Effective Ways to Set Up a Sale on Shopify Today

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Preparing Your Store for Peak Traffic
3. The Technical Setup: How to Set Up a Sale on Shopify
4. Integrating Digital Products into Your Sale Strategy
5. Marketing Your Shopify Sale
6. Optimizing the Checkout Experience
7. Analyzing Post-Sale Data
8. The Tevello Advantage: Predictable Growth
9. Practical Scenarios for Your Shopify Sale
10. Avoiding Common Pitfalls
11. Scaling Your Community with Tevello
12. Conclusion
13. FAQ

Introduction

In the first week of a major holiday sale, a boutique fitness brand recently discovered that over 65% of their customers were willing to add a $20 digital "Challenge Guide" to their cart if it was bundled with a pair of leggings. This insight reveals a fundamental truth about modern e-commerce: sales are no longer just about clearing out old inventory; they are strategic opportunities to increase Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) and deepen brand loyalty. When a merchant understands the mechanics of how to set up a sale on Shopify, they transform their storefront from a simple vending machine into a dynamic, high-revenue engine.

The purpose of this blog post is to provide a comprehensive roadmap for navigating Shopify’s native discounting tools while exploring how digital products can amplify your promotional efforts. We will cover everything from the technical setup of "Compare at" prices and automatic discounts to the advanced strategies of bundling digital courses with physical goods. At Tevello, our mission is to turn any Shopify store into a digital learning powerhouse, and we believe that a well-executed sale is the perfect time to introduce your audience to the value of your expertise.

By the end of this guide, you will have a clear, actionable plan to launch promotions that don’t just move units, but actually build a sustainable, recurring revenue model. A sale is not merely a race to the bottom on pricing; it is a sophisticated marketing event that, when handled with precision, secures your brand’s position in a crowded marketplace.

Preparing Your Store for Peak Traffic

Before you click a single button in your Shopify admin, you must lay the groundwork. A sale that attracts thousands of visitors only to have the website crash or the inventory run dry is a missed opportunity that can damage your brand reputation. Preparation is the bridge between a chaotic discount event and a professional, high-converting sale.

Inventory and Stock Auditing

The first step in knowing how to set up a sale on Shopify is knowing what you actually have to sell. An inventory audit isn't just about counting boxes; it's about identifying "stagnant" capital. Are there seasonal items from last year taking up warehouse space? These should be the primary targets for your steepest discounts. Conversely, your best-sellers should be protected. If a high-demand item is likely to sell out at full price, discounting it heavily might lead to "out of stock" messages that frustrate new customers.

For merchants using Tevello, inventory looks a bit different. Digital products, such as online courses or community memberships, have infinite "stock." This is a massive technical advantage. While you might run out of a specific size of a t-shirt, you can never run out of a "How to Style Your Wardrobe" video course. This allows you to maintain sale momentum even if your physical shelves go bare.

Defining Your KPIs

What does success look like for this sale? If you don’t define your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) beforehand, you won’t know if your 20% discount was actually profitable. Common goals include:

• Customer Acquisition: Are you willing to break even on the first sale to get a new email address?
• Average Order Value (AOV) Boost: Can you use a "Buy More, Save More" structure to get people to spend $100 instead of $50?
• Clearing Dead Stock: Is the goal simply to turn old fabric into cash flow for new designs?

Setting these goals helps you choose between a sitewide percentage discount or a targeted "Buy One Get One" (BOGO) offer.

The Technical Setup: How to Set Up a Sale on Shopify

Shopify provides three primary ways to discount products. Each has a specific use case and psychological impact on the shopper. Understanding these nuances is key to a professional store presentation.

Method 1: The "Compare at Price" (Manual Sale)

This is the most common way to show a "sale" badge on a product page. It tells the customer exactly how much they are saving right on the product card.

1. Navigate to Products: In your Shopify admin, go to the Products section.
2. Select an Item: Click on the product (or specific variant) you want to put on sale.
3. Adjust Pricing: In the Pricing section, you will see two fields: "Price" and "Compare at price."
4. Enter Values: The "Price" should be the new, lower sale price. The "Compare at price" should be the original, higher price.
5. Save: Once saved, Shopify will automatically calculate the savings and display a "Sale" tag.

This method is excellent for individual item clearance. However, if you have hundreds of products, doing this manually is inefficient. In those cases, using the "Bulk Editor" or a CSV upload is necessary to update prices across your entire catalog.

Method 2: Automatic Discounts

Automatic discounts are the gold standard for reducing friction. As the name suggests, the customer doesn’t have to hunt for a code; the savings appear automatically in the cart when the criteria are met.

To set this up, go to Discounts > Create Discount > Automatic Discount. You can choose between a percentage, a fixed amount, or a "Buy X Get Y" offer. A common strategy here is a "Threshold Discount," such as "Spend $75 and get 15% off automatically." This encourages customers to browse more of your store to hit that magic number.

Method 3: Discount Codes

Discount codes offer a sense of exclusivity. They are perfect for email marketing campaigns, influencer partnerships, or "abandoned cart" recovery sequences.

When you create a discount code, you can set specific parameters:

• Usage Limits: Can the code be used only once per customer?
• Eligibility: Is it only for first-time buyers?
• Date Range: Does it expire exactly at midnight on Sunday?

Using codes allows you to track exactly where your sales are coming from. If an influencer’s code brings in 500 sales, you know that partnership is worth doubling down on.

Integrating Digital Products into Your Sale Strategy

One of the most effective ways to protect your margins during a sale is to bundle physical goods with high-margin digital content. This is where Tevello shines. Because we provide all the key features for courses and communities natively within Shopify, you can sell a digital guide as easily as a pair of shoes.

The Power of the "Physical + Digital" Bundle

Consider a merchant selling high-end espresso machines. During a holiday sale, they might offer a 10% discount on the machine itself. To make the deal irresistible, they can bundle a "Home Barista Masterclass" hosted via Tevello.

The machine has a high cost of goods sold (COGS), but the course—once created—costs nothing extra to deliver. By including the course, the "perceived value" of the bundle sky-rockets without further eroding the merchant's profit margin. This strategy is a cornerstone of how one brand sold $112K+ by bundling courses along with their physical crafting supplies.

Maintaining Brand Consistency

At Tevello, we believe merchants should own their customer data and brand experience. This is why our app focuses on keeping customers at home on the brand website. When a customer buys a "Sale Bundle" that includes a course, they don't get redirected to a clunky third-party site with different branding. They stay on your URL, use your Shopify login, and see your logo. This seamless experience is vital during a sale because it builds the trust necessary to turn a one-time discount seeker into a long-term community member.

Marketing Your Shopify Sale

Setting up the technical side of the sale is only half the battle. If nobody knows the sale is happening, your "Compare at" prices won't matter. You need a multi-channel marketing approach to drive traffic.

The Urgency Factor: Banners and Timers

Psychologically, sales work because of scarcity and urgency. Use a notification bar at the top of your site to announce the sale. Phrases like "Ending in 4 hours" or "Last 50 items in stock" trigger the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO).

There are many apps that can add a countdown timer to your product pages. This visual cue creates a ticking clock that pushes hesitant browsers toward a purchase. Ensure your banner is mobile-optimized, as a significant portion of Shopify traffic—often over 70%—comes from mobile devices.

Email and SMS Sequences

Your existing customer list is your most valuable asset. They already trust you. Send a "Teaser" email 24 hours before the sale starts, followed by a "Live Now" announcement.

For your highest-value customers (VIPs), consider giving them early access. This makes them feel special and ensures they get the items they want before the general public. If you are using Tevello to manage a community, you can post the early-access discount code directly in your member feed, rewarding your most engaged followers.

Optimizing the Checkout Experience

The checkout process is where sales go to die. According to industry data, nearly 70% of carts are abandoned. During a sale, this number can spike if the process feels complicated or untrustworthy.

Native Shopify Integration

One of the reasons we built Tevello the way we did is to leverage the "Native Shopify Integration." This ensures that when a customer purchases a course or a membership during your sale, they use the Shopify checkout they already know and trust. There are no surprise redirects or weird payment gateways.

If unifying your stack is a priority, start by a simple, all-in-one price for unlimited courses.

Testing Payment Methods

Before the sale goes live, run a test transaction. Ensure that your discount codes are applying correctly and that your "Automatic Discounts" aren't stacking in a way that makes you lose money. (For example, you don't want a 20% automatic discount and a 20% discount code to combine for 40% off unless that was your intention).

Analyzing Post-Sale Data

Once the "Sale" signs are taken down, the real work begins. You must analyze the data to understand the long-term impact on your business.

Revenue vs. Profit

A sale might generate $50,000 in revenue, but if your marketing costs were $10,000 and your discounts ate up $35,000 of your margin, you only made $5,000. It is essential to see how merchants are earning six figures by balancing high-volume sales with high-margin digital products. By looking at your Shopify analytics, you can see which products were the stars of the show and which ones didn't move even with a discount.

Customer Retention Strategies

The goal of a sale is to "acquire" a customer. What you do next determines your ROI. Use an automated email sequence to thank the customer for their purchase and introduce them to your brand story. If they bought a physical product, suggest a digital course that helps them get more out of that product.

For example, if someone bought organic seeds during your Spring Sale, follow up with an offer for your "Master Gardener Membership." This creates a recurring revenue stream that lasts long after the sale ends. You can find many examples of successful content monetization on Shopify that follow this exact pattern: use a sale to open the door, and use digital value to keep them inside.

The Tevello Advantage: Predictable Growth

Many platforms in the e-learning space penalize your success by taking a percentage of your sales or charging you more as you grow. At Tevello, we reject that model. We believe in predictable pricing without hidden transaction fees.

Whether you have 10 students or 10,000 students joining your course during a Black Friday sale, your cost remains the same. This allows you to scale your promotions with total confidence, knowing that a "viral" sale won't result in a massive bill from your software provider.

No Success Fees

Our Unlimited Plan is just $29.99 per month. That's it. We charge 0% transaction fees. This means you keep 100% of the revenue you generate from your courses and memberships. When you are calculating your sale margins, having a fixed software cost makes your math much simpler and your business more stable.

By reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from, you can see how other store owners have leveraged this flat-rate model to build massive digital empires without the overhead of traditional "success fees."

Practical Scenarios for Your Shopify Sale

To help you visualize how to set up a sale on Shopify effectively, let's look at three realistic business scenarios.

Scenario A: The Specialty Hobby Shop

A merchant selling high-quality crochet kits has a surplus of winter yarn in March. To clear the inventory, they set up a "Spring Cleaning Sale."

• The Physical Offer: 30% off all winter-themed yarn kits using the "Compare at price" method.
• The Digital Upsell: At checkout, they offer a "Crochet for Beginners" video course for just $10 (normally $40).
• The Result: They clear their physical shelves while simultaneously onboarding hundreds of new students into their Tevello-powered learning portal. This is a classic example of strategies for selling over 4,000 digital courses natively while managing physical stock.

Scenario B: The Professional Consultant

A business coach uses Shopify to sell physical workbooks. They want to boost their revenue during a slow summer month.

• The Offer: "Buy a Physical Workbook, Get the 'Summer Strategy' Video Series Free."
• The Technical Setup: They use an "Automatic Discount" where the digital product's price drops to $0 when the workbook is in the cart.
• The Result: The workbook sales increase by 40% because of the added digital value, and the merchant builds a huge email list of people who are now "in their ecosystem" for future high-ticket coaching.

Scenario C: The Fitness Apparel Brand

An activewear brand wants to increase their Average Order Value (AOV).

• The Offer: "Spend $100 and get a free 30-day Yoga Challenge Membership."
• The Setup: They use the Tevello community feature to create a private group for the challenge. Shopify's automatic discount engine handles the "Spend $100" logic.
• The Result: Customers who might have only bought one pair of leggings now add a sports bra to hit the $100 threshold. They join the community, engage with the brand daily, and become loyal advocates.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

While sales are powerful, they come with risks. Here is how to avoid the most common mistakes merchants make when figuring out how to set up a sale on Shopify.

1. The "Perpetual Sale" Trap

If your store is always on sale, nothing is ever on sale. Customers will quickly learn that they never have to pay full price, which devalues your brand. Use sales sparingly and tie them to specific events (holidays, product launches, or seasonal shifts).

2. Ignoring Shipping Costs

A 20% discount might look great on paper, but if you also offer free shipping, your profit might vanish. Always calculate your "landed cost" before finalizing a discount. Sometimes, offering "Free Shipping on orders over $50" is a more effective sale than a percentage discount, as it protects your margins while still providing an incentive.

3. Poor Mobile Optimization

If your "Sale" banner covers the "Add to Cart" button on an iPhone, you are losing money. Always test your sale layout on multiple devices. Ensure that your discount codes are easy to copy and paste on a mobile screen.

Scaling Your Community with Tevello

As your sale brings in new customers, you need a way to keep them engaged. Tevello isn't just a place to host videos; it’s an ecosystem for community engagement. Our Unlimited Plan includes a flat-rate plan that supports unlimited members, meaning you can grow your community as large as you want without worrying about your costs spiraling out of control.

Our features include:

• Drip Content: Release your course material over several weeks to keep students coming back.
• Quizzes: Test their knowledge and provide a sense of accomplishment.
• Community Profiles: Let your customers interact with each other, creating a "sticky" brand experience.

By checking merchant feedback and app-store performance signals, you'll see that our focus on simplicity and native integration is what sets us apart. We don't want to be another "tab" in your browser; we want to be the engine inside your Shopify store.

Conclusion

Mastering how to set up a sale on Shopify is a vital skill for any e-commerce entrepreneur. Whether you are manually adjusting "Compare at" prices for a clearance event or setting up complex automatic discounts for a holiday blowout, the goal remains the same: provide value to your customers while growing your bottom line. By incorporating digital products like courses and memberships into your sales strategy, you can protect your margins, increase your AOV, and build a community that lasts far beyond a single weekend of discounts.

At Tevello, we are here to help you bridge the gap between physical products and digital learning. Our 14-day free trial gives you full access to build your curriculum, set up your community, and prepare your next big sale without any upfront cost. Remember, with our Unlimited Plan, you get unlimited students, unlimited hosting, and 0% transaction fees.

To build your community without leaving Shopify, start by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from.

FAQ

How do I show a "Sale" badge on my Shopify products?

To show a "Sale" badge, you must set a "Compare at price" that is higher than the current "Price" in the product’s settings. Shopify will automatically detect the difference and display the sale tag. The exact appearance of the badge depends on your store’s theme settings.

Can I run a sale on digital courses using Shopify's native tools?

Yes! Because Tevello integrates natively with Shopify, your digital courses are treated like any other product. You can apply discount codes, automatic discounts, and "Compare at" pricing to your courses just as you would for a physical item.

Is it better to use a discount code or an automatic discount?

Automatic discounts are better for increasing conversion rates because they reduce friction at checkout. However, discount codes are superior for tracking marketing campaigns (like influencer promos) or rewarding specific customer groups (like email subscribers).

Does Shopify charge extra fees for products on sale?

Shopify does not charge extra fees for running a sale, but keep in mind that your payment processor (like Shopify Payments) still takes its standard transaction fee based on the final sale price. Tevello, however, charges 0% transaction fees on your digital product sales.