Here’s a tip for mattress companies: Don’t sleep on Amazon.
The e-commerce giant has released a new line of bed-in-a-box foam mattresses under its AmazonBasics line, ranging from Twin to California King sizes. No surprise, the mattresses also qualify for free two-day shipping.
These kinds of mattresses have seen huge interest after startups like Casper, Leesa, and Tuft & Needle have shown that people don’t necessarily need to test out a mattress in a store before buying, and would rather have an extended trial-run of the bedding at home. Foam mattresses are also often cheaper, hitting that venture-capital sweet spot of startups that can undercut traditional retailers in convenience and price.
The move by Amazon is also a strike against Walmart, which has launched its own box-in-a-box line called Allswell, and against the discount chain Target, which poured $75 million into Casper.
If you’re asking yourself how the reviews look, it’s probably too early to tell. The only two reviews on the mattresses come from Amazon Vine, the company’s program where reviewers get free stuff in return to a review of an unreleased product. Right now, the mattresses average 4.5 stars—meaning perhaps Amazon will feature them in a physical store soon enough.