YOU MUST ASK BEFORE BUYING A MATTRESS IN-A-BOX ONLINE

With so many mattresses-in-a-box to choose from these days, finding the right mattress can feel confusing and overwhelming. This guide will clarify some misconceptions, highlight the dubious ways some of these brands attempt to get a sale, and show you exactly how to determine whether a mattress will be right for you.

Many believe Koala in Australia or Casper in America were the first brands to offer mattresses in this way.

This is simply not true. Ergoflex was the first mattress-in-a-box brand in the world, launching in Australia in 2010. We brought the concept here from the UK where we began in 2006.

For over a decade we've delivered Ergoflex mattresses the length and breadth of Australia. We've proven that Ergoflex is a credible, knowledgeable and trustworthy name that customers can rely on.

We're proud of our achievements and how we changed the way Australians buy mattresses forever.

We are sometimes asked how our mattress compares to other boxed mattress brands. The simple fact is it doesn't.

Our mattress materials, performance quality and longevity in the market are simply unmatched.

Unlike other brands we don't use 'off the shelf' foams. Our foam is developed by us, and only used by us. Neither do we pass off basic foam as memory foam. At Ergoflex we use class-leading high density visco-elastic memory foam double the density and more than three times the volume of most competitors.

To this day Tempur remains the only true like-for-like comparison.

It's easy to believe that some mattress-in-a-box brands use groundbreaking new materials that will transform your life. The reality is rather less than innovative.

Despite the grand claims used by other brands, there's nothing unique or special about them. Instead, marketing gurus have just been coming up with new ways to re-sell the same thing over and over for years.

At Ergoflex we don't use made-up material names created by a marketing agency. We don't skimp on detail. We don't make outlandish claims. We just give you the facts and let our mattresses speak for themselves.

Now that's revolutionary.

Many brands change their mattress specifications regularly, often to the point that they don't resemble anything like the previous versions that they have thousands of 5-star reviews for. Yet they're still marketed as the same, with the same reviews, pricing and, of course, claims of being the “most comfortable in the world.”

The specification of our foam has remained a constant in our mattresses since day one. We've never needed to change it. Why? Because it's the best. This is why we have customers in the UK who have been sleeping on their original Ergoflex mattress for over 15 years and in Australia for over 12 years. No other mattress-in-a-box brand in Australia can make that claim.

Why do brands do this?

1: Cost-Saving

If a particular foam layer can be reduced in density or depth it costs less to produce.

2: Problem Identification

Selling low quality mattresses with risk-free trial periods inevitably results in high numbers of returns and mattress failures. Foam dips and sagging, as well as poor support, are typical issues discovered by customers

3: Live Trialling

Of the many brands the vast majority are not mattress or foam material specialists and have no history working with these types of products. Even some of those who claim to be pioneers have been in business less than five years. In such cases it is common that a mattress specification will be live trialled with their customers.

Many heavily marked mattress-in-a-box brands claimed they were revolutionising the mattress industry by cutting out the retail store. Only then to set up partnerships with the retailers they were claiming to disrupt.

It's purely a marketing tactic designed to attract more sales and increase brand exposure.

By adding this traditional style of sales has a financial cost; whether by way of increased prices or in the use of inferior materials to maintain profit margins.

Ergoflex remains one of the only major such brands that has retained a direct-to-consumer model and avoided the costly and contradictory in-store retail space.

Every mattress-in-a-box brand offers a 10-year warranty or longer. But what's a warranty worth when the brand hasn't been around very long, or worse, leaves the market after a short period?

With the explosive growth of our industry over the last 5 years alone, we've seen our fair share of brands that have failed in Australia and gone bankrupt or are reliant on business models that are loss making.

Before making a purchase, you should ask yourself whether the company I am buying from will be around when I need them. Is the warranty worth anything at all?

Ergoflex is the only mattress-in-a-box brand in Australia that has been trading for longer than the 10-year warranty period. This shows that not only do our mattresses stand up to the claims that we make, but our business is operated in a responsible and sustainable way that ensures peace of mind for our customers.

Reviews are an established part of the online buying experience but sometimes 5 star reviews are not all they seem.

Mattress brands know that when a new mattress arrives, it's likely to be replacing one that has worn out and is no longer providing comfort and support. It stands to reason that a review request within a few days of purchase will result in a steady flow of unrealistic five-star reviews.

At Ergoflex, we think differently. You'll find that our reviews are from people who have been sleeping on their Ergoflex mattress for years. They are people who have purchased more than once and have recommended us to many.

If you read the reviews of our competitors, especially from those who have had their mattresses for longer periods, you'll find a common trend of support failures and warranty issues. It's these reviews that provide the information that a prospective customer really needs.

The mattress-in-a-box revolution has sparked an explosion of comparison websites, Top 10 lists and other rating "guides". These can be informative resources when researching mattresses, but it is important to understand how they work.

All comparison websites use affiliate marketing, a system by which they receive a commission payment - sometimes up to 20% - whenever a sale is achieved. So it shouldn't surprise you to learn that the brand that pays the highest commission often sees its product with the highest rating.

There are also a number of comparison sites that are owned and operated by the brands themselves, giving their mattress a glowing review and rating. We believe this is truly unethical.

At Ergoflex we think the true test of any mattress is not how it arbitrarily ranks on an affiliate website, but how it performs in the real world. That's why we don't need to pay more to artificially boost our standing.

Since day one, we have placed customer service at the core of our business.

Unfortunately, we are the exception in this industry rather than the rule. From minimal contact details or email-only contact to automated chat-bots, many mattress-in-a-box brands are not truly committed to even basic customer service.

Instead, they focus their efforts on marketing their products to new customers rather than looking after their existing ones.

At Ergoflex you can talk to a real person here in Australia 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This means that before, during and after a purchase we are readily available and on-hand to answer questions and listen to concerns. We proud of the fact that along with praise for the sleep-enhancing performance of our mattress, our customer service is regularly mentioned in customer reviews.

But don't take our word for it. Give us a call or send us an email - we're always happy to chat.

We know that buying a mattress online can seem like a leap of faith. That's why we introduced our 30 day risk-free trial period when we launched in 2006. It has served our customers well for over a decade.

Like most of our initial business model, the risk-free trial was quickly adopted by other mattress-in-a-box competitors. The difference being that most offered trial periods of 100-days or more. While that might seem like an amazing way to remove any risk in purchase, it's less about the brand standing behind the quality of its product and more about marketing and a high rate of returns being built into the business model.

Ergoflex offers you a mattress of the highest quality and comfort that lasts for years. In the unlikely event an Ergoflex mattress is not right for you, you'll know well within a month and we will happily take it back.