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We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

priceonomics.com

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Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#31

Post by rohin »

mattmiller wrote: post #18
rscale wrote: post #15

I believe that entrepreneurs could do well, generally, by looking for opportunities in industries that are dominated by private-equity players. If an industry is overweight PE, you can bet that the market analysis looks fantastically attractive (competition isn't too fierce, suppliers have little power, buyers have little power, not many substitutes, and little perceived threat from new entrants). If a clever entrepr…

How do you find industries dominated by PE?

Make a list of the top 20 PE funds (KKR, Bain Capital, TPG, etc) and then check out their portfolio from their website or WSJ articles.

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#32

Post by itsprofitbaron »

startupfounder wrote: post #10

We need a Warby Parker for Diamonds! 1. Oligopoly market structure CHECK 2. Insane gross margins CHECK 3. Opaque and misleading product naming CHECK 4. Expensive distribution through unpleasant channels CHECK CHECK CHECK

No. There shouldn't be a Warby Parker for Diamonds.

Sure there are services like BlueNile etc but they're nothing like a Warby Parker for Diamonds.

Diamonds are bought, not because of what they are but what they represent.

The whole point of diamonds is to capitalise on what they're representing rather than their actual worth.

Their value is created through the likes of "diamonds are a girl's best friend" which is why the price is high for them. Hence the advertisements have been developed around the whole perceived value of diamonds ala. "diamond's are a girls best friend" because when you present a woman with a diamond you're presenting her with a promise - a promise that you will look after & take care of her. Which is something that most women want.

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#33

Post by niggler »

startupfounder wrote: post #10

We need a Warby Parker for Diamonds! 1. Oligopoly market structure CHECK 2. Insane gross margins CHECK 3. Opaque and misleading product naming CHECK 4. Expensive distribution through unpleasant channels CHECK CHECK CHECK

Nice little history on Diamonds (and why trying to disrupt that market is incredibly difficult):

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/1982/02/have-you-e...

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#34

Post by heretohelp »

mattmiller wrote: post #18
rscale wrote: post #15

I believe that entrepreneurs could do well, generally, by looking for opportunities in industries that are dominated by private-equity players. If an industry is overweight PE, you can bet that the market analysis looks fantastically attractive (competition isn't too fierce, suppliers have little power, buyers have little power, not many substitutes, and little perceived threat from new entrants). If a clever entrepr…

How do you find industries dominated by PE?

Analysis, research, work.

The stuff you ostensibly do when you're not on HN.

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#35

Post by twoodfin »

One advantage that the eyeglass market has is massive tax favorability in the U.S.

I believe it's still the case that prescription eyeglasses can be bought with pre-tax dollars under a "use it or lose it" flex savings plan. I assume vision plans, which often include large purchase credits for eyeglasses at least biennially, are also tax deductible benefits.

The result is often relatively price-insensitive consumers who "have" to spend $200+ on glasses lest they not be taking full advantage of their benefit.

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#36

Post by MartinCron »

niggler wrote: post #27
MartinCron wrote: post #23

While you're disrupting the mattress industry, please consider re-thinking the King form factor. Changing the aspect ratio by just a few inches would make it perfectly square, which allows for you to rotate 90 degrees as well as flip, so the whole thing would wear out more evenly. As an extra bonus, this would make putting sheets on easier as there's no wrong way (short of inside-out, I guess).

Wouldn't you then have to worry about fitted bedsheets and comforters?

Absolutely, you would have to get new bedsheets, comforters, and beds to support the new form factor, but if it means replacing the mattress every n*2 years instead of every n, I'll come out ahead in the long term.

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#37

Post by johnzimmerman »

A couple of years ago I was looking for a Tempur-Pedic style mattress, but didn't want to spend thousands for one. After doing a lot of research I found Isoform mattresses. They are only available through the mail and have a 90-day return window if you're not happy. It would be very expensive to ship numerous mattresses, but the trial of one with no commitment to buy is pretty good.

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#38

Post by MartinCron »

twoodfin wrote: post #22
Fluxx wrote: post #14

I'm not sure if you can count this as a startup, but I bought my King-sized Sleep Innovations (memory foam) mattress with Amazon Prime for $530. And if I wanted the less-think 10" one, it would be $400. http://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Innovations-12-inch-Memory-Mattr... The damn thing was ~100lbs in a giant box, and I got it shipped to me free. It's super comfortable and well worth the money - remember you sleep for like…

The problem is that many people like to lie on a mattress before they buy it. Sure, that's a little silly since lying on it for a minute or so is unlikely to capture the experience of tossing and turning on it for a night, but it's clear that it's a competitive advantage to let the consumer compare a few models in a physically direct way. Warby Parker can get away with the similar consumer requirement for glasses bec…

I used to think the same thing about shoes, but Zappos has managed to crack that with their super-easy returns and two-way shipping.

Is two-way shipping with easy returns possible for mattresses? I would be willing to try it if I never had to deal with a mattress salesman again.

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#39

Post by antidaily »

startupfounder wrote: post #10

We need a Warby Parker for Diamonds! 1. Oligopoly market structure CHECK 2. Insane gross margins CHECK 3. Opaque and misleading product naming CHECK 4. Expensive distribution through unpleasant channels CHECK CHECK CHECK

And where are the flawless manufactured diamonds Wired featured 8 years ago?

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#40

Post by stevesearer »

MartinCron wrote: post #23

While you're disrupting the mattress industry, please consider re-thinking the King form factor. Changing the aspect ratio by just a few inches would make it perfectly square, which allows for you to rotate 90 degrees as well as flip, so the whole thing would wear out more evenly. As an extra bonus, this would make putting sheets on easier as there's no wrong way (short of inside-out, I guess).

Your comment has inspired me to make a 'sheet disruption' company called Who Gives A Sheet. Sheets will be reversible and for every set of sheets purchased, we'll give a sheet to someone that needs one.
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