Craftmatic courts providers

MIAMI - After selling its adjustable beds direct to consumers for the past five years, Craftmatic Industries now wants to sell them through home medical equipment providers, too.

Traditionally, Craftmatic's business model has been to advertise heavily in the Yellow Pages, on TV and through the web, and direct customers to its 1-800 number to complete sales.

“We're looking to expand the number of units we deliver a year by offering our product to DME providers,” said Eric Kraftsow, vice president. “We've heard repeatedly from them over the years that people come into their stores and ask if they have a Craftmatic. We don't want those people to leave and go to Mattress Giant.”

Since it went into business in 1974, Craftmatic has spent $1 billion on advertising (adjusted for inflation), fielded more than 30 million phone calls for more information, and sold 1,300,000 beds, according to Kraftsow.

Craftmatic will attend Medtrade Spring in Las Vegas in April for the first time, and it expects to be well-received by HME providers scrambling to increase their non-Medicare business, Kraftsow said.

“It's a 100% cash sale,” he said. “Our wholesale program allows them to purchase the product for about 45% off retail, so it allows them to make a nice profit.”

Craftmatic will go up against the likes of Flex-A-Bed and GoldenRest, two manufacturers of adjustable beds that already sell through HME providers. Kraftsow says that Craftmatic's branding efforts—it once had TV host Art Linkletter as a spokesman—make it stand out.

“Our name means something to the consumer,” he said.