It’s that time of year again where bed and mattress retailers kick off month-long promotions to raise awareness about sleep, wellness and products all focussed around beds. National Bed Month plays a key role in the calendar for retailers to engage with consumers on another level rather than just a standard sale period. Backed by the National Bed Federation (NBF), the organisation provides a handy toolkit to help retailers throughout the month, from social media graphics and videos to posters and suggested copy that can be used.

In fact, the national awareness campaign has been running for over 35 years and promotes the health benefits to consumers of buying a new bed, particularly one made by an NBF-approved member. The 2025 campaign continues the “miracle product” theme, emphasising the positive effects of regular, quality sleep in a comfortable and supportive bed on our physical and mental health and wellbeing.

With that in mind, we also took the opportunity to explore other key dates in the month and why taking advantage of promoting national awareness days can help drive traffic and increase sales. Starting with International Women’s Day (8 March), this is all about celebrating women in the workplace and more. It could be a great opportunity to highlight women in your business while also launching an event to help the promotion.

World Sleep Day (15 March) is all about promoting healthy sleep while offering advice for those sleep strugglers, while Global Recycling Day (18 March) aims to raise awareness of the importance of recycling and encourage people to take action to reduce waste and protect the environment. Why not endorse products that have a key sustainability message behind them? Educate your consumer in this growing trend of greener-shopping.

World Poetry Day (21 March) is an annual celebration of poetry and its vital role in promoting cultural expression, preserving language, and advancing creative thinking. Why not wax lyrical about your business in poem form or create a competition for customers to submit their own – with the best one receiving a discount? It could be a bit of fun, while creating some buzz around your business.

Moving onto Debt Awareness Week (24-30 March), this is organised by the UK’s leading provider of free expert debt advice, StepChange Debt Charity, and aims to increase awareness of debt, and the advice and solutions available to help. It could be a great opportunity to support a cause where people in your local community are struggling and showcase ways to tackle the stigma, open conversations and support streams.

Then there’s National Skipping Day (24 March). Usually one for the schools to get involved with, why not jump in with your own fun promotion and challenge? Get customers to skip their way to a discount – 100 continuous skips for 10% off, 200 for 20% etc. You get the idea. It won’t take up much space in your store either and can be great fun over social media. And finally, Wear A Hat Day (28 March) concludes the month by, you guessed it, wearing a hat! Wear A Hat Day is actually a fun and engaging awareness event designed to raise funds for brain tumour research and to support those affected by brain tumours. I’m sure you can figure out some fun ways to celebrate the day while adding a promotional event in the mix too, all while promoting the cause.

March features endless opportunities to get involved in awareness days, weeks and the whole month. Why is this important? It shows your audience you are active, engaging and a fun business. Don’t just stick a poster up or a sign outside the door sharing the latest sale – jump right in with a selection of campaigns, with March the perfect time to start.

There are plenty of other awareness events to choose from, so what day(s) is your business looking to get involved with?