Sleep Number's Retail Delivery Advantage
Eight Sleep
Retail distribution turns a complex sleep product into a guided purchase, which matters more than raw product performance when the buyer is a mainstream household spending $10,000 or more. Sleep Number can put shoppers in front of a sales associate at roughly 600 U.S. stores, then follow through with scheduled home delivery, setup, and feature walkthroughs. That removes the friction of buying, assembling, and configuring a connected bed, where Eight Sleep still relies much more on a direct online sale and self managed setup flow.
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Sleep Number still sells overwhelmingly through retail. In Q2 2025, 87.8% of net sales came from retail stores, and the company said its products were available at about 600 stores nationwide in 2026. That physical footprint gives it far more chances to capture walk in shoppers than a D2C brand has.
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The white glove layer is concrete, not cosmetic. Sleep Number lets buyers schedule delivery, offers premium and ultimate delivery with smart bed setup and feature demonstration, and prompts customers to register profiles before arrival. For a bed with bases, sensors, and app pairing, that service lowers the odds that the first night feels like installing electronics.
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Incumbents also win shelf space through trust and touch. Tempur Sealy said its owned stores and retail partners reach consumers who still want to touch a mattress and talk to a salesperson before buying. That is the same behavioral advantage Sleep Number uses against Eight Sleep, especially with older and less tech native customers.
The next leg of competition is channel convergence. Eight Sleep is expanding through employers, sports teams, and healthcare adjacent distribution, while incumbents keep using stores and in home service to make smart beds feel familiar. As connected sleep products move beyond early adopters, the companies that simplify trial, delivery, and setup will pull ahead in mainstream share.