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> Mattresses were a notoriously opaque and user-hostile market. A decade ago I was working at a startup aimed at helping people make better purchasing decisions
by wwweston 7y ago
> Mattresses were a notoriously opaque and user-hostile market. A decade ago I was working at a startup aimed at helping people make better purchasing decisions
Who is this startup, and can they help me identify what I love about my current mattress so that when it's done, I can buy one much like it?
- wpietri 7y agoAlas, we failed. Our theory was that what people liked best was recommendations from their first- and second-degree network (followed by a few other kinds of information). This worked really well if you had a relatively dense social network in the app. E.g., you could ask your exact question and get back replies from your friends and their friends. Inevitably a few friends and FoaFs would have useful approaches for something as common as mattresses. So toward the end of our seed money we were working hard on network infill and it was looking good. Then Facebook drastically changed the sharing rules, tanking our growth numbers just as we were looking to raise money. RIP and c'est la guerre. The site I like best these days for purchase decision support is Wirecutter. Here's their mattress guide, which seems sensible to me: https://thewirecutter.com/guides/buying-a-mattress/ https://thewirecutter.com/guides/buying-a-mattress/
- voicedYoda 7y agoProperty of the NY times
- Spivak 7y agoYeah and honestly it’s one of the most refreshing things an old-guard newspaper has done. Using journalism chops to actually provide consumers with valuable information that affects their daily lives. I would love if they stated doing more in-depth pieces about different niche markets.