By Suzana 
People spend close to one-third of their life sleeping and hence it is necessary to purchase the right sleep essentials like the mattress and a sleeping pillow. With the advent of technology and the boom of shopping sites, it is quite confusing whether to buy a sleeping pillow online or use the traditional option of buying in a store. To clear that confusion here is a comparison of online v/s offline shopping to help you decide on the mode of purchase.
Pillow touch and feel: The major reason people hesitate to buy a pillow online and prefer to buy it in a store is that they cannot touch and feel it. Common sense says that you should not consider buying an essential item like a pillow without laying on it for a few minutes. But on the contrary, people make mistakes when choosing the perfect one when asked to do it right away in a store. It is not a guarantee that people select the right option in a store which results in a night of comfortable sleep. So there is no clear winner in this aspect.
Variety: There are many products, prices, type and brands of pillows available in the market and that makes it impossible for a showroom to keep stock of all due to space constraints. Moreover, most retailers sign exclusive agreements that restrict them from keeping all brands and styles and hence only a few models will be available. Additionally, most stores are owned by mattress firms and they carry only their or their sister concern products which are inhibitive for a customer.
Online there are many comparison websites, retail sites, mattress manufacturers like Wakefit have their own websites which gives you a huge variety of selection. All you have to do is know what your requirements are and start narrowing your choices based on it. Moreover, there are customer reviews and feedback, pillow guides, etc which help you make the right choice which makes purchasing online a better choice than going to a store with a limited collection.
Quality and value: Offline stores mostly carry big brands and they usually have a higher price tag when compared to the products that are available online. But the question to be asked is whether these big brands provide value to the product in terms of quality, durability, etc. A costly pillow does not necessarily mean it is of better quality. On the other hand, a pillow online is made of better materials, better design, good quality and advanced features providing more value to money. So in terms of value for money and quality online scores better than traditional stores.
Price: If you compare the prices of a pillow in a store and online you will see a lot of difference. That is because offline stores have many overhead costs like renting space for showroom, warehouse, hiring people, etc which is automatically passed on to the customer and thus prices in stores are generally higher than online stores. On the contrary, online stores cut down on most of those costs and even cut out the middleman and manufacturer goods on their own and that reduces their operating costs which is reflected in their affordable price tag. So if you are looking for an affordable pillow then going online is a great way to save some bucks.
The pillow talk in the marketis that buying a pillow online is more popular as it not only offers great savings but is also more convenient. You can make a purchase after checking the reviews, reading the product descriptions and comparing the products. There are a few disadvantages too but the benefits outweigh it and hence a better choice than buying in a store.