A well-designed promotion grabs attention, triggers purchases and makes your shop known. But slashing prices with no strategy simply eats your margin without building anything. The challenge is to promote intelligently.
Types of promotion
- The classic discount (15% off) on one or several products.
- The flash sale: a steep discount over a very short window, which creates urgency.
- The volume discount: « 50% off the second item », which lifts the average order value.
- Free shipping above a certain amount, which encourages buyers to add an item.
Promoting without devaluing yourself
A few principles so your promotions actually serve your shop:
- Set a limited, clearly displayed duration: with no deadline, there is no urgency.
- Protect your margin: work out the discounted price before announcing it.
- Save the big discounts for key moments (launches, clearing stock, peak seasons).
- Avoid the permanent promotion: if everything is always on sale, nothing has value any more.
A well-announced 48-hour flash sale can generate more sales than a lukewarm discount stretched over a month: it is scarcity in time that pushes people to decide now.
Key takeaway: vary the formats (discount, flash sale, volume deal, free shipping), keep the duration short to create urgency and always protect your margin. Avoid permanent promotions.