Interview with Lara Purcell: How Bensons for Beds is changing
We interviewed Bensons for Beds’ Director of Marketing and Innovation, Lara Purcell, to find out why the experience of shopping at Bensons is better than ever before.
With over 20 years’ experience in marketing, including previous roles at Holland & Barrett and Boots, Lara is accustomed to being at the forefront of communications around the importance of sleep wellness. Lara is on a mission to show everyone in the UK that Bensons for Beds is the ultimate place to go to if they’re serious about finding a sleep solution that will positively impact on their sleep wellness.
How has the way customers can shop for beds changed?
We understand that sleep isn’t one-size-fits all. Your bed, your way allows us to use our expertise and wide range of options to match a customer’s individual needs – taking account of how the individual sleeps and personalising aspects of their bed from size and storage, to comfort and colour.
We have all kinds of bed combinations, for all kinds of sleepers, to suit all kinds of spaces, all made to order, to make customers the best possible bed for them.
What's the thinking behind your bed, your way?
When people think about things that are personal to them, their bedroom is usually high up on their list. For most people, from a young age their bedroom will have been their sanctuary, the place they can fully relax and the place they recharge ready for tomorrow. So, being able to personalise a bed, which for many is the safest, comfiest, happiest part of a bedroom, is really important - not just because of each person’s individual comfort and support needs, but because of their style preferences too.
We want to help more people get a better night’s sleep with a solution that is right for them. And we know that investing in a new bed, mattress - or both - is a big decision to make – not least because of the cost. These are the reasons why we want to let people know that your bed, your way exists.
When customers can see it’s easy to find personalised sleep solutions that are really right or them as individuals, they can see they’re definitely going to get value for money for this important purchase. Plus, with Bensons for Beds, everyone receives a minimum 5 year guarantee on all beds, sofa beds, bedroom furniture, and mattresses, which provides extra peace of mind when making important decisions about sleep solutions.
With all this choice, how will you support customers to make a decision?
While style and colour is a personal choice, if like most people a customer hasn’t bought a new mattress in a while, they might not be aware of the best type of mattress for the way they sleep - like knowing whether they’ve got the ideal mattress for sleeping next to someone who moves around a lot, or how your sleeping position should influence your choice or even the differences between the types of mattresses available.
From springs and sizes, to fillings and firmness, we’ll help when it comes to making a decision about something as important as a bed and mattress that truly supports sleep wellness.
Our sleep advisor colleagues instore use our exclusive sleepPROTM technology to help inform customers which mattress firmness is best suited to them, based on their body and sleeping position. The advisor can demonstrate via sleepPROTM the pressure points where a person’s or couple’s bodies are in contact with the mattress, and inflate or deflate airbags within the mattress to give the experience of lying on a soft, medium, firm and extra firm mattress. This means, we can show customers their pressure points and how much support is provided by each firmness of mattress. The sleepPROTM experience only takes a few minutes and is an important part of determining which mattress to invest in when choosing your bed, your way.
No matter how a customer researches their options, be it online, instore, or by speaking with a member of our telesales team, our, your bed, your way proposition, alongside our expert knowledge and reassurance, ensures customers feel heard, understood and cared for.
What does 'sleep made better' mean?
Sleep is the biggest and most universal wellness need, and when it comes to making sure what you’re sleeping on is conducive to getting a great night’s sleep we know it can be difficult. Today more than ever, with all of the choices, types and styles of sleep solutions available, people need a trusted brand and personal friendly advice for reassurance when investing in something as important as their sleep.
I believe Bensons for Beds offers that, and ‘sleep made better’ encapsulates how passionate we are about helping our customers get a better night’s sleep as well as affirming our strong history and heritage in bed retailing and manufacturing so that we can make and match you with the right solutions.
How are you letting people know about your bed, your way?
To help spread the word about your bed, your way we’re bringing this to life in new advertising and making sure our communications have a big impact with wider branding changes both in stores and online.
Our store colleagues are experts in how your bed, your way works, so anyone can come into store and have a chat, knowing they’ll be in safe hands. Likewise, our helpful sales team can be contacted on 0808 144 6160 and there’s additional information about your bed, your way available for when shopping online.