- Introduction to European Size Mattresses
Euro queen mattress in singapore cater mostly to the market of individuals and households who moved to places such as Asia in the past and after several generations, urge for these customized sizes. Travelers, working expatriates or scholars, and migrants also have the need for European-sized mattresses. It is often seen in dormitory room fittings or dormitory building management regulations in places such as Singapore. In European households and buildings, rooms and homes are designed and constructed to cater to special dimensions of European-sized mattresses, ensuring these supports building contoured architectural designs and continuous level flooring without any gaps. For some, European-sized mattresses at places away from Europe become necessary to fight homesickness problems and the importance of well-being. In this paper, we focus on a fixed-size approximation to a single variability segment of mattresses from the European-sized mattresses set. We also find companies in Singapore who offer and can custom-make mattresses.
When it comes to purchasing mattresses, it is crucial to have the right size and fit for your bed frame in order to enjoy the maximum comfort each and every night. However, the classification of mattress dimensions and thus the various sizes available can differ influenced by the origin of the mattress itself. In countries such as Germany, Switzerland, France, Austria, Sweden, Norway, and Italy, many residents seek European-sized mattresses for their custom-made bed frames. This hands-on research effort seeks to address a gap that exists in between the general understanding of European-sized mattresses and their availability in local stores. In the local context of Singapore, European-sized mattresses are seldom seen and not many companies offer the service of making the specific dimensions that consumers are looking for. With the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) proposing and advocating a convenient modular mattress sizing solution that caters to global service providers, the result of this study may also be utilized as a key comparison in understanding international markets better.
1.1. Overview of Euro King, Euro Queen, and Other European Size Mattresses
Brands are constantly marketing new sizes with different dimensions. The limited information and lack of standardization has led to confusion, misunderstandings, and inconvenience for consumers when they purchase new bed frames or mattresses. With the substantial fluctuations in mattress retail prices, the promotion of unreliable warranties, lengthy exchange and return policies, and such a wide difference between the list price and the effective price after discount or promotion, consumers are increasingly shopping for products and services with a more discriminating eye. These factors may hinder consumers from replacing their current beds with a mattress that complements the Euro bed frame. How is the Euro King a true Euro King? And how is the Euro Queen a true Euro Queen? Is there a true Euro King and a true Euro Queen? Thus far, no study has explicitly compared major brands in terms of mattress prices, materials, size, and features such as comfort and warranty, or has identified all the available European-size variations in Asian showrooms. This paper discusses the definition and overview of the European-size mattress concept and the availability of Euro-size mattresses in the Singapore market. After the Euro-size mattress variations are identified, the differences between the regional standard and Euro dimensions are shown.
The concept of the European-size mattress has gained increasing attention recently. The reason for the high take-up of the European-size mattresses in the Singaporean and some other Asian markets is largely attributed to the large number of Europeans residing in those countries. This high spending consumer group, which has different tastes and strong brand loyalty, favors the need to market their own size bed despite the immense differences in bedroom sizes, culture, and the number of accompanying Europeans. The current commonly known European mattress sizes available in the Singaporean market are the Euro King and the Euro Queen. Unfortunately, there are several variations to these European dimensions and none are truly standard.
- Benefits and Features of Euro King Mattresses
The Euro King mattress in Singapore is a uniquely European size with no equivalent or common size found in the US market. Filling the gap for better proportion mattresses for couples, built with foam or combination mattresses, the mattress is available in the Singapore market and can be made with colder other than the commonly available UK fabric. From a whole, Euro King mattresses are slightly smaller in total dimensions, consisting of the combination mattresses of a King. A single Euro King mattress is meant for a single-sized Euro bed frame base, while a pair of Euro mattresses can be combined to achieve a King-sized bed frame.
Increased globalization of the world market has led to the greater availability of items such as European sizes of mattresses, including Euro and Euro King, that were previously not readily found in many countries like Singapore. The growing trend of the use of the European sizes can be attributed to the possibly better proportion of dimensions to the Asian body size. Pain, pressure points, and motion transfer reduction, and possibly improved rest can be benefits derived from properly sized mattresses.
2.1. Size Comparison with Standard Singaporean Mattresses
In this section, we will discuss and compare the European size mattresses in Singapore. This is an important comparison when considering to sell or buy European size mattresses in the Singapore market, since most bed frames available are more suited to fit in standard mattress size and dimensions. This size comparison will also help consumers integrate their available bed frames with the European size mattress before deciding on the soft bed size to purchase.
Guideline 2: In this paper, we aim to determine if the mattress size disparity could be a reason why there is a difficulty integrating the European size mattresses with the standard local bed frames in Singapore.
Guideline 1: Mattresses have historically come in different sizes, with each size denoting a specific mattress and bed frame dimension. The size disparity might be due to an industry manufacturing standard or a conformity to a certain country’s requirement. It is beneficial if a shop can display mattress dimensions in comparison to the country’s mattress standard size, for consumers to give a more informed purchase decision.
Over the years, there has been a growing demand in the Singapore domestic market for European size mattresses such as single, super single, king, and queen, which are quite popular in Europe. These European size mattresses are simply larger and longer than the commonly found standard local mattress sizes in Singapore. The surge in demand for the European size mattresses is likely due to the preferences of a customer’s shopping experience, which has likely been influenced by traveling and living abroad. Reasons could include customers preferring a larger mattress size, thus associates with more space for sleeping, rolling, and comfortable rest, which contributes to restful sleep. Although customers might have the preference for purchasing European size mattresses, fitting the mattresses with the bed frames is an important consideration.
- Market Analysis of European Size Mattresses in Singapore
The Singapore mattress industry is characterized by increasing global competition and diverse offerings of mattress sizes. This trend is driven primarily by globalization, changing demographics, and increasing buying power. The variety in standard dimensions of different brand names in a particular market adds too much confusion. In order to assist the consumers, there is a need for regulation or standard dimension specification. These measures should be incorporated into an online database to enhance the exchange of information to enable all the parties working and acting with actual dimensions for their service and product offering in perfect parallel.
With a rising number of people from Europe, European mattress sizes have also become more popular in Singapore, along with a concurrent increase in the variety of models available in the market. Five major brands, i.e., Sealy, Simmons, King Koil, MaxCoil, and Dorma, were examined. The prices show statistically significant differences among the different brands for all the mattress sizes. Although Sealy and Simmons are more expensive than the rest for all sizes, King Koil and MaxCoil are popular choices. The price of an FK mattress is higher than EK and EKB mattresses for all five brands. Historically, mattresses have always been manufactured specifically to fit the various bed sizes. Even the term ‘king’ was not known as each king or queen sleeping was different for every different country in Europe. However, manufacturers recognized that it is more economical to produce beds in quantity by using the same size of bedding and thus, they began to manufacture these beds in larger sizes to accommodate more people who were getting larger and taller by a whopping six inches in average height.
3.1. Availability and Pricing
Another striking observation is that it is more worthwhile to buy the larger-sized mattresses instead of the smaller when both of them can come in 1 package. Similar selling prices, or only a few dollars more, are what most of the companies are doing when posting a price. These companies are a contributor to the large price range too. As for the bed frames, to cope with the European-sized mattresses, Euro bed frames have to be used. Some of the popular leading brands in Singapore have it in their collection. The company selling the most expensive mattresses is not amongst the available popular brands. Another interesting point is that 50% of the companies invested their effort to provide a bed frame separately. The other 3 companies do not stock their own Euro bed frames at all. Their frames are all not matching the density of their mattresses, the lengths are all not the same, and 100% of them have beechwood slats. They opted to specialize more on their mattresses than on bed frames.
The results of the study show the true availability of European size mattresses in the Singaporean market. It can be considered as rare. It is not easily accessible, whether from sources local in Singapore or in online stores from surrounding countries. Among the local sources, 6 dedicated furniture companies were studied. Every one of them has its own type of European-sized mattresses. There is little or no variety available, and at most it ranges from 10cm to 12cm thick only. Twin-sized mattresses were found to be thicker than 3 other types. Almost all the current sizes in the market are spring mattresses, not latex, memory foam, or water mattresses. All of the European sizes sold here are foldable mattresses too, and they are not 100% manufactured in Singapore. They are usually produced outside and imported due to the lack of facilities here. On the pricing, the range of the prices is great. It differs from store to store. Across all 5 sizes, the company with the most costly mattresses is the same company. Among local retailers and those from online stores, that retailer stands out.
- Consumer Preferences and Trends
Using various morphologic, pneumographical, body pression and soundproofing tools, future mattress customers should be identifying their own purpose in their quest for the bed that best suits their body’s resting cycle. They will probably find a variety of answers but the size of these mattresses is finally revealing a penchant for two questions: What do Singapore mattress retail offers on the bed sizes it encourages? What kind of adjustable comfort does the bedding structure encourage?
As the general trend in the labor market is to expect a dollar to be justified by a commensurate level of performance, good sleep becomes an increasingly important tool. For many it is the cure, the solace, their heads sink lower and lower, and they are kneaded by their mattress until they fall into a state of oblivion. For some, the mattress provides some other type of linear probability. It introduces a force of 30 N/cm3 exerted between their back and the mattress, and adds comfort zones such as the shoulder, hip or heel, which are quickly pressed by half as much. Between sleeping, twisting which moves their body, in constant motion, it tightens their face joints. They know very well that their mattress is capable of exerting a support force of 25 N on these joints.
The World Wide Web is a key source for consumers gathering information and the use of custom mattress dimensions can assert a strong competitive edge with online retailers that stock standard-size mattresses. In fact, with increasing numbers of European size mattresses being made to national retailing standards, custom sizes are available at no added manufacturing cost. From the day of order to the day of receipt, consumers wait for the same duration of time as those awaiting the delivery of a standard model.
One of the important results from the study suggests that consumer preference studies, especially ones with dimension and measurement considerations posted to the public domain, serve as a powerful guide for future product offerings. The study shows that there is still a considerable demand for specific-size mattresses in the Singapore residential retail market and this can cater to the requirement of consumers. These dimensions are fairly specific and not consumer adjustable either with the product, given the physical considerations a mattress must meet when paired with a standard-size bed.
European size mattresses appear to have gained some interest in Singapore. During our previous study, no Euro size mattresses were being retailed in Singapore. However, three years later, a few retailers appeared to have picked up the trend and started retailing them. The current interest in European size mattresses warranted this study.
In the Singaporean mattress retail market one can expect a wide range of products ranging from inexpensive, mass-produced products to top researcher products and designer collections. Many of these products are positioned in response to, and as drivers of, shifting underlying product trends such as fashion alongside comfort.
The preference of a consumer reflects current purchasing trends and ultimately influences what is offered in the market from manufacturers. It is based on personal considerations which may include physical comfort, budget, social intentions, family size, or peer opinions. These considerations often develop as trends and can therefore change with time or cultural development. It is rare, if not impossible, to determine these considerations by only inspecting the consumer shopping pattern over time. Besides consumer preferences, the retailer sets prices with potential promotions and a pushing strategy, which encourages sales of products at high retail markups. Industry advertising also contributes to product sales as it creates consumer awareness.
4.1. Factors Influencing the Demand for European Size Mattresses in Singapore
4.1. Factors Influencing the Demand for European Size Mattresses in Singapore: The drivers affecting the demand for mattresses are varied. Aric Rindfleisch et al. identified several factors as key determinants of a consumer’s decision to select a mattress; specifically, the value of getting a good night’s sleep, the importance of mattress comfort, a low average life cost, the look and style of a mattress, available variety, an active lifestyle, emotional health, and appropriate size. Demographic factors like the size of the household, education level, income, and age, and the evidence of suitable mattress replacement need due to its service life were also suggested to influence its demand. Meanwhile, Cordell and Hsing suggested that a market opportunity arises from individuals’ financial capabilities and increased concern about health and fitness. With regards to the choice between a standard and custom-built mattress, Teare concluded that a “prestige” and a “status” factor were to be credited. Earlier consumer surveys conducted by Li, Doxey, Bing and Philip confirmed that comfort, consumption rate, income, and price were determining factors concerning the decision to purchase a mattress.
Singapore, a growing cosmopolitan city characterized by a projected increase in family and/or personal disposables, the quest for better living standards and a keen eye for both fashion and modernity, is overlooked in the demand for bedding products. European size mattresses should come across as a popular choice of bedding products for potential buyers in Singapore. Over and beyond potential fashion and modernity, such size should reflect a rational demand supported by pre-existing societal needs in the host nation. The mattress industry in general shows a straightforward association between mattress demand, the demographic factors of a specific locality in question, and associated market opportunities. Thus, it is pertinent to inquire about key demographic profiles and some inherent channel stimulus influencing the demand for such European size mattresses in Singapore.
- Conclusion and Recommendations
While the shape of Italy, the boot, favors body shape sleep habits, Singaporeans’ body shape is more attuned to a circular mattress. Additionally, innovativeness of the mattress in the area of anti-bacteria and heat production was not featured to their full potency among the retailers. But retailers are good with the environmental information of the mattress materials. Hypotheses have demonstrated that the Singapore consumer demand for the Italian mattress would do well in the market. In some cases, the choice of mattress preferred by the retailer is accurate and able to meet consumer needs. With a better understanding of the VIBYR needs with regards to the mattress consumer market, Italian mattress producers would be more equipped to take on the challenges of strategizing for the market from ‘far’.
In conclusion, even though the mattress consumer market is relatively small in Singapore, improvements can be made from the European retailers’ side to meet Singapore’s increasingly sophisticated mattress buyers. The educated society in Singapore demands more, and their awareness of the mattress itself is higher compared to a few years ago. The results from this research reflect the 10 European retailers’ understanding of the Singaporean mattress market. The firms’ opinions about the market consumer trend may have to be reconsidered for a better business relationship and a larger share in the market.
