You now have full control over your promo schedule. So what’s the cleverest way to plan your discounts?

Under Spreadshop’s new commission model, you now have the option to schedule, opt in or opt out of discount campaigns as you see fit.

How it works

Spreadshirt runs a calendar of promotions. You are free to adjust the start dates up to 30 days prior or after the listed dates or deactivate the promos entirely. Plan your promotions under Shop Settings > Prices & Promotions > Promotions.

How should you plan your Shop promos for the best results? Here are some strategies to consider:

Go seasonal

Some promos work best when you go with the seasons. Use discounts as an excuse to promote seasonal gear: run a back-to-school special in the fall for hoodies, tote bags or lunch boxes. Push your tank tops and Ts at the beginning of summer and hook your customers with a promo. Before Christmas, promote cozy winter hoodies and encourage gift-buying with some tempting discounts.

Celebrate holidays

In today’s e-commerce world, it’s standard to offer discounts on all major holidays (and plenty of minor ones, too!). Minor or unofficial holidays work very well for shops with a specific niche that can be tied to a holiday—even if it’s a silly social media holiday like Awkward Moments Day. Or purr-haps your Shop features loads of cat designs? Then a promo for International Cat Day is a must.

If you’re running a non-profit Shop, how about running a promo on a holiday that connects to your cause? There are all sorts of occasions for raising awareness— from Earth Day to Gay Pride to International Women’s Day.

Aim for low season

Promotions can help bring customers to your Shop during your typical slow periods. For example, after Christmas tends to be a very slow time for e-commerce. Of course, you’ll need to be prepared to play hard ball during the most competitive times of year as well (like the pre-Christmas rush).

Use events to your advantage

Your Shop’s launch anniversary, Election Day, local holidays or events, sports games, TV series premieres… the potential for promoting your Shop is endless. Whatever special events may be important to your target audience are a perfect excuse to run a discount and encourage your customers to buy. They’re also a great time to connect with your followers on social media.

Offer limited-time promos

People respond well to limited-time offers— just look at Black Friday. When there’s a sense of urgency, customers are more likely to complete their purchase before the discount expires. Run flash sales! Any excuse will do: a sudden cold might inspire a flash sale on winter hats, or you could use a trending topic or event in the news as a reason to run a 24-hour-only sale.

Timing is everything

Before forming your plan of attack, review last year’s sales data. If you connected your Shop to Google Analytics, you can also snoop into your customers’ past behaviors. When did sales spike or ebb in your Shop? Which promotions seemed to work best in the past? Do certain customer types buy more at certain times of year?

Also keep an eye on your competition. If your number one competitor is running a promo, how can you time yours differently to try to rope in more customers?

Make a plan

Check out the current promo calendar here or under your Shop settings. Create your own personal marketing calendar using the strategies introduced above. Don’t forget to leave yourself some time for plotting out your marketing campaign: placing ads, updating your Shop’s start page, or promoting your sales on social media all take time! Mark your calendar for when you’ll need to get the ball rolling and you won’t miss any deadlines.

If you need extra info on how promotions on Spreadshop work, you can learn more here.