Walmart has announced the launch of its first online-only bedding brand, complete with mattresses, pillows, throws and more.
The multinational retailer unveiled plans for Allswell this week, an exclusively digital line meant to elevate and broaden the appeal of Walmart to a new demographic of buyers. The main focal point of the brand is a self-described “Instagram-worthy dream bed,” which hopes to compete with similar bed-in-a-box offerings from retailers such as Casper, Leesa and Purple.
“We heard loud and clear that people craved the ability to feel that all is well in the world—both on the days when the stars aligned and through life’s tougher moments,” explained Allswell leader Arlyn Davich.
Digging in deeper, a company spokesperson added: “Allswell marks Walmart’s first homegrown digital brand aimed to deliver an elevated assortment and increasingly convenient shopping experiences for the company’s expanding base of customers.”
This expanding base seems to be primarily made up of digitally savvy, young and affluent consumers, which Walmart has been angling toward with its recent acquisitions of both men’s clothing retailer Bonobos last year (for $310 million) and popular e-commerce destination Jet.com in 2016 (for a whopping $3.3 billion).
“One of the reasons Walmart has acquired businesses like Jet and Bonobos is because they want to develop a premium offering that is very difficult to develop within the Walmart business,” retail researcher Neil Saunders explained to the Washington Post. “But it’s very clear that these are separate vehicles.”
Keeping in this vein, when Allswell officially debuts next month, its products will only be available through its own website, and not in any of Walmart’s 4,700 stores nationwide. The flagship mattress will be offered in a soft and firm version, with prices ranging from $495 for a twin to $1,035 for a king.
The announcement comes amid a flurry of new partnerships between bed-in-a-box brands and established retailers, namely Casper teaming up with Target and Leesa beginning an exclusive relationship with Pottery Barn.
[Check out our choices for the best mattresses of 2018!]