Sales periods represent a major traffic spike for online retailers, but they require flawless preparation and responsiveness. From optimizing the customer journey to daily performance analysis, every detail counts when it comes to converting visitor interest into actual sales. From promoting flagship products to managing unsold items after the sale, these ten tips will guide you in providing a seamless shopping experience, increasing conversion rates, and retaining new customers, while preserving your brand image.
Sales don't start on the day itself: they need to be prepared in advance. Teasing remains a powerful tool for capturing your customers' attention and encouraging them to return to your site. Private sales, wish lists, shopping cart preparation: all these mechanisms keep your customers on their toes and engage them even before the official launch. Offering to save their favorites or create a personalized selection makes it easier for them to make a purchase as soon as the sales start. You can also go one step further by rewarding customers who have prepared their shopping cart with a small exclusive promo code. Finally, don't forget the countdown on your site: a simple but incredibly effective way to build anticipation and turn your visitors into buyers when the time comes.
During sales, clarity is key: your customers need to immediately understand that your site is running promotions. This requires a visible and consistent adaptation of your interface: a “Sales” tab in the menu, accessible from all pages, dedicated banners or pop-ups, and visuals that reflect the event. Depending on the size of your catalog, creating a special landing page with a dedicated “sales corner” for each category can make navigation easier and guide your customers to the best deals. Don't forget to clearly flag promotional products to avoid any ambiguity. The more visible your message is, the more your visitors will feel supported in their purchasing journey.
3. Bet on the little extra that makes all the difference
During sales, your customers are bombarded with offers from all sides: to capture their attention and convince them to buy from you rather than elsewhere, it's crucial to have that “little something extra.” The first few days are crucial, especially in sectors where the availability of sizes or models is limited, such as textiles. This is the ideal time to offer exclusive benefits: free shipping on orders over a certain amount, an additional discount on the first day, or a bonus when two items are purchased. These simple but effective offers can trigger additional purchases and increase the average basket size. The key is to clearly communicate this benefit and make it visible throughout your site.
Sales are inherently time-limited: this is an ideal opportunity to play on urgency and encourage your customers to finalize their purchase immediately. To achieve this, add visual and temporal reassurance elements: “Only 3 left in stock,” “Promotion valid until tomorrow,” “Additional 10% off until midnight,” or even flash sales. This type of message creates controlled commercial pressure that pushes the customer to act without delay. During sales periods, when competition is fierce and “promo-loving” customers are particularly volatile, these levers are essential for selling your stock quickly and maximizing your sales in a short period of time.
During sales periods, effective navigation makes all the difference. The faster your customers find what they're looking for, the more likely they are to complete their purchase. That's why it's essential to offer clear and relevant filters: sizes, shoe sizes, colors, price ranges, and even stock availability. These criteria must be accurately filled in and highlighted. You can also go further with filters specific to sales, such as a “Promo yes/no” filter on your list pages or sorting by discount percentage. This allows you to highlight the depth of the discounts and directly target the most price-sensitive customers.
During sales, not all departments are created equal. Rather than spreading your efforts too thin, focus your actions on the categories that really matter. To identify them, analyze your customers' behavior during previous sales: which categories were viewed the most? Which ones generated the most revenue? You can also prioritize departments with high stock levels to sell or particularly attractive discounts. Once you've identified these key categories, highlight them in your email campaigns, product recommendation areas, and sales promotion materials. This allows you to capitalize on what your customers are really looking for during sales periods, when their behavior often differs from slower periods.
After categories, it's time to focus on products. To maximize the impact of sales, identify your recent bestsellers and concentrate your efforts on promoting them. These items, which have already proven their appeal at full price, become even more successful once they are on sale. Make sure their product pages are flawless: clear descriptions, high-quality visuals, crossed-out prices, and correctly displayed discount percentages. These are the details that inspire confidence and drive purchases. These flagship products should also benefit from enhanced visibility: positioned at the top of your website, promoted in your CRM campaigns, and included in your traffic generation efforts. It's better to invest in a few strategically optimized items than to spread your efforts across your entire catalog.
Sales are the ideal time to generate revenue, but also to showcase your new collection or your permanent products. At the start, the focus is naturally on promotions: sale categories and products are highlighted, with massive promotion across all levers of the site (PLP, search engine, recommendations, etc.).
But as the weeks go by, interest in sales declines and it becomes crucial to rebalance visibility. Track the share of revenue generated by sales and adjust exposure accordingly: if your sales account for 50% of revenue at the second markdown, make sure your new arrivals and permanent items also benefit from equivalent visibility.
This adjustment must be applied across all levers: list page rankings, search engine, product recommendations. The goal is to optimize the customer experience while capitalizing on traffic and promoting your entire catalog.
During sales periods, traffic increases significantly, and every friction point can cost you a customer. It's not enough to check the products at the front: you have to put yourself in the shoes of a new visitor and test the entire journey from start to finish.
Check all critical points: account creation, checkout, wish list, shopping cart, filters, and even direct access to a product page via Google Ads. Make sure everything works perfectly and that the customer journey remains smooth. A seamless experience encourages customers to return, even after the sales.
Sales change day by day during sales periods: tracking performance in real time is crucial. Analyze which products are selling well, abandoned carts, conversion rates, and stock availability. Adjust your actions from day one and throughout the sales period.
Identify trending products to highlight on your homepage, end caps, in campaigns, or through cross-selling. Spot “forgotten” products that suffer from a lack of visibility and relaunch them via email or push notifications. Customer feedback and comments are also an indicator that should not be overlooked when anticipating the impact on sales.
Responsiveness is key: adjust displays, promotions, and visibility of sale and non-sale items based on sales and remaining inventory. Filters remain essential to help customers find good deals, especially for items that cannot be prominently displayed but meet a specific demand.
Extend the momentum of your sales with “last chance” promotions, outlet offers, or selections of bargains to clear unsold stock. Depending on your brand's DNA, adapt the duration and format of these promotions to effectively manage inventory without impacting your brand image.
Take advantage of sales to build loyalty among your new customers: highlight your loyalty program, offer exclusive deals or specific benefits to encourage these customers to return. Every new account created is an opportunity to build a lasting relationship.