This month we’re asking retailers: How important is product training and how regularly do you implement it?
Cox & Cox
Product knowledge is incredibly important across every level of our business, from senior management to our customer experience team, to ensure we can give the best possible advice to customers making a considered purchase. Led by our buying team, training is continuous and embedded within the business, giving every team the confidence to discuss and promote not only product features, but also the craftsmanship, materials and design principles behind every piece. Combining detailed product knowledge with styling inspiration and practical advice, our training helps teams stay engaged, informed and equipped to make recommendations tailored to each customer’s home and lifestyle.
Linthorpe Beds
Product training at Linthorpe Beds is a vital aspect to how we serve our customers. It all starts at induction level where we implement the NBF ‘Introduction to beds’ course and other supplier modules, but also our own industry product guide, and specific product training from our suppliers. We ensure the team attend regular factory tours and our managers have walkthroughs with their team each week on different products. We get refreshers from our reps and agents each time they come to branch, as even one small takeaway builds on our confidence with our suppliers and their products. Our customers appreciate our team being knowledgeable on the product we sell, giving them the assurance, that they are getting the best product for them. All to say, product training is the key to success in our business.
Home World Beds
We believe it’s extremely important, we do it every Monday morning, learning & asking questions as a group. In a group we find you get the odd golden nugget of information that we’ve missed, mentioned & then shared by one of the team. We take it seriously & ask each member questions, so everyone is on their toes listening. We try to have a laugh doing it though, keeping it fun at the same time. Having confidence in what you are selling; being able to demonstrate all the features to benefits & answering any questions a customer throws at you certainly helps to close more sales. Which is the name of the game.
MyNextMattress
Training has always been very important, but it is now more important than ever before. Many customers arrive at the showroom with a good level of knowledge about the mattresses they’re interested in. It is now so easy for people to research products in depth and gain a good understanding of what differentiates certain brands or how a specific spring type is constructed, for example. So, it is very important that the sales team has the knowledge to answer detailed questions about very specific elements of the product, and only in-depth training can provide that level of expertise.
Snooze
It’s one of the most important things you can do. It’s imperative to understanding. There’s nothing worse than having a great product and then having people who don’t know how to sell it. We built a robust LMS for that reason. No point in having traffic if my team doesn’t know how to sell a product.
Read the Purecare Training Tour Feature
MattressNextDay
We think it’s really important; we are always contacting manufacturers for staff site visits and providing mandatory in-house training for new starters. We also send emails to all staff with new product knowledge, so that everyone is up to speed on latest products, comfort levels, materials, pricing and everything in between.
Now to Bed
We hold a weekly training session that covers new products that have arrived in the past 7 days and any updates on our core ranges. The training sessions are presented by one of our directors or a member of our Sales team, ensuring everyone participates. These sessions cover design, productivity, features and benefits, point of sale, pricing, and margins. In addition to our inhouse training we organise Factory visits to our Partners such as Harrison Spinks, Relyon, Enchanted House, Shire, Healthbeds and Highgrove. It is very important to cover the full spectrum of our Industry to help understand the workmanship that goes into each Bed or mattress, as each supplier has their own unique manufacturing techniques which we love to share with our customers. The training and time we spend discussing our lovely collection mean our customers can shop with us knowing they receive expert and honest advice every time. This gives our customers the confidence to shop with us and return in the future.
Dreamland Bedding
Product knowledge isn’t just important. it’s essential. In a face-to-face retail environment, knowledge is one of the few things that cannot be replicated online. Customers are making a significant investment in their sleep, and they expect informed, credible advice that gives them confidence in their decision. Every member of our team has attended manufacturer training, supported by regular in-house refresher sessions throughout the year. As product ranges evolve and new innovations enter the market, continuous learning ensures our advice remains accurate and relevant.
What has impressed me most is how differently manufacturers approach education. Sealy’s training is highly technical, taking a deep dive into the engineering and innovation behind its products and demonstrating how technology translates into tangible sleep benefits. Harrison Spinks takes a completely different approach, walking retailers through its entire vertically integrated operation. It gives retailers a genuine appreciation of the craftsmanship, sustainability and quality control embedded throughout the process. Enchanted House, meanwhile, delivers training with genuine passion, bringing to life craftsmanship and philosophy behind each mattress. Despite their different approaches, they all share one common principle: they focus on explaining the benefits of their products rather than simply listing specifications. That’s the real art of product education. Customers don’t buy a spring count or a layer of foam, they buy better sleep, pressure relief, temperature regulation and the confidence that they’ve chosen the right mattress for their needs.
We also believe some of the best training happens on the shop floor. Whenever trade is quiet, our team is encouraged to spend time lying on the beds, revisiting products they may not have experienced for a while and comparing the differences between them. We want them to think beyond the measurable specifications and consider the intangible qualities, how supportive a mattress feels, how quickly it responds, the sensation of the upholstery, and ultimately how it makes them feel. Those first-hand experiences give our team an authenticity that no brochure or specification sheet can provide. As retailers, our role is to translate technical features into meaningful customer outcomes. The more knowledgeable and experienced our teams are, the more confidence they inspire, the stronger the trust they build, and the better the overall customer experience becomes. That’s why product education isn’t something we schedule a few times a year, it’s part of our culture.
Land of Beds
Product training isn’t a nice-to-have for us, it’s central to what we’re trying to do. Our mission is to help as many people as possible sleep better, and that starts with the team, whatever department they’re in. Customers don’t come to us asking for a certain spring count, whether they’re in store or getting in touch online, they’re exhausted, in pain, or fed up with waking at 3am. If your team can’t listen to that and point them towards the right product, you’ve lost them, and probably a sale.
That’s why every new starter goes through our Land of Beds Way training, regardless of the department they’re joining, not just sales. We work closely with key partners to keep that knowledge current too, including factory visits and in-house training sessions, alongside input from experts like Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, a physiologist with over 25 years in sleep and wellbeing, and Dr Katrina O’Donnell, a retired GP with 30 years’ clinical experience. Science, medical insight, supplier knowledge, and hands-on product experience, all working together.
We don’t leave it at induction either. Ranges change, materials move on, and confidence fades fast if training isn’t kept fresh. We build in regular refreshers, not just an annual session, because customers can tell the difference between someone reciting a spec sheet and someone who genuinely understands sleep. Get product training right and it shows up in loyalty, not just in the first sale but every one after it.
