Another bed brand has been admonished by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for making misleading pricing claims in its online promotions. The home page of the Nectar Sleep website, seen on 23rd January 2026, featured the text: 'THE NECTAR PRICE DROP IS HERE. Our lowest prices ever. Save up to 65%* on your dream sleep.' Smaller text underneath next to an asterisk read: 'Savings compared to Similar Brands Avg Prices.'
Rival bed brand Simba Sleep challenged whether the basis of the 'Similar Brands Avg Prices' and associated savings claims was made clear and was misleading.
Nectar Sleep responded that the headline claim compared their prices with the average prices of competitors’ equivalent products. They believed the placement near to the headline claim, as well as the use of an asterisk, meant consumers would understand the basis on which that headline claim was made. The explanatory wording linked to another page on Nectar Sleep’s website which explained how the figure had been calculated.
Nectar said the Similar Brands Average Price was determined by identifying the current selling prices of three comparable competitor products and calculating the average of those prices. The average price was compared to the price of the equivalent Nectar Sleep product to calculate the percentage saving. To calculate the headline 'Save up to' claim, Nectar calculated the Similar Brands Average Price for each of its mattress products, and took the mean average saving to use as the basis for the headline savings claim for all its mattresses.
It said this ensured that at least 10% of product lines had the full advertised saving, if not more. However, in January 2026 the claim 'Save up to 65%' was published due to an administrative error. Nectar said the 65% saving was only available on memory foam mattresses – the brand provided a screenshot showing the percentage savings claims it had intended to make on its website.
Nectar Sleep said the basis of the Similar Brands Average Price claim was a comparison rather than a discount. In January 2026, 61% of Nectar Sleep products were sold at the prices used as the basis of the Similar Brands Average Price comparison claims, and 39% were sold at discounted prices.
Although the incorrect savings claim had been used, the 'Save up to 65%' figure was accurate for all memory foam mattresses sold, and the underlying comparison data was available to consumers on the explanatory page.
However, Simba's complaint was upheld, ASA stating that the ad must not appear again in the form complained of, and that Nectar was told to ensure that future 'save up to' claims were not misleading, and that it made the basis of its savings claims clear. The ASA also told Nectar to ensure that comparisons against other brands’ prices were based on actual prices for those products.
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