The power of sleep

In today’s world, where the snooze button is a sworn enemy, rest can feel indulgent, even lazy. But science – and anyone who has faced a Monday morning on insufficient sleep – knows better. Sleep is the quiet architect of clarity, mood, immunity and longevity.

It’s when the brain files its paperwork and the body conducts repairs. A good night’s sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity – even a performance strategy.

“When I was younger, no-one told us about how important sleep was,” Samantha Vong, Managing Director, South-East Asia of luxury mattress company Simmons, tells The CEO Magazine.

“Even now, we know we have to sleep, but because we work so hard, sleep is often the thing that we neglect.”

Since 1870, Simmons has been educating the public about the benefits of a good night’s sleep for overall health and wellbeing. As Vong points out, if you consider the cost of your car relative to the cost of your mattress, how much time you spend on a mattress every day and the approximate 10-year lifespan of both, the math is quite telling.

“What is more important?” Vong asks. “We talk about health is wealth. Sleep performance is actually peak performance. It helps you to feel good the next day. This is what we continuously advocate to our customers.”

The next step

After more than a century-and-a-half in business, the next question is, ‘Where to from here?’ With a Vision 2030 plan, Simmons looks to transition from a mattress retailer to a comprehensive “premium sleep and wellness solution provider,” according to Vong.

“We don’t want to just sell mattresses. We want to be able to build an integrated ecosystem across retail, ecommerce, hospitality – our institutional partnerships with hotels, and now moving into how we can work with design communities,” she enthuses.

The company is also exploring regional expansion into high-growth cities and emerging urban hubs, as well as developing omnichannel retail experiences. Strengthening hospitality relationships and attracting, retaining and nurturing talent within the ecosystem are also important.

“We really need to work on how we can build niche concept stores within the omnichannels for us to be able to enhance our experiential retail propositions,” Vong reveals.

“Growing our hospitality, service residence network, universities and campus projects are part of the growth strategy.

“Finally, this can only be done if we have strong people within the organization. So it’s how we can build future-ready leadership for the future of Simmons, and how we can excel in terms of our frontline people meeting our customers day in, day out.”

Innovation has been a cornerstone of the company since day one and now, building upon the legacy of the original pocketed coil technology, Simmons is embracing modern advancements like voice-activated adjustable beds, cooling systems and sustainable materials.

Enhancing the customer journey through in-store technology, such as body profiling machines, and by leveraging positive online reviews to build trust and drive sales, the company is offering customers an even smarter way to shop for the best mattress of their lives.

“With our retail stores, we’ve created this whole shoppers’ journey, so when customers walk into the stores, it’s not just the simple thing of customer service and getting greeted by consultants,” Vong points out. “We also have a machine that analyzes one’s posture and body shape, and uses the data to recommend a suitable mattress and range of exercises to improve posture.

“There are not many brands that offer this today. We want to assure customers that they have chosen the right mattress and can enjoy the comfort at home.”

Rising to the challenge

As for the primary challenges the company is facing, top of mind are the competitive market and need to adapt to changing customer behaviors, especially in appealing to younger, more budget-conscious generations like Gen Z – both factors the company is targeting now.

“There are continuous changes in terms of the market environment, as well as from consumer behavior,” Vong explains.

“Last year, when we celebrated Beautyrest’s 100th anniversary, we made a significant change. With myriad customer groups, from Gen Z to Boomers, we have carefully segregated our Beautyrest range to suit every level of consumer. Whether you are looking for an entry-level mattress at US$800 to a higher-end option that is imported at more than US$4,000, there is a Beautyrest to suit each budget.”

Balancing performance with people is the key ethos at the heart of Vong’s management approach and she is always looking to engage and inspire her team.

“Teamwork is key in change management. When you want to go fast, go alone. When you want to go far, go as a team,” she says. “Thus, when we can communicate clearly of our vision and strategies, we will be able to make impossible possible, which is the sole DNA of our Founder Zalmon Simmons.

“We value all our business and hospitality partners. The success Simmons celebrates today is the strong and trusting support from both our regional business and hospitality partners.”