant gratification. Casper is big on personal touch.
When Casper launched, they immediately sold out of inventory. Concerned that customers wouldn’t have a place to sleep, the founders sent them air mattress from Amazon. “We thought Amazon would shut us down because we ordered so many, and they might think we were reselling them.” recalls Chapin. Each mattress ships with simple instructions, a useful cutter to break the plastic wrap, a handwritten thank-you note, and even a book for a bedtime read. An antidote to the coupon-saturated advertising rendered in screaming headline fonts, Casper’s minimalist ad campaign delivers the message with wit and humor. Developed with the New York branding firm Red Antler and illustrator Tom Umi, the ads delight New York City subway riders. “Or mattress is not for everyone. Not all people will want a semi-firm bed.” says Chapin. Casper offers a 100-day return policy, customers can try out the bed at home and decide if their mattress is a keeper. “A mattress is a significant investment and we want them to be happy with the purchase.”
Chapin is proud of the fact that among their best reviews have come from customers who have returned the mattresses but praise the company for the experience. These former customers have since referred friends to Casper. So far, their efforts have paid off. Casper has attracted US $15 million in venture funding and posted US $20 million in sales in 10 months. The feedback from customers in social media is overwhelmingly positive too. “It’s strange that people would post photos of their bed,” says Chapin. “I think it’s partly driven by the fact that people want to share a positive experience from an internet transaction. They’ve gambled on a web purchase, and they feel like they’ve won. We’re all about renewing trust.” Every last detail is on point with @casper / got mine set up in 5 minutes. — Tara Mann (@TaraMann) October 28, 2014 Just let our @Casper out of the box and so far there are two members of the family who are pleased! — Lauren Ponting Walsh (@laurenpwalsh) October 11, 2014
Casper (@casper) mattress: re•dic•u•lous•ly comfy, stupid affordable … and apparently, kid approved. — Tony Besson (@TonyBesson) February 17, 2015 Enjoying our new mattress! — Brooke Sines (@brookesines) October 7, 2014The mattress is probably among the most important and personal home items you own. We all know we're supposed to get seven hours of sleep (at least) each day--and a bad mattress will definitely prevent that from happening. What it comes down to with a mattress is your own personal comfort and how it can support your body specifically. While the comfort level of a mattress varies from person to person and the construction of mattresses can be broken down to a science, one thing is certain when you're looking to purchase one: It's a big investment and you better make sure it works for you. Thus, we took note of some of the general things to keep in mind if you're in the market for a mattress, whether it's a memory foam or a regular spring mattress.
For the most part there are three main mattress types: inner spring, latex and memory foam. There are, of course, also air mattresses and ones made up of latex foam, but mattresses at most stores generally stick to the above three. Our pick: Latex (Find out why below) Ask about inner springs. Without going too much into the intricacies of construction, inner spring coil mattresses are the most common and cost-effective, and they tend to be firm. Ask about the type of support wire coils in a spring mattress. There are four types: open (hourglass shape), offset (square top), pocket (individually fabric wrapped cylinders) or continuous (S-shaped). Out of the the four, open coil support wears out most easily and continuous coils provide the best evenly distributed support. Our Pick: Continuous coilsMade from all-natural latex rubber, this mattress option is hypoallergenic and dust-mite resistant. Not too firm and not too plush, latex is a good choice for people who might be suffering from back pains, and it also retains heat well.
Many go for 9"-12" thick latex mattresses, which has more layers of latex rubber inside, and don't go below 6", but this is highly dependent on your specific comfort level. We've found the 7"-10" range to be a good fit for us.The most well known body-molding, memory-foam mattress is by Tempurpedic. What's important to know about memory-foam is that it heats up much more than other mattresses as it isn't as breathable as latex or spring mattresses. However, its firmness has been said to provide much better cushioning than innerspring mattresses, but memory-foam usually comes with a much high price tag. Be firm with firmness. Contrary to popular opinion, a firm mattress is not always best. An extremely firm mattress can actually provide uneven support and end up putting stress on body parts like the hips and shoulders. Likewise for a mattress that is too soft, making you sink and thus causing body aches. However, one tried and true tip is to go with a medium-firm (or cushion-firm) mattress, like a latex foam one, if you suffer from lower back pains -- it gives better support to the spine's curve.
This goes without saying, but you'd be surprised at how many people succumb to the convenience of purchasing a mattress over the internet these days. You should check out mattresses in person and definitely lie down on one to test it out in the store to make sure it's comfortable for you. Not to mention, shipping costs can be high, which would make an already expensive purchase even more costly.There are mattresses that go for under $1,000 but most people tend to invest that amount into one. Some mattresses can cost thousands of dollars (even tens of thousands of dollars), but in general, we find that one that costs anywhere from $500-$1200 with the right support is satisfactory and easy to find at chains like Sleepy's and department stores such as Macy's. If you're shopping around for a mattress now or thinking about getting one in the near future, here are a few options to get you started, and don't forget to check out the shopping video also. And let us know in comments below what other factors are important to you in a mattress.