Into the dreamland with Koala Sleep Japan

The company wins at Retail Asia Awards 2022.

Introducing a new product into markets involve a lot of risks, especially if the target market has a cultural background that does without the product. In August 2021, Koala Sleep Japan introduced their newest product, the new Koala Mattress, offering never-before-seen comfort to their Japanese customers and winning the Retail Product of the Year - Japan Award at the Retail Asia Awards 2022. 

The awards programme recognises major breakthroughs, innovations, and key players in the retail industry of Asia, and Koala Sleep Japan’s efforts to bring comfort to a market dominated by futons through their specially-designed Koala Mattress. 

Despite the fact that the previous Koala mattresses supported an ideal sleeping position and were comfortable to sleep on, there were some comments that they were too soft. 

New Koala Mattress was developed, featuring two sides with differing softness that allows users to choose between a softer and firmer side by flipping the upper layer over. Despite this feature, the support function for the ideal sleeping posture is maintained, highlighting one of the strengths of the Koala Mattress.  

Bringing this feature into their mattress made the Koala Mattress the first of its kind in Japan, and such a feature not only acts as a novelty to set the product apart from its competitors but allows users to choose the appropriate firmness that suits their condition and body shape for a comfortable night’s sleep. 

Another feature incorporated into the mattress is the TENCEL™ lyocell fibre, which increases air permeability in the mattress, releasing heat and solving that pain point during sleeping, along with being soft to the touch. The mattress also has such high vibration absorption that the company boasts that a glass of wine put on one side of the mattress will not fall over if someone jumps next to it. 

Due to the cultural background and prevalence of using futons for sleeping, the Japanese are not accustomed to sleeping on mattresses, much less on soft ones. As a way of introducing the widespread use of mattresses, the Koala Mattress was developed to address the problem of having soft mattresses for those who are accustomed to sleeping on a hard surface by providing that firmness that a futon can provide. 

Going one step further to make sure that customers are satisfied, Koala Sleep Japan offers a full refund within 120 days of purchase if a mattress does not fit a customer’s body, giving them the option of testing the product out without incurring any costs.

The 17th Retail Asia Awards is presented by Retail Asia. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2023 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's outstanding retail initiatives, please contact Jane Patiag at [email protected].