Since long working hours and a stressful environment can cause sleep deprivation for many people, as experts say, the desire to get a good night’s sleep is on the rise. (image: KobizMedia/Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, July 19 (Korea Bizwire) – With more Koreans suffering from chronic fatigue and sleep disorders, companies developing sleep aids are looking for opportunities to attract sleep-deprived people with products promising improved sleep.
Since long working hours and a stressful environment can cause sleep deprivation for many people, as experts say, the desire to get a good night’s sleep, even a short one, is on the rise – which is good news for bedding retailers.
AJ Rentus, a houseware rental service company, has opened gallery-type stores this year in Incheon, Mokdong and Jamsil in Seoul, and Ilsan in Gyeonggi Province to give customers the opportunity to peruse their selection of mattresses and mattress toppers, and consult with mattress experts.
Each AJ Rentus store has a bed-match system that recommends a suitable mattress for customers based on their sleep patterns and physical measurements.
The bed-match system is a measuring device that contains 1,000 sensors, and has body measurement data for 9.6 million individuals. (image: Yonhap)
The bed-match system developed by Kingsdown, a luxury mattress manufacturer, is a measuring device that contains 1,000 sensors, and has body measurement data for 9.6 million individuals.
When a customer lies down on the device for six minutes, his or her body measurements are taken and analyzed to find a perfect mattress.
“Talking to consultants or feeling the mattress with one’s hands doesn’t suffice when choosing the appropriate mattress for customers. Lying down at least for a while and actually experiencing a mattress is much more important,” said an official from AJ Rentus. “More than a thousand customers have already paid a visit to our stores to use the bed-match system.”
On the same note, bedding goods retailer Evezary’s sleep environment research center recently published a book called ‘Sleep Smart’. The book, co-written by Choi Ji-ho, a professor at Korea University, introduces a healthy way to sleep, and documents the process of how to select functional bedding that suits different individuals.
“Quality of sleep is becoming a greater concern. Because consumers are making purchases after giving more thought and even turning to international online shopping malls, domestic brands are coming up with more aggressive marketing strategies to keep consumer attention in the local market,” said an industry official.
By Nonnie Kim (nkim@koreabizwire.com)
