How to prepare for sales?
This is a question every eCommerce merchant should ask themselves.
The sales period is one of the key dates in the eCommerce calendar.
Every year, it attracts millions of consumers looking for the best deals on discounted items.
Much like Black Friday, sale days are a strategic highlight for your business.
And if you're still unsure about their importance, remember that sales are among the key dates that every retailer needs to anticipate in their eCommerce calendar.
By preparing your sales operations in advance, you'll give yourself the best chance of attracting customers with appealing discounted products while boosting your sales.
Before launching your winter or summer sales, take the time to review your past campaigns.
The figures will help you adjust your strategy.
Which sale items attracted the most customers?
Were they your best sellers or your dormant stock?
Which discounts really triggered purchases?
Also take a look at your acquisition channels.
Did your social media generate significant traffic?
Or did your website convert better thanks to your newsletters and private sales?
Finally, identify any sticking points.
Too many abandoned carts, overly long checkout process, lack of visibility on reference prices...
All of these factors can slow your customers down on sale day.
The key to successful sales is balance.
On the one hand, you need to offer irresistible sale items that will catch the eye.
These are often loss leaders, positioned with a significant price reduction.
On the other hand, you also need to take advantage of the sales to clear your dead stock, i.e., items that have been sitting on the shelves for too long.
But be careful, it's not all about selling off your stock.
The goal is to create an attractive offer without undermining your overall margin.
This is where controlling the discount percentage plays a key role.
A well-placed 30% discount on certain products may be enough to boost your sales while maintaining profitability on your new collections.
Determining the discount percentage is not just a marketing issue.
It is also a legal issue.
The crossed-out price must correspond to a reference price that was actually charged previously.
Follow these guidelines, otherwise your sales campaigns may lose credibility.
Next, consider psychological thresholds.
A 29% discount seems less significant than a 30% discount.
And an item priced at $49.90 often has more impact than a round price of $50.
These details change how your sale items are perceived and maximize your chances of triggering a purchase.
Your product pages are your best online salespeople.
During winter and summer sales, they need to be clear, punchy, and attractive.
Revise your titles and descriptions to highlight price reductions and emphasize the benefits of the product.
Add clearly visible “sale items” badges.
These grab attention quickly and enhance the showcase effect of your website.
Finally, standardize your visuals.
Consistent graphics reassure your customers and make your offering look more professional.
👉 We can help you write a product listing here.
Sales are also an operational challenge.
Prepare your stock in advance, as a product marked “sold out” too early can frustrate your buyers.
Make sure your delivery solutions can keep up, especially on sale days.
Customer service also plays a key role.
More orders mean more questions.
Plan for quick responses, responsive customer service, and a smooth shopping experience, even during peak traffic times.
This foresight will help you turn a simple price reduction into a successful customer experience.
Winter sales and summer sales aren't just about your sale items.
The difference is often in how you communicate.
The more your customers hear about your offers, the more they will want to discover your sale items on the big day.
Email remains a powerful ally for your sales operations.
Prepare targeted campaigns by segmenting your lists: your loyal customers on one side, your recent prospects on the other.
Offer your followers access to your private sales or exclusive discounts, and you'll immediately create a sense of privilege.
👉 You can find our comprehensive advice in this article on eCommerce email marketing.
Your social media channels are the ideal showcase for teasing your sale items.
Post countdowns and use immersive formats such as stories and short videos.
The goal is to build anticipation, create FOMO, and encourage your followers to mark the sale date in their calendars.
Your website should be the focal point for your price reductions.
Create a landing page dedicated to sale items, accessible from the homepage.
Highlight your flagship products to quickly guide visitors.
The smoother your shopping experience, the more likely you are to convert interest into sales.
An SMS sent at the right time can make all the difference.
By targeting hesitant customers or former customers, you can rekindle interest and generate quick conversions.
The tone should emphasize urgency: limited quantities, last hours, exceptional discount percentages.
On channels such as SMS or WhatsApp, simplicity and immediacy are your best assets.
Sales should not be just a one-off spike in sales.
They are also a great opportunity to turn opportunistic buyers into regular customers.
Integrate your new customers into a loyalty program.
By following up with them via email or post-purchase notifications, you stay in touch and increase the chances of them returning, even outside of the sale period.
It's also a good time to set up community initiatives: referrals, collecting reviews, creating UGC content, etc.
These levers strengthen engagement while giving visibility to your sale items.
Pssst... You might find this interesting!
Loyalty programs are strategic for your brand, and we can probably help. Check out our platform!
Selling off your bestsellers or new collections is tantamount to unnecessarily reducing your margin.
Sales should instead be used to boost sales of strategic products or clear dead stock.
A poorly anticipated peak in orders can lead to delivery delays and customer frustration.
Plan for responsive customer service and solid logistics to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Poorly highlighted sale items or unclear messages reduce effectiveness.
Your customers need to understand the value of your price reductions at a glance.
A large proportion of sales during sales periods are made on smartphones.
A slow or poorly optimized user experience can drive away your most impatient buyers.
Sales are strictly regulated by law.
They take place twice a year, during the winter and summer sales, for a period set by decree (usually four weeks).
Only products that have been on sale for at least one month can be considered sale items, in order to guarantee the authenticity of the reference price displayed.
As an eCommerce merchant, you must comply with several obligations.
Discounts must be clearly indicated, with the percentage discount calculated based on the actual price charged before the sale period.
The products featured must not come from your existing stock.
Sales events such as winter sales or summer sales are not just a marketing ploy.
They also allow you to optimize your processes and build lasting relationships with your customers.
By combining a discount strategy with smart loyalty building, you can consolidate your results over the long term.
With a loyalty platform like Loyoly, you can turn your buyers into engaged customers and ambassadors.
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Loyoly is a post-purchase engagement platform that orchestrates journeys via +40 mechanics to boost LTV and social proof, while reducing CAC.
