How to Grow Your Sales of Juvenile Bedding

Here are more tips for selling children’s mattresses and sleep accessories.

Make youth bedding part of every conversation. Don’t limit potential sales by discussing youth bedding only with shoppers who specifically ask for it. Find ways to work the products into conversations with a variety of consumers. To avoid awkward assumptions, you can phrase your question in a general way, “Do you have any children in your home or children that you regularly buy for?” You can then follow up by asking if the child has any allergies, is sleeping on an old or hand-me-down bed set, etc. Never ask “Do you have kids?” as it can be a sensitive subject for some childless people.

 

Court the grandparents. Grandparents love to shop for grandkids, and parents appreciate them buying both useful and pricier items. You can build business by marketing to this demographic.

Go for fulls. Just as you’ll sell more adjustable bases if you show them, you can shift shoppers from twin to full size beds just by displaying and discussing them more. Full-size mattresses give children a bit more room to grow and, relatively speaking, don’t cost significantly more than a twin.

 

Corner the gift market. Pillows, linens and protectors make great gift items and can boost sales during times that are traditionally slower for retailers, namely the winter holiday season. Again, think grandparents, but also godparents, aunts, uncles and everyone else looking for a practical gift to buy children and help out financially overburdened parents.

 

Invest in POP. The need for attractive, informative point-of-purchase information is particularly important when you’re adding or expanding your youth bedding offerings.

 

Build back-to-school sales. Late summer already is a nice time for mattress sales, especially in college towns. But you can remind parents that in addition to schools supplies and new outfits, a new bed set will get their kids off to a good start for the new school year. Highlight information about the importance of a quality mattress and adequate sleep to alertness during the school day.

 

Share sleep tips for children. The BSC’s website at BetterSleep.org has a good “Children & Sleep” section under its “Better Sleep” tab that explains how much sleep children need at each age and gives tips for helping them get a good night’s sleep.