Getting back to the original question, we’ve visited all the major mattress stores in our area and half of them do carry latex mattresses. Only one did not carry any latex at all. Even the ‘bargain’ store was trying to get into the act with an overpriced “latex” model which actually contained only a .9" layer of latex, lol.
I think that we are going to be seeing more latex in the stores, depending upon how much the public is asking for them. I think the difference with the TempurPedic is that it has been the subject of a major advertising blitz which had the public seeking them out, hence it is in the stores’ best interests to carry what people are looking for.
The stores have changed a great deal since the last time I was mattress shopping, 4 years ago. At that time it was all innerspring. Now the innersprings seem to be pushed to the background and it’s all memory foam with a few latex models. At this point in time not too many have heard about and are seeking out latex mattresses. That will change in the coming years, especially as the major mattresses keep losing longevity. That’s just my opinion.
Latex is the oldest foam material and existed long before polyfoam or memory foam but has gone up and down in market share mostly driven by advertising and the need for major manufacturers to “differentiate” themselves from others … and of course maintain or increase margins based on their advertising stories and shareholder profits. Currently gel foams are “the rage” and the driving force in the industry but when the majority of the industry goes in the same direction then what was old becomes new again and latex once again starts on an uptrend. At the last show in Las Vegas there were certainly more mattresses that used latex than there have been recently.
With the smaller manufacturers latex has never fallen out of favor because they sell their mattresses based more on quality and value and reputation than on marketing stories but latex is more difficult for the larger manufacturers to “differentiate” themselves from others and they don’t easily go in a direction where consumers can make meaningful comparisons between mattresses. They much prefer their so called “proprietary” materials which in the case of latex usually includes some "spin’ either about the latex or some of the other materials in the mattress. The top 15 manufacturers currently control 87% of the industry so if they aren’t making latex mattresses there is less latex available in this group then it’s generally much harder to find for consumers. Latex has always been the material of choice though for most smaller manufacturers because they know how well it works over the long term and they have fewer returns and happier customers. They also sell based on “education” more than “marketing”.
As consumers have more information available to them that can allow them to differentiate between higher and lower quality mattresses and make more informed decisions and become less susceptible to the “stories” they are exposed to in the mainstream mattress stores and major brands, then higher quality materials of all types … including latex … and more knowledgeable retailers and manufacturers that sell them will become much more of the norm.
At least that’s the “hope” and one of the goals of this site
