March means many things in the UK calendar and as I write this month’s blog, it’s actually World Wildlife Day and British Pie Week – steak and kidney pie anyone? March also features International Women’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Global Recycling Day, Red Nose Day, World Water Day and World Sleep Day. There are many more, but it’s the latter that takes our focus, although its more than just a day, it’s a month-long event.

Of course, I’m talking about National Bed Month. This year sees the National Bed Federation’s (NBF) flagship campaign approaching its 40th year, with the long-standing initiative championing the crucial role of a comfortable, supportive bed in achieving quality sleep and better health.

National Bed Month, which has had different themes over the years, including Right Side of the Bed; Say No to Second Hand Beds; Bigger is Better; and Animal Heads. The 2026 campaign continues to hail the bed as a ‘miracle product’, highlighting the transformative impact quality sleep has on physical and mental wellbeing.

With overall ‘wellness’ being adopted in today’s consumer, people are looking for products that can make a difference to their lives. Much like maintaining a balanced diet and regular exercise, sleeping well on a comfortable and supportive bed is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle, delivering maximum wellness benefits too.

So, with National Bed Month firmly underway, what is your business doing to mark the month?

The NBF urges the bed trade to leverage its reach and influence by sharing the benefits of beds and wellness with consumers. To help, the trade association has provided a free, multimedia marketing toolkit available to download from the Marketing Support hub on its website. This includes the official campaign video, engaging social media assets, logos and printable posters with expert advice on bed buying and maintaining the bed to prolong its lifespan, as well as sleep tips from supporter, The Sleep Charity.

Retailers can use the assets across their social media and to help produce themed blog posts, customers communications, and point of sale such as window stickers, swing tickets and digital signage. In past years, special offers have included free drawers, headboards, or a king-size bed for the price of a double. Some even designed special National Bed Month mattresses and divan sets – get creative!

Beyond the obvious sales and marketing activities, the NBF wants retailers to think outside the box. Businesses could host in-person events such as a coffee morning or sound bath evening with branded goodie bags containing essential sleep accessories. Or retailers could contact local community groups with the offer to host a talk on the importance of sleep and the crucial role the bed plays, throwing in a discount or competition for those who attend.

Other ways of engaging with the community could be partnering up with a health professional or qualified sleep expert. Get them in store and invite customers to a one-off event during the month to help promote sleep, wellness and products.

Education is also key too. It’s a great opportunity to continue to enlighten customers on how mattresses are made, the key benefits behind products that fit that customer and helping them understand the price-point of being an investment. You know what they say, breaking down the cost of a £1,000 mattress to a customer over an eight-year period is around 34p per night. Not only does education relate to price, but also the wider sustainability benefits – an area in hot demand of today’s savvy shopper.

Finally, there’s the social aspect of the event too. Get sharing content and start engaging with your audience. Think about utilising the NBF’s social media infographics as mentioned above to drive engagement, while educate followers on how to care for their mattresses to prolong their life. Why not run a competition too? Encourage customers to share their ‘sleep sanctuary’ photos?

To maximise the promotional period further, think about they way you communicate with your customers. Get direct and to the point. There’s no better way to do this than text marketing. Around 90% of users open a text within three minutes of receiving it and 94% of consumers prefer SMS above any other communications channel including email, letter and phone call. The data also outlines that 79% of consumers would consider purchasing a product from a marketing message received via SMS (or WhatsApp), and 90% say personalised messages encourage them to act.

Remember, RetailSystem offers such a service through FurnitureTexts. Here’s how it can help:

Rapid Setup: With RetailSystem’s intuitive interface and setup guide, your campaign can be live within minutes — including scheduling by time zone and targeted customer filters.

Fully GDPR Compliant: FurnitureTexts includes built-in tools for list management, opt-outs, and consent logging, so your customer data stays compliant and clean.

Flexible & Cost-Efficient: Campaign creation is free. You’re only charged when a message is sent — keeping your marketing spend lean and targeted.

Exceptional Engagement: SMS campaigns consistently outperform other channels, with open rates above 90% and significantly higher response rates than email or social media promotions.

To setup a Text Campaign only takes a few moments with the RetailSystem ‘step by step’ guide. Send your National Bed Month text today.

www.retailsystem.com/features/text-marketing/