By David Gill

Is now the time to make a move in lux-ury bedding?

Recent market research indicates that upscale consumers, the prime market for luxury products, are putting heavy locks on their wallets and pocketbooks. The most recent Luxury Consumption Index, an indicator provided by luxury market-research firm Unity Marketing, found that consumer confidence among luxury shoppers has been fading since the beginning of this year.

“Lower levels of affluent consumer confidence are playing out in terms of reduced spending on luxuries,” said Pam Danzinger, Unity Marketing’s president. “In the third quarter, affluent consumers spent 1.4 percent less on luxuries than they did in the second quarter.”

But in the face of this, some manufacturers of luxury bedding are making aggressive statements in this category. Sferra Bros. has become a licensee of Ralph Lauren Home in luxury bedding for both the retail and upscale hospitality trades. Frette North America has found a place in the bedding department at Bloomingdale’s with four shops-in-shops in the department store’s New York, Chicago, Aventura, Fla., and Boston locations.

Such moves indicate that the industry believes luxe shoppers are returning to the stores—but there is a caveat. According to Paul Hooker, president of Sferra Bros., the luxury consumer is beginning to shop again, “but she is not yet totally convinced it is time to spend on the big-ticket home luxury purchase.”

Hooker believes that the right kind of effort from vendors can further boost store traffic among affluent consumers. “It is important for vendors like Sferra, whose business model is selling to the specialty stores, to do all that we can” to convince this consumer class to lay some cash out for luxury linens, he said.

Sferra’s initiatives in this direction include training its customer-service staff to help them better educate store personnel. “And we are passing along as many special values as we can to our retail-store partners, in the hopes that these will help them attract their customers back to the stores,” Hooker said.

Before moving into Bloomingdale’s, Frette sold its merchandise in the U.S. market strictly through its own stores. Now it has established itself as a wholesaler as well as a retailer, and this—along with the fact that the company has continued to open its own stores in this market—shows that the company believes in the opportunities the luxury-bedding market offers at this time.

“We see a great opportunity to broaden our customer base,” said Filippo Arnaboldi, Frette’s vice president of retail. “The opportunity I see is with younger consumers, and we want new blood in our customer base. We need to broaden our customer base.”

One other way Frette has sought to bring aboard younger shoppers is through the launch, last year, of its Edmond Frette collection (named after the company’s founder). “This line is 30 to 40 percent less expensive than our Couture collection,” Arnaboldi said. He noted that Bloomingdale’s will have both the Edmond line and its Hotel collection.

Finding ways to lure consumers of all demographics into luxury-bedding departments is the focus of all vendors who see these opportunities. Joe Granger, president of the branded-business unit of Springs Global, views this as a matter of values—although when Granger speaks of values, it’s in the context of creating products that align with the values of consumers.

This comes down to quality, Granger said. “Our mission is to create beautiful, luxurious bedding that stands out and speaks to the discerning high-end consumer on an emotional level,” he said. “If we want consumers to spend more on our products, we are going to have to give them something to care about, something that aligns with their values.”

For Blissliving Home, it’s a matter of building its brand. “We continuously focus on building brand recognition and awareness within our industry on the consumer level,” said Mareike Finck, public-relations and marketing manager. “Marketing and advertising works. Our goal is clear—we want to create products that are objects of desire, and we designed a marketing mix that works.” This mix incorporates advertising, email marketing and social media, Finck added.

Yet another element in this puzzle is customer service. “Home consultations,” Arnaboldi said. “We really go to customers’ houses and look over their bedrooms, and that goes beyond the pieces in a bed set. We do a lot of special orders, and we work with designers and architects.”

The messages behind marketing campaigns and customer service in luxury bedding boil down to features and benefits. “The educated consumer understands that luxury sheets offer more comfort and make them feel better,” Finck said. “A stylish bedding ensemble can spruce up an entire room and transform it into an oasis where you can escape from everyday concerns. Last but not least, consumers also understand that ultimately, premium bedding sets offer more value for their money.”