In a growing economy where consumers favor online, on-demand delivery over the in-store customer experience, one Austin startup hopes to build an experience that's a little more in the middle of the road.
BEDzNOW, founded by Brendan Rien in 2015, offers an online ordering platform for Texas-made bed frames, mattresses, bedding, mattress pads, protectors and more. Within the same day of ordering, Rien and his brother Kiernan will deliver it personally.
Other companies like Casper provide a similar setup: go online, select bed, order and wait for delivery. But Rien, noticing an increasing preference of online ordering with doorstep delivery, wanted to stand out by providing noteworthy customer service with a quality purchase.
“We set up the bed set, take the trash with us and will help with anything the customer needs, related to their sleeping arrangement,” said Rien. “We will even make their bed.”
And Rien isn’t joking about the bed making — or the company's dedication to customer service. He pointed to over 30 online reviews that sing praises of Brendan’s and Kiernan’s services.
“That level of customer service has somehow gotten lost over the past five to 10 years,” said Rien. “We knew from the beginning that there was a place for BEDzNOW. From folks that just moved and have nothing in their place, students, senior citizens, guest beds, etc. All of our customers have been extremely grateful for the service and oftentimes use us again, or refer us to family and friends.”
While keeping customers happy has been easy, Rien said he struggled initially with the pricing models to ensure they had a quality product that’s cost-sustainable for the business.
After collecting feedback and researching the market, he and his brother decided on complete bed packages (mattress, frame and box spring) ranging from $505 to $930. Delivery is free within 20 miles of Austin, with a $4 charge for every mile beyond.
BEDzNOW originally went live in Spokane, WA, where Rien lived before relocating to Austin last year to further expand the business.
Rien said the duo is focused on deepening their customer base locally over the next six to 12 months before looking to open up a second market in Dallas.
Image provided by BEDzNOW
Know a company we should cover? Send us a tip or tweet us@BuiltInAustin
