Nerding Out Over Modern E-Commerce: The Hunt for a New Mattress

My husband and I have been in the market for a new car. We’ve been researching, test driving and haggling for a few months now and it’s been terrible. There’s no convenience, no feelings of empowerment for the consumer, so many unknowns and a total lack of transparency. It’s an industry that is beyond ripe for innovation and transformation. Contrast that to an E-commerce experience I had recently. It was so good that I decided to write a blog post about it because it exemplifies the power of an integrated, cohesive digital purchase path. It all started with a problem: a sore back.

I’m a stomach sleeper and wake up nearly every day in pain. The day finally came when I knew we had to bite the bullet and get a new mattress. It wasn’t a purchase we were looking forward to; they’re expensive, bulky, hard to know what’s the right one for you (especially if one person is a stomach sleeper and the other sleeps on their back) and in general, just boring. Less than 2 days after mentally making the decision to get a new one, we got a mailer from a company called Casper, with a $50 off coupon (likely thanks to my husband’s Google search!). Their targeting paid off and they hit the right customer, at the right time with the right message. My husband and I proceeded to pull up their website. Simple, clean imagery and easy to navigate. Not too much copy. No distracting banners. Some fun animation. Featured press from sources I trust. A chat with our specialists feature. I’m intrigued, so I dig deeper.

Casper offers “the perfect mattress, sheets and pillow for everyone.” They take the guess work out of what features you need – there’s only one version. They give you 100 nights to try it out and if you don’t like it, they’ll take it back. Another perk? You don’t have to go to a store. When I told my mom about buying a mattress online, she balked. “How do you know you’ll like it!?” she said surprised. With the great press on their site, the reviews in an easy-to-read location and the option to simply send it back, I just felt comfortable. I buy nearly everything online, so why not a mattress? Plus, anything that can be delivered to my house (with free shipping!) within a few days makes me happy.

The final push to go with Casper came after visiting their Instagram profile. It solidified to me what their brand stands for. They’re fun – their tagline is “bedtime is the best” (why yes, yes it is!). They’re not trying to sell me on some boring mattress – they just want to make bed time more enjoyable (because who doesn’t love being in bed!?). Their imagery isn’t concerned with showing their product or logo in every post, it tells a story. Most importantly, it convinced me that they’re a brand for ME. I was sold (without being SOLD to) so we plugged in our $50 coupon code and within 3 days we had a new mattress arrive at our door. We pulled it out of the box and set up was a breeze. We slept like babies and I woke up without a sore neck and back.

Then what did I do? I told all my friends about this great company and wrote a blog post about it. I’m a “brand advocate” and they didn’t even have to pay me. What they did do was make me feel in control, made doing business with them convenient and they used their digital platforms to create a branding experience that felt relevant to me. They’re a great example for any brand who is targeting a modern consumer. Thanks, Casper.

Your #1 Fan,

Kaitlin Cleary