Our Story

Addressing the Elephant in the room

Welcome to the Wellness Collection, South Africa’s Premium Mattress Online Store

There may be various reasons you’ve decided to visit the Wellness Collection – here are some of them:

  1. You are looking for an amazing bed and you know exactly what you want.
  2. You aren’t really sure whether your bed needs to be changed, as it has become uncomfortable.
  3. You need to understand the process of buying a bed and what to look for in order to make an informed decision.
  4. You are confused by all the choices you have and cannot understand the technical terms used by manufacturers and sales people and / or how that can help you make an informed decision.
  5. You need to understand what technology is available and any benefits provided by products incorporating these technologies.

This industry has evolved since your last purchase.  All you have to make an informed decision is the feel of the bed (which always feels good when it’s new) on the shop floor, what the sales person recommends and the manufacturer claims – which is extremely difficult to verify.

In our experience, the likelihood of the sales person having actually slept on any of the beds they recommend is highly unlikely and, in our opinion, they are guided by the manufacturer’s claims.

All bedding-manufacturers make similar claims regarding the construction and materials used on their beds. We have seen beds that range from as little as R1699 to over R69999 – but with similar claims from the manufacturers.

This ends up confusing the customer, making you doubt your choice.

Purchasing a bed shouldn’t be a hassle. The biggest falsehood is that you have to feel a bed before you purchase it. All new beds feel great (unless it’s a really inferior product), and immediate feel doesn’t guarantee a good purchase. After all, your bed starts wearing in from the very first time you lie on it.

The truth is: you can’t make an informed decision unless you spend a minimum of 30 nights on the bed. This gives your body a chance to adapt to the new sleep surface, and assists in correcting your posture if the last mattress was really worn in.

Some of the leading online stores are bedding stores. People are quickly realising that variety does not guarantee quality; stores offering up to 50% off or more on sales and promotions indicates excessive mark ups and should raise concerns regarding the quality of the mattress / bed. The ultimate challenge is in changing the mindset of the consumer. They need to understand what goes into making a bed, as well as the raw materials used. After you make your purchase, you won’t be able to compare your bed to another competing product unless you have an opportunity to sleep elsewhere (and it’s very seldom that you would remove the sheets to check the make and model of a hotel mattress).

The mattress industry is quickly losing credibility, with no real barriers to entry. With a focus on price and maximising margins, and low regulation standards, bedding stores are seemingly appearing out of thin air. Retailers are going into manufacturing, using their in-house brand names to compete against existing brands. At the same time, manufacturers are going into retail in a an attempt to eliminate the middleman, making their products more accessible to the public.

Some outlets are now making claims about utilising specific technologies that allow them to recommend a bed for you. In our opinion, that gives the consumer and unwarranted confidence in believing they made the right decision, but ultimately there is no guarantee. Two people with the same body-type could have very different sleeping preferences and these recommendations can’t really address any issues the may be experiencing.
Being told what’s in your mattress is great, but means very little to the average consumer who doesn’t know what their options are.

Here’s an example. A manufacturer may claim they have a Bonnell Spring System, which is the most highly used system in the world. We could then inform you that we use the patented Continuous Coil Technology, which is exclusive to Serta and runs from head-to-toe in the mattress; this significantly reduces partner movement and is built to handle weights up to 150kg per person.
Had you not been aware of the this then you would believe that the Bonnell Spring System was a superior product.
In a sealed bed, you can’t verify that those components are actually there, and even if they are, you may not understand the benefit of these components, if any. The only true test is a trial sleeping period, which is why we offer 30 nights of sleep before committing to your mattress choice.

We believe that we provide some of the best sleeping experiences in the world. All our beds are designed to give you the support you need. The only variable being the level of comfort that you seek. E.g. Firm, Medium or Plush.

We have supplied a substantial amount of beds into the market and have many customers that experience happy dreams. Most importantly, we’ve also had an excellent amount of positive feedback from our existing clients.