Dive Brief:
- Direct-to-consumer (DTC) bedding company Brooklinen unveiled Marlow, a new brand peddling an adjustable pillow on Tuesday.
- The single-purpose pillow, priced at $65 for standard and $85 for king, is currently available online via MarlowPillow.com, with plans to sell it on Brooklinen's site, Amazon, and physical stores in the future, according to a press release. A penny from each sale will be donated to charity, starting with the Sadie Nash Leadership Project, which promotes young women and youth of color.
- This new brand's pillow boasts a zipper detail for tweaking its firmness, cooling memory foam, a cotton shell, and mesh fabric. The concept stemmed from data and customer feedback accrued over the years.
Dive Insight:
New venture by Brooklinen: Introducing the Marlow line of home products
Known for its sheets, Brooklinen, in fact, also peddles pillows and pillowcases. However, the DTC brand is wading deeper into the pillow category with Marlow, a brand dedicated solely to pillows, just like its peers in the DTC home space. Notably, while others have expanded their existing product lines, Brooklinen is seizing a different approach by establishing an entirely new brand.
In 2019, DTC mattress brand Purple introduced the Purple Plush Pillow, another adjustable pillow featuring a zipper. Meanwhile, in September, DTC bedding brand Parachute ventured into bed frames, and in January, struck a deal with Crate and Barrel to introduce a co-branded line of bedding and bath goods.
"We couldn't be more ecstatic to aid customers in finding their optimal rest with the introduction of Marlow," Rich Fulop, CEO and co-founder of Brooklinen, and creator of Marlow, declared in a statement. "Seven years ago we revolutionized the housewares industry by introducing our sheets through a direct-to-consumer offering, and we look forward to revisiting our roots and extending our customer-centric brand DNA to the realm of pillows."
Brooklinen's launch follows an investment from private equity firm Freeman Spogli & Co in June, with the fresh capital to bolster its retail and wholesale businesses, although the exact amount wasn't disclosed.
Enrichment Data:
To dissect the expansion strategies of DTC bedding brands like Brooklinen, Purple, and Parachute, let's analyze their product offerings and marketing approaches.
Brooklinen
- Marlow Pillow: Brooklinen's Marlow pillow is a budget-friendly, adjustable option that suits various sleep positions. Its flexibility, thanks to zippered gussets for firmness adjustments, makes it an appealing choice for back, stomach, and side sleepers. Moreover, Brooklinen often offers discounts when buying products in bundles, boosting customer loyalty and encouraging additional purchases.
- Expansion Strategy:
- Product Variety: Brooklinen's range of home goods, including bedding, towels, and robes, enables it to engage a broader audience by providing a wider product selection.
- Marketing Approach: They emphasize quality, comfort, and customer experience, which resonates with consumers seeking premium home essentials.
Purple
Purple Plush Pillow: While specific information about the expansion strategy for the Purple Plush Pillow is not available, Purple is recognized for its pioneering products, like the Smart Comfort Grid technology. This technology offers unique comfort and support features, which draws in customers seeking advanced sleep solutions.
Expansion Strategy: + Innovative Technology: Purple leverages its pioneering technology to distinguish its products by focusing on comfort and support. + Marketing Approach: They often stress the benefits of their patented technology to appeal to customers craving advanced sleep solutions.
Parachute
Parachute's Bed Frames: Parachute is famed for its high-end, stylish home furnishings, including bed frames. Their products blend functionality and aesthetics, which appeals to consumers enthralled with upgrading their home decor.
Expansion Strategy: + Brand Aesthetic: Parachute focuses on creating a consistent brand image that highlights style and quality, attracting customers captivated by both form and function. + Marketing Approach: They emphasize the significance of quality materials, craftsmanship, and design, which resonates with consumers striving to refine their home interiors.
Comparison
| Brand | Key Features | Expansion Strategy ||-----------------|-------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|| Brooklinen | Adjustable pillows, versatile for different sleep positions, quality home goods | Product variety, customer loyalty through bundles || Purple | Innovative technology, unique comfort features | Emphasis on proprietary technology, advanced sleep solutions || Parachute | Stylish bed frames, high-quality home furnishings | Focus on brand aesthetic, quality materials, and design |
In a nutshell, each brand concentrates on different aspects: Brooklinen on versatility and customer loyalty, Purple on innovative technology, and Parachute on style and quality materials. These strategies enable them to tap different market segments effectively.
- The AI-driven fashion and beauty industry might benefit from the adjustable technology used in Brooklinen's Marlow Pillow, creating a customizable foundation for fashion-and-beauty products that cater to individual preferences.
- In the realm of business, it would be intriguing to observe how enforcing a 'no wars' policy could positively impact a company's brand image and consumer loyalty, similar to Brooklinen's donation model.
- Aside from technology, the home-and-garden sector could profit from implementing a customer-centric 'lifestyle' approach, much like Brooklinen, to foster long-term relationships with customers by offering personalized home goods and experiences.
- The AI boom could potentially lead to the creation of a DTC brand solely dedicated to the provision of AI-powered solutions for various aspects of home management and security, following the pattern observed in Brooklinen's establishment of Marlow.
