Following a stellar reveal at the Science Museum this summer, Tempur’s first major product launch in eight years is bedding in with retailers across the UK, ahead of its consumer launch in February. Furniture News asked Tobin James, MD of Tempur UK, to explain the thinking behind the new models …
What’s been keeping you busy?
There is never a quiet moment at Tempur – as an international brand, new and exciting developments are always happening.
Having said that, this year has been a particularly busy one so far, with our first major product launch in eight years. We’ve already had the trade launch event for our all-new product range – which took place at the Science Museum on 6th July – and are now underway with preparations for February 2024, when they are due to roll out in stores.
Please outline your new range – what’s 'next generation’ about it?
The new Tempur Pro SmartCool mattress and pillow range is a real step forward for us. The mattresses feature the brand-new Tempur Advanced Material, which is a next-generation formulation providing the best-ever pressure relief, motion absorption, and adaptability. That Tempur feeling will have never felt so good – that’s really saying something, when our current ranges are previously unmatched.
In addition to the new mattress and pillow range, we have put a lot of focus into launching our first-ever internationally produced bed range, Tempur Arc. Designed in partnership with Studio Stockholm, the bed bases have a unique and adjustable disc system meaning that, with the touch of a button, the frame will adapt itself to the individual’s shape and help maximise levels of comfort and sleep quality like never before.
We believe that this next-generation design will encourage more consumers to buy the complete Tempur bed system, especially given that these bed frames are built to complement each Tempur mattress and their intrinsic benefits.
We are also launching our smartest bed base ever – the Tempur Ergo Smart Base. It is powered by integrated Sleeptracker-AI sensors which detect and respond to micro-vibrations from snoring. We know from our research that nearly half of consumers experience disturbed sleep from their partner’s snoring, and the next-generation smart bed finally provides a solution to this.
The bed also provides sleep coaching and analytics via an easy-to-use app, making expert-level, tailored sleep insights directly available to customers wishing to fine-tune sleep hygiene. Therefore, it is no surprise that this product’s snore-detecting feature took the US market by storm when we launched it there around 18 months ago.
What personalised elements are involved, and how will shoppers engage with them?
We have consumer choice covered – the Tempur Advanced Material in the new products adapts to each individual’s body and their unique temperature, shape, and weight.
In addition, the Tempur Pro SmartCool mattress range will be available in four ‘feels’ – soft, medium, medium firm and firm – and each mattress comes in three depths for further personalisation. This will give customers the freedom to choose whichever is best suited to their individual needs. Our pillows are available in a variety of ergonomic shapes and sizes for all sleep positions.
Finally, the Tempur bed range has over 2000 combinations of colours, fabrics, headboards and bed legs.
What inspired the innovations in the range, and how did Tempur go about delivering them?
The customer is at the centre of everything we do – all our products are designed with the aim to provide a solution to real-world sleep problems, identified through consumer research.
Development of these new ranges began just after our last launch eight years ago, and the advancements in research and technology have meant that our solutions are now more innovative than ever. And it’s why we are so excited about the launch of these new products – we know that they work and give real sleep benefits to consumers, ultimately helping them to achieve their best sleep ever.
Our products, and their benefits, are also unique, given that Tempur does not produce its materials or products for anyone else.
How do you plan to communicate the benefits of the range to end-users?
We communicate with our target consumers using an integrated advertising strategy. We’ll continue to use this approach to promote the new range, backed by a multimillion-pound budget and the launch of new marketing assets when the new products appear on our retail partners’ shop floors from early 2024.
What do you foresee being the biggest challenges in the range’s successful deployment?
A big challenge will be phasing out all of the existing products and replacing them with the new ranges. However, we work closely with our retail partners, and this is why we launched the products to them eight months in advance of the consumer launch. This will allow plenty of time ahead of delivery to carefully plan with our retail partners – for example, finalising display requirements and production, to ensure it all goes smoothly.
There is no doubt that this is a large undertaking, but we have a talented team and work with dedicated people, and I am confident that we will be able to do it.
… and what makes you think the marketplace is hungry for it?
Sleep has always been, and will always be, an essential part of every individual’s wellbeing. This explains why – despite the current ranges being in their eighth year – we are witnessing record sales of our current Tempur products. However, based on our consumer research and retailer reaction, we believe that our new ranges are going to take us to the next level.
Read the rest of our interview with Tobin in September's issue.
