This was a concept we shared for a tool that would help customers navigate the mattress selection process. Coincidentally, I had experience as a sales trainer for a mattress company, which gave me a unique perspective on the problems the customer and retailer faced in the process. I knew how overwhelming the process could be, and how hard it was to know what was best for you and to keep track of what you'd tried. From the retailer perspective, it's hard to help customers compare and feel good about their decisions. And from the manufacturer perspective, it's almost impossible to get data about customer preferences during retail visits.

The Approach

To help solve some of these problems, we developed a concept for a mattress tracker. The customer would begin online, most likely at home on a laptop or desktop computer. They'd answer a quick quiz about their preferences, and get a list of recommended mattresses and locations nearby where they could try them. They could then send themselves a link to these results, which they could open up on their smartphone once in a retail showroom. As they tried different mattresses, they could rate them within the app. They could add new mattresses that hadn't appeared in their initial list and rate them too. As they submitted ratings, the algorithm would learn more about their preferences and help guide them to new recommendations. All of the data about customer preferences would be made available to the retailer and the manufacturer, to make them better informed about what different types of customers like.

The Findings

I drew from my first-hand experience in the field and called in some favors from friends still working on the retail floor to get some insight into what the key factors were in mattress selection: sleep position, preferred “feel,” the customer’s size, and whether they’re sharing the bed with a sleep partner. I also knew from experience and from my industry connections that data about what different types of customers liked - within their product line and across competitive products - would be a huge asset both to the client and their retail partners,

The Outcome

We shared this to showcase our digital capabilities during our agency’s pitch process with the client. We won the client.

Activities: Concepting, service design, wireframing, copywriting, design oversight, pitch development

Deliverables: Wireframes, content, presentation