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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

#41

Post by MartinCron »

itsprofitbaron wrote: post #32
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 w…

Imagine if the cultural norm went from spending a lot on an expensive diamond where the money went to a textbook evil corporation to spending much less on a cheap manufactured diamond of higher quality and donating the difference to the charity of the lady's choice.

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#42

Post by Spooky23 »

There are all sorts of outlets for reasonably priced, what you see is what you get mattresses: Sam's Club. Costco. Ikea. You can get a decent name brand mainstream mattress for ~$500.

The problem with mattresses is that it's a product where you need a salesman. There's a bunch of different products that look similar, but have significant differences. You want to match the customer with what they want (or tell them what they want) so that they don't return the thing.

Plus, there are some inherent logistical differences between a pair of eyeglasses that can be dropped in an envelope and shipped to anywhere in a day or two. Distribution and warehousing is expensive, the product needs to be delivered quickly (and picked up if the customer is displeased).

There is a market for discount mattress sales outlets on the internet -- but just as online furniture and appliance outlets haven't "disrupted" the market, mattresses online are unlikely to either.

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#43

Post by MartinCron »

stevesearer wrote: post #40
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.

I will be your first customer. Egyptian Cotton, high thread count, bright white. Thanks.

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#44

Post by niggler »

MartinCron wrote: post #36
niggler wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You would also need to change the entire ecosystem: if you use standard mattresses, then you can leverage the existing supply of sheets etc. Which is not to say it's a bad idea, but I imagine there's much more involved.

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#45

Post by MartinCron »

techcofounder wrote: post #19

I completely agree! I recently went shopping for a mattress at Sleep Train and they admitted that they mask the model numbers of their mattresses so you can't find them online for cheaper. Someone please build this.

they mask the model numbers of their mattresses so you can't find them online for cheaper

This practice predates looking online for cheaper. They all obfuscate model numbers so you can't do comparison shopping or "price matching" in the real world. It's shameful.

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#47

Post by petenixey »

stevesearer wrote: post #40
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.

And yours for me to make one specialising in waterproof ones called "Three Sheets to the Wind"

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#48

Post by itsprofitbaron »

MartinCron wrote: post #41
itsprofitbaron wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 w…

Imagine if the cultural norm went from spending a lot on an expensive diamond where the money went to a textbook evil corporation to spending much less on a cheap manufactured diamond of higher quality and donating the difference to the charity of the lady's choice.

It would require an incredible amount of ad spend to change cultural norms which have been created by advertisers over generations. The chances of it happening are miniscule, and the startups who are attempting to do it would go bankrupt several times over before it was even close to being achieved.

It actually reminds me of a Warren Buffet Quote “If you gave me $100 Billion and said, ‘Take away the soft-drink leadership of Coca-Cola in the world’, I’d give it back to you and say it can’t be done”

Re: We Need a Warby Parker for Mattresses

#50

Post by lesterbuck »

storborg wrote: post #4
streptomycin wrote: post #2

FWIW, Warby Parker was not the first web-based retailer to undercut traditional eyewear sales, nor are they the cheapest. They do seem to have the best PR, though.

They also have by far the best customer experience. Their website is fantastic and fulfillment is lightning-fast, neither of which can be said about the competitors that I've tried (framesdirect.com, zennioptical.com, glasses.com, 39dollarglasses). It's not just PR. Unfortunately, their range of styles is still very narrow, which is presumably dependent on their manufacturing capabilities.

I used zennioptical.com in 2008 and was very happy. Lacking any fashion sense, I ordered some computer glasses that I hoped would completely disappear on my face - #804811 titanium shape memory rimless, single vision, high index of refraction, with various coatings delivered for under $40. After two years, the nose bridge broke and I took it around locally to see about a repair. The local repair guru quoted me $45 to solder them back together and he started filling out the order, when I stopped him and said I paid less than that for the whole pair of glasses. Turns out Zenni also sells the frames separately, $14.95 for that item, and anyone can install the old lenses into the new frames.
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