Consumer Reports: Best mattresses to buy online

PHILADELPHIA -- The percentage of people who've purchased their mattress online has nearly doubled in the last two years =, according to a recent survey of more than 16,000 Consumer Reports members.

Fortunately, Consumer Reports also tests mattresses and can help you choose one that's right for you, whether you shop in-store or online.

Online mattresses you may have heard of are being joined by more and more online retailers you may not know, stiffening the competition for traditional brands you'd buy at a mattress store.

That's why Consumer Report performs a number of mattress tests so you can find exactly what's right for you.

Like the durability test which simulates eight years of use to see how well a mattress stands up over time.

Consumer Reports also developed a standardized firmness scale to help you compare across different brands.

"With our ratings, we put every manufacturer on a set scale, same scale - one for soft all the way up to ten, firm. Every brand, every manufacturer is on that same scale," said Consumer Reports' Chris Regan.

Testers also check how well a mattress will support big, tall and petite sized people.

"One size does not fit all. The ratings are set up so that you are your partner can each find what you need on the same mattress," said Regan.

Even better, Consumer Reports tests consistently find you don't have to spend thousands and thousands to get a good mattress.

For memory foam, Consumer Reports says the $995 Casper Mattress is a best buy.

It's one of the few mattresses that does well for both back and side sleepers - especially petite sleepers. It earns top scores among memory foam mattresses for durability.

If you like a mattress on the firmer side, CR suggests you consider the $1,400 Avocado Green. It's an innerspring mattress that performs well for all types of sleepers in all types of sizes.

Prefer a softer mattress? CR says you may want to try out a new mattress from Sealy Posturepedic - the performance Copper 2.

It's a softer, hybrid mattress combining both memory foam and innerspring materials for about $1500 dollars.

CR says you may still be able to try out an online-only mattress. Some retailers, like Casper, have showrooms.

In any case, most online mattress retailers have generous return policies.

For example, many offer a trial period of 100 nights and if you don't like the mattress the retailer will take it back, free of charge

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