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The selling season is upon us. – This is true at any time of the year! The online format allows you not to follow general trends. You can organise promotions according to the demands and needs of your audience. To prepare for big sales, large chains involve more than a dozen specialists, and small shops manage with smaller forces. Both work to long-established checklists and plans. The only difference is the scale of the promotion and the cost.
An online sale, like an offline sale, is limited in time. By increasing the turnover of goods, the online shop not only gets rid of surplus but, more importantly, attracts new customers. For them, the announced sale becomes a kind of trigger. It is much easier to decide to make a first purchase from an unknown seller on an unknown site if significant discounts are offered on the goods.
This article will help you organise a successful online sale and attract the maximum number of customers in six simple steps.
Step 1: The occasion, name and timing of the sale
An unusual name for the sale adds to its uniqueness and solidity. While the traditional: ‘winter’, ‘holiday’ or ‘summer sale’ sound familiar.
The timing of the sale depends on the niche: it can vary from a few days to a few weeks. If the aim is to sell off leftover stock, the online shop may not adhere to strict deadlines and continue the sale until all the goods have been sold (when new collections arrive, discounted goods can be moved to the ‘Sale’ section). When announcing a sale on a dropshipping site, it is necessary to carefully monitor the availability of goods in the suppliers’ warehouses.
Step 2: Discount
Set a maximum discount that is acceptable to you. Discounts for labour-intensive services should not be too high, otherwise you risk not being able to cope with the influx of orders. It is important that the buyer can see at a glance how much they are saving. If the product is expensive and the percentage discount does not look particularly attractive (10-15%), then the reduced promotional price will be more obvious and visible (crossed out old and bright new price on the product or service card). Percentage discount is more obvious, but it is advisable to use it if the amount of discount is big enough, for example 20%.
Step 3: Ads and banners
Banners placed on your online store and social media pages should be bright and stylish. Include the name of the sale, sale dates, discount amounts and coupon codes (if available). When setting up contextual Google Ads and targeted advertising on Instagram and Facebook, don’t just consider the interests of consumers. Fragment the audience by age and behavioural factors (gender, location, education, habits).
Step 4: Make changes to the website
Just before the sale starts, you will need to change the prices on the website, crossing out the old ones and putting in shiny new ones. This is a fairly time-consuming process. It is important not to mess up the look of the site and the code. You can put a banner on the site (e.g. in the header), have a pop-up and offer discounts on request. A good option is to create a separate landing page where you can collect all the discounts and offers. In this case, the sale announcement pop-up will include a link to the landing page.
Step 5: Email newsletter
For a sale, email marketing is one of the most effective promotional channels at minimal cost. The success and effectiveness of the mailing depends on how well it is prepared. The most important part of the letter is the headline or subject (5-7 words). How you write it will largely determine the success of the sale.
In the body of the email, briefly describe the terms of the sale and the timing. Include a call to action. This introduction should be very short. It is important that the recipient can see the list of products and discounts, as on the first screen of the monitor or mobile phone.
Pay attention to the visual part of the letter. Photographs help to improve the perception of the text, but do not make the whole letter one continuous image.
Step 6: Warm-up and promotional mailings
Prepare some useful articles based on customer queries. Choose the popularity of the topic based on the number of queries on Google. Type 2-3 keywords into the search box and look for queries in your region.
Prepare your target audience in advance. Do a few mailings to raise awareness among your customers. A few days after a mailing announcing the upcoming sale, send a second mailing announcing the first promotional item and then two or three days later announcing the second promotional item. Don’t forget to include links to the items in your emails! This will not only keep your readers interested, but also create a loyal audience.
Bottom line
You can advertise an online sale on the Stelvel Ltd website. Your offer will be seen by hundreds of partners and dropshippers on the marketplace.
Be prepared for a short drop in sales for 2-3 weeks after the end of the sale. Time must pass, new needs and demands will arise. A well organised sale means new opportunities and new customers. There may even be a slump before the sale – customers are waiting for discounts. It is important to remember that any sale should be strategically planned and should not affect profits.