When purchasing a mattress, sometimes it is daunting or near-impossible to really conduct a thorough comparison shopping sessions because there are no universal standards that apply across the mattress and bedding industry.
However in many cases depending on the store you visit, there is a cross section view of their mattresses available for observation. From here is where you can get a better idea of what gives a particular mattress it's "personality".
The very outside layer of a mattress is called ticking. Usually the ticking's material is made out of polyester and/or cotton. Some other mattresses may have vinyl based ticking. These are usually found the cheaper mattresses.
In almost all cases there's an additional quilt that pads over the ticking. This is primarily for show only and doesn't have any real ramification with regards to the mattress quality.
The central padding is right below this quilted layer and usually is made up of foam. Press down on the foam to see if it's soft and comfortable to touch.
On top of the springs you will find the insulation padding which essentially prevents a person using the mattress to feel the springs. Coco pad generally makes this layer stiffer so that you decrease the likelihood of hitting the springs while lying on the mattress.
Other important elements include the coils which is measured in terms of gauges. The lower the number the firmer the mattress. Finally we have the foundation of a mattress called the box spring which helps put everything together.