How to Have a Sale on Shopify to Maximize Your Profits

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Psychology Behind Successful Sales
3. Preparing Your Store for a Major Promotion
4. Choosing Your Sale Type: Which Strategy Fits?
5. Technical Implementation: How to Set the Sale in Shopify
6. Leveraging Digital Products to Protect Margins
7. Managing Sales in Bulk
8. Driving Traffic to Your Sale
9. The Tevello Difference: Building for the Long Term
10. Post-Sale Retention: Turning Buyers into Fans
11. Setting Realistic Expectations
12. Managing Your Sale Workflow
13. Advanced Tips for Higher Conversion
14. Summary of the Shopify Sale Strategy
15. FAQ
16. Conclusion

Introduction

Did you know that 89% of shoppers report that inflation has fundamentally shifted their buying habits, leading them to prioritize value and price comparisons more than ever before? In an era where the "deal" is the primary driver of the checkout button, mastering the art of the promotional event is no longer optional—it is a core survival skill for e-commerce growth. A well-timed sale does more than just move inventory; it creates a psychological "lightshow" for your brand, capturing attention and converting hesitant window-shoppers into loyal advocates.

The purpose of this guide is to provide a granular, step-by-step roadmap for merchants who want to understand how to have a sale on Shopify that actually moves the needle on profit, not just volume. We will explore everything from the technical setup of "compare-at" prices and automatic discounts to the strategic integration of digital products. Our mission at Tevello is to turn any Shopify store into a digital learning powerhouse, and we believe that the most successful merchants are those who learn to bridge the gap between physical products and high-margin digital experiences.

By the end of this article, you will understand how to prepare your store for high traffic, choose the right discount structure for your specific goals, and leverage recurring revenue models to ensure your business thrives long after the sale ends. A successful sale is not a one-off event; it is a gateway to increasing Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) and building a sustainable, multifaceted brand.

The Psychology Behind Successful Sales

Before you click a single button in your Shopify admin, it is essential to understand why sales work. Humans are wired to respond to scarcity, urgency, and perceived value. When a customer sees a price drop, their brain registers a "win." This dopamine hit is what drives the initial click, but the strategy behind the sale is what ensures that the "win" translates into a profitable transaction for you, the merchant.

Sales create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out). Whether it is a flash sale with a countdown timer or a limited-time BOGO (Buy One, Get One) offer, you are forcing the customer to make a decision. Without a sale, a customer might think, "I'll buy this next month." With a sale, that thought changes to, "If I don't buy this now, I'm losing money."

Furthermore, sales are a primary vehicle for see how merchants are earning six figures by diversifying their offerings. When you discount a physical product, you can often use it as a lead magnet to introduce customers to your brand’s deeper ecosystem, such as a community or a digital course.

Preparing Your Store for a Major Promotion

Preparation is the difference between a record-breaking revenue day and a technical disaster. You cannot simply drop your prices and hope for the best; you must ensure your infrastructure can handle the weight of the promotion.

1. Inventory Auditing

Before launching, you must know exactly what you have in stock. There is nothing more damaging to brand trust than a customer purchasing a "sale" item only to receive an "out of stock" email three days later.

• Identify Slow-Movers: Use your sale to clear out items that have been sitting in the warehouse for over 90 days.
• Buffer Best-Sellers: Ensure you have ample stock of your core products, as these will likely see a halo effect from the sale traffic.
• Digital Alternatives: Consider how digital products can supplement your inventory. For a merchant selling coffee beans, creating a "Barista Basics" video course is a high-margin upsell that requires no shipping boxes and never runs out of stock. This is how one brand sold $112K+ by bundling courses with their existing product lines.

2. Setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

A sale without a goal is just a price cut. You must define what success looks like. Are you trying to:

• Increase the Average Order Value (AOV)?
• Acquire new customers at a lower cost?
• Clear out seasonal inventory?
• Boost your email subscriber list?

By setting these objectives early, you can choose a discount structure that serves the goal. For example, if you want to increase AOV, a "Spend $100, Save $20" tier is more effective than a flat 10% discount.

Choosing Your Sale Type: Which Strategy Fits?

There are several ways to structure a discount on Shopify. Each has its own technical requirements and psychological impact.

Percentage vs. Fixed Amount Discounts

A percentage discount (e.g., 20% off) is generally more effective for lower-priced items because "20% off" sounds more significant than "$2 off." Conversely, for high-ticket items, a fixed amount (e.g., "$100 off") often performs better because the raw dollar value feels more substantial to the consumer.

Buy One, Get One (BOGO)

BOGO deals are inventory movers. They encourage customers to buy in bulk, which can help you clear warehouse space quickly. In Shopify, you can set these up as "Buy X, Get Y" discounts, where you can even offer the second item at a partial discount (e.g., Buy one, get one 50% off).

Flash Sales

A flash sale is a high-intensity, short-duration event. These are usually promoted via SMS or email to your most loyal customers. They are excellent for generating quick cash flow but should be used sparingly to avoid devaluing your brand. To support this at scale, we offer a simple, all-in-one price for unlimited courses so you can add digital bonuses to your flash sales without worrying about rising overhead costs.

Technical Implementation: How to Set the Sale in Shopify

Once you have your strategy, it is time to execute. Shopify offers several native ways to display sale prices.

Using the Compare-At Price

The most visual way to show a sale is the "compare-at" price. This displays the original price with a strikethrough next to the new, lower price.

1. Navigate to your Shopify Admin > Products.
2. Select a product or variant.
3. In the Pricing section, set the Compare-at price to the original value.
4. Set the Price to the new sale value.

This visual cue is essential for value perception. It tells the customer exactly how much they are "winning" by shopping now.

Automatic Discounts vs. Discount Codes

• Automatic Discounts: These are applied at checkout once the criteria are met (e.g., a specific collection is added to the cart). These provide a "frictionless" experience, which usually leads to higher conversion rates.
• Discount Codes: These require the customer to enter a word (like "SAVE20") at checkout. While they add a step, they are excellent for tracking the performance of specific marketing channels, such as an influencer campaign or a specific email blast.

For merchants looking for long-term growth, generating over €243,000 by upselling existing customers often involves using these codes to reward loyalty or encourage a second purchase after a sale ends.

Leveraging Digital Products to Protect Margins

One of the biggest risks of running a sale on physical goods is the erosion of profit margins. Shipping, packaging, and manufacturing costs remain constant even when you drop your price. This is where the Tevello advantage comes in.

At Tevello, our mission is to "turn any Shopify store into a digital learning powerhouse." By adding digital products—like PDF guides, video masterclasses, or membership communities—to your store, you can offer massive value during a sale without increasing your COGS (Cost of Goods Sold).

The "Hybrid Sale" Strategy

Imagine a merchant who sells yoga mats. During a seasonal sale, they might offer 15% off the mats. However, to truly stand out, they could bundle every mat purchase with a "30-Day Yoga Challenge" hosted through our platform.

• The Result: The customer feels they are getting a much larger "deal" because the perceived value of the course is high.
• The Margin: The merchant only loses the 15% on the physical mat; the digital course costs $0 to deliver to each additional customer.

This is among the best examples of successful content monetization on Shopify, as it allows you to maintain high margins while still offering the "deep discounts" that shoppers crave. If unifying your stack is a priority, start by avoiding per-user fees as the community scales.

Managing Sales in Bulk

If you have a large catalog, editing each product individually is not feasible. Shopify allows for bulk editing through the "Bulk Editor" or via CSV uploads. However, for a truly professional sale, you should look into scheduling.

Scheduling Your Sale

Native Shopify allows you to schedule discount codes, but scheduling "compare-at" price changes for an entire collection often requires a third-party app. When selecting tools, look for those that allow you to "undo" changes automatically when the sale ends. This ensures you don't wake up at midnight on Monday morning to manually change 500 prices back to their original MSRP.

Driving Traffic to Your Sale

A sale is only successful if people know about it. You should approach your traffic strategy with a multi-layered plan.

1. Free Traffic Sources

Start with your existing assets. Your email list is your most valuable resource during a sale. Segment your list to send different messages to "VIP" customers (who might get early access) versus "Lost" customers (who need a bigger discount to return). Don't forget your personal networks and social media bios. A simple link update in your Instagram bio can drive significant traffic if you've spent time building a community.

2. Paid Advertising

Paid ads on Meta (Facebook/Instagram) or Google Shopping can put your sale in front of a massive audience. When running ads for a sale, focus on the "Offer" in the creative. Use bold text and high-contrast visuals to highlight the percentage off or the BOGO deal.

3. Partnerships and Influencers

Influencers can give your sale a "trust boost." Instead of just a generic ad, having a trusted voice in your niche explain why they love your products—and that there is currently a rare sale—can lead to high-intent traffic. This is a key part of generating revenue from both physical and digital goods sustainably.

The Tevello Difference: Building for the Long Term

While many apps charge a "success fee" or take a percentage of your hard-earned revenue, we believe you should keep 100% of what you earn. Our model is built on transparency and simplicity. We offer The Unlimited Plan at $29.99 per month with 0% transaction fees.

Our "Native Shopify Integration" means that your customers never leave your URL. They stay on your brand's site, use the Shopify checkout they already trust, and access their digital purchases immediately. This reduces "login friction" and keeps your brand front and center.

Why Native Integration Matters During a Sale

When you are driving thousands of visitors to your store during a promotion, any technical hiccup can cost you thousands in lost revenue. By seeing how the app natively integrates with Shopify, you ensure that your digital products are handled by the same robust infrastructure that manages your physical sales.

Post-Sale Retention: Turning Buyers into Fans

The biggest mistake merchants make is stopping their marketing the moment the sale ends. The "Post-Sale" period is actually when the most important work begins.

1. The Thank-You Sequence

Send an automated email sequence to everyone who bought during the sale. Don't just send a receipt; send value. If they bought a physical product, send a "How to Care for Your Item" guide. This is the perfect time to introduce them to your community or a digital course that complements their purchase.

2. Loyalty Programs

Encourage sale shoppers to join a loyalty program. By offering points for their purchase, you give them a reason to come back when prices return to normal. This strategy is essential for retention strategies that drive repeat digital purchases.

3. Gathering Social Proof

Seven to ten days after the sale, reach out for reviews. User-generated content (UGC) from your sale buyers will become the marketing material for your next promotion. High-quality reviews act as "social proof," making it easier for future customers to trust your brand.

Setting Realistic Expectations

While a sale can lead to a significant revenue spike, it is important to be realistic. You likely won't make six figures in your first week if you are just starting out. However, a sale is a tool to amplify your existing efforts. It helps you diversify your revenue streams, increase your stable recurring revenue through memberships, and ultimately build a brand that owns its customer data.

We provide a robust toolset, including:

• Unlimited courses and students.
• Unlimited video hosting and bandwidth.
• Community features (profiles, directories, feeds).
• Drip content and quizzes to keep students engaged.

By using predictable pricing without hidden transaction fees, you can calculate exactly what your margins will be, allowing you to scale your promotions with confidence.

Managing Your Sale Workflow

To help you stay organized, here is a checklist for your next Shopify sale:

• T-Minus 14 Days: Audit inventory and select products for the sale.
• T-Minus 10 Days: Create your marketing assets (emails, social posts, ad creative).
• T-Minus 7 Days: Set up your "compare-at" prices or discount codes in the Shopify admin.
• T-Minus 3 Days: Tease the sale to your email list and social media followers.
• Launch Day: Monitor site speed and customer support inquiries.
• Post-Sale Day 1: Revert prices and start the "Thank-You" email sequence.
• Post-Sale Day 7: Analyze KPIs and identify what worked and what didn't.

By following this structured approach, you ensure that "how to have a sale on Shopify" becomes a repeatable, profitable process rather than a stressful guessing game. You can always install Tevello from the Shopify App Store today to begin building out the digital side of your sale before you even go live.

Advanced Tips for Higher Conversion

If you want to take your sale to the next level, consider these "expert-tier" tactics:

1. The Countdown Timer

Adding a countdown timer to your header or product pages creates a visual representation of urgency. This is particularly effective for flash sales. There are many Shopify apps that can add this feature to your theme without slowing down your site.

2. Exit-Intent Popups

When a customer is about to leave your site during a sale, show them one last offer. Maybe it’s an extra 5% off or a free digital download if they complete their purchase in the next ten minutes.

3. Tiered Discounts

Instead of a flat discount, use tiers. For example:

• Save 10% on orders over $50.
• Save 20% on orders over $100.
• Save 30% on orders over $200. This structure naturally pushes your AOV higher as customers add "just one more item" to reach the next discount tier.

4. VIP Early Access

Reward your best customers by giving them access to the sale 24 hours before the general public. This makes them feel valued and ensures your best-selling items go to your most loyal fans first. It also creates a "buzz" on social media as people post about their early "wins."

Summary of the Shopify Sale Strategy

Running a sale is a powerful lever for any eCommerce business. By understanding the technical tools available within Shopify and combining them with the high-margin potential of digital products, you can create a promotion that builds long-term brand equity.

Remember that the goal isn't just a single transaction; it's the start of a relationship. By keeping customers on your own URL, owning your data, and providing an all-in-one ecosystem where physical products and community engagement live side-by-side, you set your store up for success that lasts far beyond a weekend discount.

FAQ

Can I run a sale on digital products and physical products at the same time? Yes! This is actually one of the most effective strategies. You can use Shopify’s "Buy X, Get Y" feature to bundle a physical product with a digital course. This allows you to offer a high-value sale without significantly impacting your shipping and manufacturing margins.

How do I make sure my Shopify store doesn't crash during a high-traffic sale? Shopify is designed to handle massive amounts of traffic, but you should still optimize your site. Minimize the use of heavy scripts and large uncompressed images. If you are using our app for digital products, our native integration ensures that your course delivery is as stable as the Shopify checkout itself.

Is it better to use a discount code or an automatic discount? It depends on your goal. Automatic discounts are better for conversion because they reduce friction. Discount codes are better for marketing attribution and making the customer feel like they are part of an "exclusive" group (e.g., a "MEMBER25" code for your community).

How often should I have a sale on my store? Frequency matters. If you have a sale every week, your customers will never buy at full price because they know a discount is coming. Most successful stores stick to major retail holidays (Black Friday, New Year's, etc.) and perhaps 2-3 "brand-specific" sales per year, such as an anniversary sale.

Conclusion

Mastering how to have a sale on Shopify is a journey of balancing technical execution with strategic marketing. By preparing your inventory, choosing the right discount types, and integrating digital products to protect your margins, you can turn a simple promotion into a major growth engine for your business. At Tevello, we are committed to helping you build that "learning powerhouse" by providing a stable, flat-rate platform that scales as you do. You can start building your entire curriculum during our 14-day free trial, and with our 0% transaction fee policy, you keep every penny of your hard-earned sale revenue.

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