Change is coming to Washington, D.C., after the upcoming election, and multi-channel mattress retailer 1800mattress.com expects a surge in mattress sales as a result. The company plans to open 40 stores in the region and has hired industry veteran Ken Mazda to lead the effort.
1800mattress.com, No. 266 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, started out selling by phone, later opened stores in the New York metropolitan area and a few other cities, and then went online. Its web site sells to consumers nationwide, and the company funnels orders to 300 independent bedding retailers in areas where 1800mattress.com does not have its own stores.
The retailer uses data from its web site, such as what ZIP code the mattress will be delivered to, to help decide where to open stores, says Veronica Rodas, vice president of marketing and advertising. The retailer knows that whenever the resident of the White House changes, there are a lot of people moving in and out of Washington and its suburbs.
“It’s an area that has a lot of movement because of the amount of politicians coming in and out every four years,” Rodas says. “And they’re very convenience-oriented.”
Rodas says the retailer’s web presence and experienced call center staff give it an edge over retailers who only own stores, particularly in closing sales after normal store hours. And the retailer has gotten a significant boost from its introduction last year of live chat. The retailer drops down a box with a graphic of a woman wearing a headset, and invites the visitor to ask questions through an instant message-type format.
“There’s a certain comfort level customers get with chat,” Rodas says. “And, unlike the personal sell of being in a store and being face to face with someone or even on the phone, you don’t feel uncomfortable asking any question.” She says the web accounts for about 25% of the retailer’s sales, and half of that come through live chat exchanges.
Mazda, who will be heading the expansion into the Washington area, built Nationwide Discount Sleep Centers into a 60-store chain before selling it in 1999. He will have the title of vice president of business development, new markets.
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