Not only is Easter almost here, but we’re right smack dab in the middle of the Spring, both great motivations for your e-commerce business to be running a sale and driving traffic to your e-shop.

But before you kick it off, or if you’re already running one, be sure to have a look at these 5 key points you should be aware of to ensure your sale is as successful as it can be.

THE OFFER

At this point, you’ve probably read and even utilized a myriad of discounting strategies to varying degrees of success. Despite that, we feel it's important to note a few things to consider when it comes to your sale.

Things to keep in mind:

• Is it time for some spring cleaning? Use this sale as an opportunity to clear out some inventory.
• If you’re running an Easter-specific sale, consider extending it beyond Sunday or Monday, giving those who travel or are celebrating a chance to shop as well.
• Try using a discount/coupon code as they are proven to attract new visitors, elicit high levels of customer satisfaction, and are easy to track and analyze
• With that, why not pump up that email list by getting new visitors to share their email address for an “exclusive” discount.
• Speaking of "exclusive" offers, don't forget your most loyal customers!
  

FOMO

No one likes missing out on a great deal and you can capitalize on that “FOMO” when it comes time to execute your sale. This desire to purchase becomes even more potent if you’re remarketing to particular customers or personalizing your emails, as both of these options capitalize on relevant customer interests, preferences, and shopping history.

Things to keep in mind:

• Make the urgency explicit in your messaging and text formatting (red color works well)
• Integrate a countdown clock to make that urgency more tangible (many e-commerce platforms offer built-in or third-party options for this).
• Try a series of time-limited deals to build some excitement around the sale.
  

CROSS-SELL AND UPSELL

When it comes time to decide upon which products will get a discount, be sure to keep in mind your cross-selling and upselling opportunities. If you capitalize effectively on them, you can end up more than making up the margin you lost from the discounted products.

Things to keep in mind:

• When you upsell, keep the options limited and try nurturing that high-priced upsell with another, more inferior item that is priced slightly lower than the high-priced option.
• If you don’t already, leave the cross-selling until check-out and utilize items that are truly relevant and much cheaper (at least 60% less) than the item in the cart.
• Now may be the time to consider automating the entire selection process with AI-powered marketing automation tools, like Samba, which will handle it entirely on its own and in real time.
  

SEASONAL ADS

If your sale warrants it and you have enough time to plan and put it all together, consider running some relevant paid ad campaigns.

Things to keep in mind:

• Be sure to create a separate campaign for this sale, so you can more easily analyze the performance, properly price it out, and iterate upon and relaunch it in the future.
• Have a look at your keywords, adding relevant words or phrases pertaining to the season or Easter itself.
  
• Don't forget to verify your ad spending limits to make sure you're not cutting yourself off prematurely.
• Make sure you're checking your reports regularly and reacting accordingly.
  

HAVE FUN

Most important of all, seasonal and holiday-based offers definitely leave the door open for having fun and creating content that fosters community involvement.

Things to keep in mind:

• Social Media contests and community content are prime examples of how you can capitalize on the festivities.
• Share creative, product-related content with your customers via a newsletter, blog, or social media, which will not only inspire them, but get them shopping.
• Employ fun, seasonal visuals and taglines that are used consistently.

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