Emma – The Sleep Company reports that it is intensifying its omnichannel strategy and strengthening its international retail business, and in the UK, this development is being driven by a new regional team focusing on retail, led by bed industry veteran, Neil Robinson.
The newly launched Emma Select assortment, which facilitates sales in physical stores, features the Emma Smart Hybrid, which was recently awarded a Which? Best Buy seal of approval, while a new showroom near the company’s Frankfurt headquarters showcases the expanded product range.
Following its success in online sales, the online start-up emerged as one of the world’s leading D2C sleep brands, with more than 1.5 million mattresses sold in 2020, global revenues of €405m and a growth rate of +170%.
In addition to digital touchpoints, Emma’s products are sold in numerous European furniture retail stores (including El Cortes Inglese, Beter Bed and Conforama) – and co-operation with retailers is intensifying as their role in the brand’s development continues to grow. Emma is currently partnering with over 200 retail partners, and its products are present in over 3000 physical touchpoints.
“Ecommerce is growing continuously, and the pandemic has further accelerated the shift to online shopping,” says Dr Dennis Schmoltzi, Emma’s co-founder and CEO. “Nevertheless, opening the brick-and-mortar shops after lockdown has led to strong customer traffic.
Some customers will always appreciate the option of testing products in-store and getting personal advice. The on-site experience of retail will never be fully replaced in the mattress industry. Investing in omnichannel approaches is the next big move for us while growing internationally.”
In the UK, Emma is building a new division exclusively focused on retail in order to execute its omnichannel strategy, and launching the Emma Select mattress series is part of its new sales strategy. The range is specially designed for offline customers’ needs, and adds a new mattress series to Emma’s portfolio, designed for on-site consultations and boasting a unique PoS package.
“It is not about putting the same product you sell online in physical stores,” says Neil Robinson, Emma’s country sales director for the UK and Ireland. “In fact, you have to offer customers a new kind of shopping experience offline. For example, different marketing assets like lightboxes or technical videos simplify the explanation of mattress types, and the presentation with large emotional images gains attraction in the displays of brick-and-mortar stores.”
The new Emma Select series consists of three collections, each available in two levels of comfort. Its concise design concept ensures that the assortment is easy to understand and enables the clear and space-efficient presentation of the products. Based on clear USPs – lying comfort, breathability and deep sleep optimisation – the premium mattresses offer matching technology for different target groups.
The new line will be exhibited in Emma’s new Frankfurt showroom, giving retail partners the opportunity to receive on-site advice on the products and their sales opportunities. The 160 sqm space will also house other Emma products, a Sleep Lab, and the innovative smart mattress, Emma Motion.
The showroom opened for trading partners in August, and appointments for individual discussions can be made at any time. Additionally, Emma is looking for further showroom locations in the UK, in which to present its products and meet in person with retail partners locally.
Pictured: Neil Robinson (photo by Moritz Reich for Emma Sleep)
