The sun is shining, the weather has warmed up, and people all across the country are ready to enjoy the summer.

That gives retailers the perfect chance to bring in customers with community-based events that can build brand recognition and offer people in the local area a fun activity.

Here are a few ideas.

Scientists agree climate change is affecting our world’s environment, but now they’ve discovered it may also affect our sleep.

In a study published May 20 in the journal One Earth, findings suggest that by the year 2099, altered temperatures may erode 50 to 58 hours of sleep per person per year.

One of these changes has to do with a little-talked-about category in the industry: rent-to-own furniture.

The rental furniture market is projected to reach 139 billion by 2029, according to Fortune Business Insights, and over 44 million people, or 35.9% of U.S. households, rent their homes—which means there’s potentially a lot of business to be had for rent-to-own retailers.

Consumers are recognizing how sleep and wellness are intrinsically intertwined. However, despite acknowledging the importance of sleep, a recent Tuft & Needle survey found that two-thirds of Americans note that they don’t get enough sleep, with seven out of ten people admitting they get less than seven hours of sleep per night.

The survey also found that three-quarters of people note that sleep impacts their mood and overall outlook on life, and two-thirds also agree that sleep impacts their physical health and mental wellbeing.

To help fix that disconnect, Tuft & Needle’s new marketing campaign—“Wake Up Awake”— is focused on helping sleepers get better rest, reclaim the night, and look forward to the day ahead.

From adjustable bases to built-in Bluetooth sleep monitors that can track your heart rate and alert you to any potential issues, there are several mattress companies making an investment in the health category.

The pandemic has certainly had a part to play, as people who spent more time at home realized they weren’t getting a good night's sleep. They bought new mattresses because they paid more attention to what they needed—which is not just exercise or a diet, but a good night’s sleep.

But as part of a recent and ongoing reinvention, the company now has a laser-sharp focus on furniture and related goods. The FAM’s Ray Allegrezza had a recent one-on-one with Overstock President Dave Nielsen to find out more.

That’s a record high, mostly because people have put their weddings on pause for a couple of years due to Covid.

In addition to that, their bank accounts are relatively full, they’ll soon be ready to buy a house, and the average couple spends about $9,000 on furniture and mattresses when they move into a new home.

This week, Interwoven—the fabric market put on by the International Textiles Association (ITA) that  was previously known as Showtime—debuted its new brand look, including a new logo and magazine that ITA says “represent the merging of ideas through collaboration, connection and innovation.”

Remember the World Wide Web – Web 1.0 – and when you suddenly needed a website to promote your business? Cycle ahead a decade or so. Without warning, Web 2.0’s user-generated content model (think Wikipedia, Myspace, Tumblr) forged the path for Facebook and Twitter — and then Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp. Surely this is a fad…

Shoppers don’t just want a smooth and seamless retail experience, they expect one. And if you can’t deliver, that could mean the business goes to another store.

That’s why Nationwide Marketing Group teamed up with website partners Site on Time (SOT) and Retailer Web Services (RWS) to provide free access to Centerpoint, a tool that connects retailers’ point-of-sale (POS) data with their websites to give shoppers real timeline of sight into product inventory and pricing information.