Effective Strategies to Show Sale on Shopify Stores

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Psychology Behind Visual Sale Indicators
3. How to Show Sale on Shopify Using Compare-At Prices
4. Customizing the Sale Badge on Your Theme
5. Best Practices for Collection Page Displays
6. Leveraging Digital Products as High-Margin Sale Items
7. Creating Value with Native Shopify Integration
8. Building a Community to Stabilize Recurring Revenue
9. Transparent Pricing and The Tevello Advantage
10. Advanced Tactics: Displaying Sales for Bundles
11. Communicating the Sale Through Automated Email Flows
12. Setting Realistic Business Expectations
13. Analyzing Sales Performance
14. The Importance of Mobile Optimization
15. Strategic Timing for Your Sales
16. Summary of Key Takeaways
17. Conclusion
18. FAQ

Introduction

Did you know that according to consumer psychology studies, nearly 93% of shoppers use a discount code or look for a sale badge throughout the year? The visual cue of a sale is not just a pricing strategy; it is a powerful psychological trigger that signals value, urgency, and opportunity. For a Shopify merchant, knowing how to show sale on shopify is the difference between a window shopper and a lifelong customer. When a visitor lands on your store, they are looking for a reason to say "yes." Clear visual indicators of a discount provide that justification, reducing cart abandonment and increasing the perceived savings of every transaction.

In this guide, we will dive deep into the technical and strategic aspects of displaying sales across your Shopify storefront. We will cover everything from setting up "compare-at" prices and customizing sale badges to leveraging digital products as high-margin sales items. We also explore how to move beyond simple discounts to build a sustainable, recurring revenue model using memberships and courses. At Tevello, our mission is to turn any Shopify store into a digital learning powerhouse, and understanding how to effectively communicate value through pricing is the first step in that journey.

The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive roadmap for mastering sale displays while introducing the benefits of diversifying your catalog with digital offerings. By the end of this post, you will understand how to optimize your Shopify store for maximum conversion and why keeping your customers on your own URL is essential for long-term brand equity.

The Psychology Behind Visual Sale Indicators

Displaying a sale is about more than just lowering a price; it is about "anchoring." Anchoring is a cognitive bias where an individual relies too heavily on an initial piece of information (the "compare-at" price) when making decisions. When you show a sale on Shopify, you are presenting the original price as the anchor, making the current price feel like a significant win for the customer.

Furthermore, visual indicators like "Sale" tags or "Save X%" badges create a sense of urgency. They imply that the current price is temporary, encouraging the customer to act before the opportunity disappears. This is particularly effective when combined with digital products, which have zero shipping costs and provide instant gratification. We believe merchants should own their customer data and brand experience, and clearly communicating value through sales is a key part of maintaining that professional brand image.

How to Show Sale on Shopify Using Compare-At Prices

The most fundamental way to show a sale on Shopify is through the "compare-at price" feature. This is a built-in function that allows you to display a struck-through original price next to the discounted price.

Setting Compare-At Prices for Individual Products

To set a sale for a single product, follow these steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
2. Click the name of the product you want to put on sale.
3. In the Pricing section, enter the original price in the Compare-at price field.
4. Enter the new, lower price in the Price field.
5. Click Save.

Shopify will automatically detect that the price is lower than the compare-at price and will display the "Sale" badge on your storefront, provided your theme supports this feature.

Using the Bulk Editor for Store-Wide Sales

If you have a large inventory, updating each product manually is inefficient. The Bulk Editor is a powerful tool for this task:

1. Go to Products.
2. Select all the products you wish to discount using the checkboxes.
3. Click Bulk edit.
4. Ensure the columns for Price and Compare-at price are visible. If not, click Columns and select them.
5. Update the values across all products and click Save.

For merchants who want to dive deeper into how these settings influence the customer journey, all the key features for courses and communities often rely on these same pricing principles to drive enrollment.

Customizing the Sale Badge on Your Theme

While Shopify handles the logic of the sale, your theme determines how it looks. Most modern Shopify themes include a "Sale" badge that appears on the product image in collection grids and on the product page itself.

Using the Theme Customizer

To change the appearance of your sale labels:

1. Go to Online Store > Themes.
2. Click Customize next to your active theme.
3. Look for Theme settings (usually a gear icon).
4. Navigate to Badges or Product Labels.
5. Here, you can often change the color, shape, and text of the sale badge (e.g., changing "Sale" to "-20%").

Adding Custom Liquid for Advanced Badges

If your theme doesn't provide enough flexibility, you can edit the Liquid code. By accessing the product-badge.liquid or product-card.liquid files, you can calculate the exact percentage saved and display it dynamically. This adds a level of transparency that customers appreciate, as they can see exactly how much value they are getting. If unifying your stack is a priority, start by a simple, all-in-one price for unlimited courses.

Best Practices for Collection Page Displays

The collection page is often where a customer makes their first decision about which product to click. If you are running a major promotion, your collection pages must reflect that clearly.

• Consistency: Ensure that all sale badges are uniform in color and placement. If one product shows "Sale" and another shows "Discount," it can create a fragmented brand experience.
• Sorting: Use Shopify’s automated collections to group all sale items into a "Clearance" or "Current Deals" collection. This makes it easier for bargain hunters to find what they are looking for.
• Visual Contrast: Use a high-contrast color for your sale badges (like red or bright orange) that stands out against your product photography but still aligns with your brand’s color palette.

When you are seeing how the app natively integrates with Shopify, you will notice that the best applications mimic these native Shopify behaviors to ensure a seamless checkout experience.

Leveraging Digital Products as High-Margin Sale Items

One of the most effective ways to increase your Average Order Value (AOV) and Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) is to incorporate digital products into your sales strategy. Unlike physical goods, digital products—such as online courses, PDF guides, or exclusive community access—do not require shipping, storage, or manufacturing costs once created.

For a merchant selling fitness equipment, for example, a sale on weight sets is a great draw. However, the profit margins on physical heavy equipment can be thin due to shipping. By bundling that weight set with a "30-Day Strength Transformation" video course, you can offer a "Special Bundle Sale." The digital course has a 100% profit margin, which offsets the discount given on the physical equipment.

At Tevello, we specialize in helping you create this all-in-one ecosystem. We provide a solution that keeps customers on your own URL, ensuring that when they buy a course on sale, they aren't redirected to a third-party platform that dilutes your brand. You can see how merchants are earning six figures by combining these two worlds effectively.

Creating Value with Native Shopify Integration

A major hurdle for many merchants is the technical friction of managing multiple platforms. If your physical products are on Shopify but your courses are on a separate site, your "Sale" strategy becomes a nightmare to coordinate.

Our "Native Shopify Integration" ensures that your courses and digital products are treated just like any other item in your catalog. This means:

• Seamless Checkout: Customers use the Shopify checkout they already trust.
• Unified Inventory: You can manage sales for both digital and physical goods in one admin panel.
• Brand Loyalty: Customers log in to your store to access their content, keeping your brand top-of-mind.

Merchants who explore examples of successful content monetization on Shopify often find that the most successful stores are those that offer a cohesive experience. Whether it's a "Sale" on a physical book or a discount on a masterclass, the customer journey should be identical.

Building a Community to Stabilize Recurring Revenue

While "showing a sale" is excellent for short-term spikes in revenue, building a community provides long-term stability. Tevello allows you to create member directories, social feeds, and profiles directly within your Shopify store.

Instead of just running a one-time sale, you can offer a "Membership Sale." For instance, a merchant selling gardening supplies can offer a discount on an annual membership that includes monthly planting guides and access to a community forum. This transforms a one-time discount seeker into a recurring revenue stream.

A great example of this at scale is unifying a fragmented system into a single Shopify store. By bringing everything under one roof, brands can manage thousands of members without the overhead of disparate systems. This approach was instrumental in migrating over 14,000 members and reducing support tickets for major creators who needed a more robust solution.

Transparent Pricing and The Tevello Advantage

In the world of e-commerce apps, pricing can often be confusing, with hidden fees that eat into your margins. We believe in total transparency to build trust with our merchants. Many platforms charge "success fees" or take a percentage of every sale you make. We reject this model.

The Tevello Unlimited Plan is just $29.99 per month.

We charge 0% transaction fees. This means that when you run a massive sale and your volume spikes, you keep 100% of your earnings. Our flat-rate plan supports your growth rather than taxing it. When you are predictable pricing without hidden transaction fees, you can plan your marketing budgets with confidence, knowing exactly what your overhead will be.

The Unlimited Plan includes:

• Unlimited courses and students.
• Unlimited video hosting and bandwidth.
• Community features (profiles, member directories, social feeds).
• Drip content scheduling and interactive quizzes.
• A 14-day free trial.

By comparing plan costs against total course revenue, it becomes clear that a flat-fee model is the most sustainable path for growing businesses.

Advanced Tactics: Displaying Sales for Bundles

Bundling is one of the most effective ways to show a sale on Shopify. Instead of discounting a single product, you discount the collection of products. This is highly effective when pairing digital products that live directly alongside physical stock.

Consider a "Complete Photography Kit" bundle. It includes:

1. A physical camera strap ($50).
2. A lens cleaning kit ($20).
3. A "Mastering Manual Mode" video course ($100). Total Value: $170. Bundle Sale Price: $120.

By showing the "Compare-at Price" of $170 and the current price of $120, you are demonstrating a $50 saving. Because the digital course costs you nothing to "ship," the perceived value to the customer is massive, while your actual cost of goods sold remains low. This strategy increases the Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) and builds brand loyalty, as the customer is now engaged with your educational content long after the physical product arrives.

Communicating the Sale Through Automated Email Flows

Showing the sale on your website is only half the battle. You also need to communicate that sale to your existing audience. Because Tevello is natively integrated, your customer data remains in Shopify. You can use Shopify Email or Klaviyo to trigger automated flows based on a customer's purchase history.

If a customer buys a physical yoga mat, you can automatically send them a "Sale" offer for your "Beginner Yoga Flow" course 24 hours later. This type of targeted, relevant discounting is far more effective than generic store-wide sales. It shows the customer that you understand their journey and are providing tools to help them succeed with their purchase.

Setting Realistic Business Expectations

While implementing these strategies will certainly improve your store's performance, it is important to frame these as tools for long-term growth. We don't believe in "get rich quick" schemes. Instead, we focus on how these features diversify your revenue streams and provide recurring revenue stability.

Building a digital learning powerhouse takes effort—creating quality content, engaging with your community, and refining your sales tactics. However, with a robust tool like Tevello, your efforts are amplified. You aren't fighting your software; you are using it to build a legacy. To begin this process, you can install Tevello from the Shopify App Store today.

Analyzing Sales Performance

Once you have implemented your sale displays, you must track their performance. Shopify’s "Sales by discount" report is invaluable here. Look for:

• Conversion Rate: Did the sale badge actually lead to more checkouts?
• Top Performing Products: Which discounted items are driving the most traffic?
• Impact on AOV: Are customers buying only the sale items, or are they adding full-price items to their carts as well?

If you find that your "Sale" items are popular but your AOV is dropping, consider using the bundling strategy mentioned earlier to pull full-price digital products into the mix.

The Importance of Mobile Optimization

More than 70% of Shopify traffic now comes from mobile devices. When you are deciding how to show sale on shopify, you must ensure that your sale badges are legible on a small screen.

• Avoid Overcrowding: A badge that takes up 50% of the product thumbnail is too large.
• Font Size: Ensure the "Compare-at" price is still readable even when struck through.
• Loading Speed: Avoid using heavy image-based badges. Stick to CSS-based badges or theme-native options to keep your site fast.

A slow site will kill a sale faster than a bad price. Native solutions are generally faster than third-party apps that inject heavy scripts into your storefront.

Strategic Timing for Your Sales

Finally, consider the timing of your sales. Running a sale 365 days a year devalues your brand. Instead, use sales strategically:

• Seasonal Peaks: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and New Year’s (perfect for "New Year, New You" courses).
• Inventory Clearance: Use sales to move physical stock that is taking up warehouse space.
• Flash Sales: Short, 24-hour sales that drive a massive burst of urgency.

By alternating between these, you keep your audience engaged without training them to only buy when there is a discount.

Summary of Key Takeaways

Knowing how to show sale on shopify is a foundational skill for any e-commerce entrepreneur. By using compare-at prices, customizing your theme's sale badges, and strategically bundling physical and digital products, you can significantly increase your store's conversion rates.

Key points to remember:

• Use Compare-at Prices: Anchor your current price against the original to show immediate value.
• Leverage Digital Goods: Use courses and communities to increase margins and build recurring revenue.
• Maintain Brand Consistency: Keep customers on your own URL to protect your data and brand experience.
• Simplify Your Tech Stack: Use a native Shopify integration to reduce friction and support tickets.
• Transparency Matters: Choose apps with flat-rate pricing and 0% transaction fees to protect your profits.

Conclusion

Successfully showing a sale on your Shopify store is about more than just a red tag; it’s about crafting a narrative of value that resonates with your customers. Whether you are discounting physical inventory or launching a new masterclass, the clarity and professionalism of your presentation will dictate your success. At Tevello, we are committed to providing you with the tools to not only sell products but to build a community around your expertise. By integrating digital learning into your Shopify ecosystem, you create a business that is resilient, high-margin, and deeply connected to its audience.

Our mission is to empower you to own your brand and your data without being held back by complicated fee structures. With our Unlimited Plan, you can scale to thousands of students and unlimited courses without ever seeing a transaction fee from us. This allows you to focus on what you do best: creating value for your customers.

To build your community without leaving Shopify, start by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from. Take advantage of our 14-day free trial to build your entire curriculum and set up your sale strategy before paying a cent. Let’s turn your Shopify store into the digital learning powerhouse it was meant to be.

FAQ

1. How do I show a "Percentage Off" badge instead of just a "Sale" text?

Most Shopify themes allow you to customize the sale badge within the Theme Editor under "Product Grid" or "Badges" settings. If your theme does not support this natively, you can modify your product-card.liquid file to calculate the percentage: (compare_at_price - price) / compare_at_price * 100.

2. Will showing a sale affect my SEO?

Generally, no. In fact, clear pricing and discounts can improve your click-through rate (CTR) from Google Shopping and search results, which is a positive signal for SEO. Just ensure that your meta descriptions accurately reflect your current offers.

3. Can I show a sale price only for specific customer groups?

Yes, but this typically requires a "Wholesale" or "Members Only" app, or you can use Shopify's native "B2B" features if you are on a Shopify Plus plan. Alternatively, you can create a private collection for members where products are listed at a lower price, which is a great use case for a Tevello-powered community.

4. Do I need a separate platform to sell courses on sale?

No. By using a native Shopify app like Tevello, your courses are treated as products within your Shopify admin. You can set "compare-at" prices for your courses just like you would for a t-shirt or a book, keeping everything unified and professional.