How to Set a Sale on Shopify to Drive Business Growth

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Strategic Importance of Sales in E-Commerce
3. Preparing Your Shopify Store for a Sale
4. How to Set a Sale on Shopify: Step-by-Step Implementation
5. Leveraging Digital Products in Your Sales Strategy
6. Optimizing the Visual Appeal of Your Sale
7. Using Tevello to Enhance the Sale Experience
8. Technical Best Practices for Large-Scale Sales
9. Analyzing Sale Performance and Metrics
10. Realistic Expectations for Your Shopify Sale
11. Why Pricing Transparency Matters
12. Creating a "Digital-First" Sale Scenario
13. Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Setting a Sale
14. Diversifying Revenue with Memberships
15. Final Checklist for Your Shopify Sale
16. Conclusion
17. Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction

Did you know that the global e-learning market is projected to soar past $460 billion by 2026? This explosive growth highlights a massive shift in how consumers interact with brands: they aren't just looking for physical goods anymore; they are hungry for knowledge, community, and digital experiences. For a Shopify merchant, this presents a golden opportunity. When you learn how to set a sale on Shopify, you aren't just moving inventory—you are creating a strategic moment to capture attention, build loyalty, and introduce your audience to new value streams like digital products and memberships.

Running a sale is one of the most effective levers an e-commerce business owner can pull. Whether it is a seasonal clearance or a flash sale to launch a new digital curriculum, the mechanics of the sale influence your customer's journey from the moment they land on your home page to the final click in the checkout process. However, many merchants struggle with the technical execution or fail to look beyond the "one-time purchase" mindset. A truly successful sale does more than just spike your revenue for 24 hours; it increases the Lifetime Value (LTV) of your customers by integrating them into your brand’s broader ecosystem.

In this guide, we will explore the comprehensive steps to setting up sales on Shopify, covering everything from manual price adjustments to automated discount logic. We will also dive into how you can amplify these sales by leveraging Tevello to offer high-margin digital content alongside your physical stock. At Tevello, our mission is to turn any Shopify store into a digital learning powerhouse, ensuring you own your data and your customer experience every step of the way. By the end of this article, you will have a clear, actionable roadmap to executing sales that don't just clear shelves but actually build a more sustainable, recurring revenue model for your business.

The Strategic Importance of Sales in E-Commerce

Before we dive into the "how-to," it is essential to understand the "why." A sale on Shopify is not merely a price reduction; it is a communication tool. For many brands, a sale acts as a low-barrier entry point for new customers who might have been hesitant to pay full price. Once they experience the quality of your products and the seamlessness of your store, they are significantly more likely to return.

Furthermore, sales are vital for managing the health of your business. They help clear out slow-moving inventory to make room for new arrivals, boosting your cash flow and reducing storage costs. But perhaps most importantly in the modern creator economy, sales are a chance to experiment. You can use them to test pricing elasticity, see which product bundles resonate most with your audience, or reward your most loyal community members with exclusive access.

At Tevello, we believe merchants should own their customer data and brand experience. This is why we created a solution that keeps customers on your own URL throughout the entire sales and learning process. When you run a sale, you want that traffic to stay within your ecosystem, not be redirected to a third-party platform that takes a cut of your hard-earned revenue.

Preparing Your Shopify Store for a Sale

Preparation is the difference between a record-breaking weekend and a customer service nightmare. If you don't lay the groundwork, you risk stockouts, broken links, or confused customers.

Conducting Inventory Audits

Your first step is knowing what you have. If you are selling physical goods, check your stock levels for best-sellers and slow-movers. If you are selling digital products, such as an online course through Tevello, your "inventory" is infinite, which is a major advantage. You can offer a digital product as a bonus for a physical purchase without worrying about shipping logistics. To ensure your digital ecosystem is ready, make sure you have configured all the key features for courses and communities so that new students have a smooth onboarding experience immediately after purchase.

Defining Your Objectives

What is the primary goal of this sale?

• Customer Acquisition: Attracting new buyers with a "loss leader" or a deep discount.
• Inventory Liquidation: Clearing out seasonal stock.
• Increasing Average Order Value (AOV): Using "Buy X, Get Y" to encourage larger carts.
• Brand Loyalty: Offering "Early Access" sales to your existing community.

Choosing the Right Sale Structure

Not every sale should look the same. A 10% site-wide discount might be easy to set up, but a targeted "Buy One Get One" (BOGO) might be more effective at moving specific stock. Consider the psychology of your customer. Often, a fixed dollar amount (e.g., "$20 off") feels more tangible than a percentage for high-ticket items, while percentages (e.g., "50% off") tend to perform better for lower-priced impulse buys.

How to Set a Sale on Shopify: Step-by-Step Implementation

Shopify provides several native ways to discount products. Understanding which one to use depends on the user experience you want to create.

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

This is the most common way to show a sale price on individual products. It creates the "crossed-out" price effect on your product pages, which provides immediate visual proof of value.

1. Navigate to Products: From your Shopify admin, click on 'Products'.
2. Select a Product: Click the name of the product you want to put on sale.
3. Adjust Pricing: In the 'Pricing' section, set the 'Price' to your new, lower sale price.
4. Set the Compare at Price: Enter the original, higher price in the 'Compare at price' field.
5. Save: Click save. Your store will now show the original price with a strike-through next to the new sale price.

This method is excellent for long-term sales or clearance items. However, if you have hundreds of products, doing this manually is inefficient. In those cases, you can use Shopify’s bulk editor to update the 'Price' and 'Compare at price' fields for multiple items at once.

Method 2: Creating Discount Codes

Discount codes give you more control over who gets the deal and under what conditions. They are perfect for influencer marketing, email campaigns, or social media promotions.

1. Go to Discounts: In your Shopify admin, click 'Discounts'.
2. Create Discount: Click the 'Create discount' button.
3. Choose Type: Select 'Amount off products' or 'Amount off order'.
4. Configuration: Choose 'Discount code' and enter a name (e.g., SAVE20).
5. Set the Value: Choose between a percentage or a fixed amount.
6. Requirements: You can set a minimum purchase amount (e.g., "Spend $50 to get $10 off").
7. Usage Limits: Decide if the code can be used multiple times or just once per customer.

Method 3: Automatic Discounts

Automatic discounts are the gold standard for reducing friction. The customer doesn't have to remember a code; the discount is applied the moment the criteria are met in the cart.

1. Go to Discounts: Click 'Create discount'.
2. Select Automatic Discount: Choose the type (e.g., 'Automatic amount off products').
3. Set Criteria: For example, "Buy 3 items, get the cheapest one free."
4. Timeline: Set a start and end date for the sale to automate the process.

Using automatic discounts is a great way to improve conversion rates because it eliminates the "where do I put my code?" anxiety at checkout. Our Native Shopify Integration ensures that whether you use a code or an automatic discount, the checkout remains seamless, utilizing the payment gateways you already trust.

Leveraging Digital Products in Your Sales Strategy

One of the most powerful ways to increase your profit margins during a sale is by incorporating digital learning products. If you are only selling physical goods, every sale eats into your margins because of the cost of the goods and shipping. However, once a digital course is created, the cost of selling it to one person or one thousand people is virtually the same.

Consider a merchant who sells photography equipment. While they might set a sale on cameras with a slim 10% margin, they can bundle that camera with a "Photography Masterclass" hosted on Tevello. The course has a high perceived value but 0% incremental cost. This is how you can see how one brand sold $112K+ by bundling courses alongside their physical offerings.

By using Tevello, you can create an all-in-one ecosystem where physical products and digital content live side-by-side. This keeps the customer on your domain, which is vital for keeping customers at home on the brand website. When the customer buys the physical product and the course together, they get one login and one seamless experience.

Optimizing the Visual Appeal of Your Sale

Setting the price is only half the battle; you also have to make sure your customers know about it. A sale that nobody sees is a sale that doesn't happen.

Banners and Countdown Timers

The "Announcement Bar" at the top of your Shopify store is prime real estate. Use it to broadcast your sale. For high-stakes events like Black Friday, adding a countdown timer creates a sense of "Fear Of Missing Out" (FOMO) that can significantly boost conversion rates.

Sale Badges and Collections

Ensure that items on sale are clearly marked with a "Sale" badge. Additionally, create a dedicated "Sale" collection in your navigation menu. Many shoppers come to a site specifically looking for the best deals, and making them hunt for discounted items is a recipe for high bounce rates.

Pop-Ups with Purpose

While pop-ups can be intrusive if overused, a well-timed "Entry Pop-up" offering a discount code in exchange for an email address is a powerful lead generation tool. This allows you to market to the customer long after the sale is over, increasing their Lifetime Value.

Using Tevello to Enhance the Sale Experience

At Tevello, we recognize that a sale is a moment of high engagement. It’s the perfect time to move beyond transaction-based relationships and move toward community-based ones. Our platform includes community features like profiles, member directories, and social feeds. When a customer buys a product on sale, they aren't just getting a "thing"—they are getting access to a tribe.

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

By integrating your courses directly into your Shopify store, you eliminate the friction of third-party redirects. This is a common pain point for larger stores; many have found success in solving login issues by moving to a native platform. When the login is unified, customer support tickets drop, and customer satisfaction rises.

Technical Best Practices for Large-Scale Sales

If you are expecting a massive influx of traffic, you need to ensure your site's technical foundations are solid. While Shopify's hosting is incredibly robust, there are things you can do to optimize the performance.

Mobile Optimization

Over 70% of e-commerce traffic now comes from mobile devices. Before launching your sale, go through the entire checkout process on your phone. Are the "Add to Cart" buttons easy to click? Does the discount code box appear clearly? If your mobile experience is clunky, you are leaving money on the table.

Testing Your Order Flow

Place a test order using the exact discount codes you plan to use. Verify that the discounts apply correctly, that the shipping rates are calculated as expected, and that any post-purchase automation (like a Tevello course invitation) triggers immediately.

Reviewing App Compatibility

Sometimes, apps can conflict with one another, especially during high-traffic periods. If you are using multiple apps for upsells, rewards, and courses, it is worth seeing how the app natively integrates with Shopify to ensure everything works in harmony. Tevello is designed to be a "good neighbor" in the Shopify ecosystem, avoiding the heavy code that can slow down your site.

Analyzing Sale Performance and Metrics

Once the sale ends, the work isn't over. You need to analyze the data to understand what worked and what didn't. This data is the fuel for your next promotion.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Track

• Total Revenue vs. Net Profit: A high revenue sale is great, but not if your margins were too thin to cover your marketing costs.
• Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): How much did you spend on ads to get these sales?
• Average Order Value (AOV): Did your bundles or BOGO offers actually encourage people to spend more?
• Conversion Rate: The percentage of visitors who made a purchase.

Post-Sale Customer Retention

The most valuable thing you gain from a sale isn't the money—it's the customer data. Use your Shopify analytics to see which customers were first-time buyers. Tag them in your email marketing system so you can follow up with personalized recommendations. For those who purchased a digital course, check their progress. Are they engaging with the content? If not, a friendly nudge can turn a one-time buyer into a brand advocate.

Brands that focus on these long-term strategies for selling over 4,000 digital courses natively understand that the sale is just the beginning of the relationship.

Realistic Expectations for Your Shopify Sale

It is important to approach your sales with a realistic mindset. While we often hear stories of "six-figure launches," these are usually the result of months of audience building and pre-marketing. A sale on a brand-new store with zero traffic will likely yield modest results.

Instead of looking for a "get rich quick" miracle, view your Shopify sale as a way to:

1. Diversify your revenue streams by adding digital products.
2. Stabilize your cash flow with recurring revenue from memberships.
3. Build brand loyalty by providing more value than just a physical object.

By focusing on these sustainable goals, you set your business up for long-term health rather than a short-term spike followed by a crash.

Why Pricing Transparency Matters

In the world of Shopify apps, pricing can often be confusing, with hidden "success fees" or "per-user" charges that penalize you for growing. We believe in predictable pricing without hidden transaction fees. Our model is designed to support your growth, not tax it.

We offer The Unlimited Plan for $29.99 per month. That is it. No transaction fees, no success fees, and no hidden costs. Whether you have ten students or ten thousand, your price remains the same. This allows you to accurately comparing plan costs against total course revenue, giving you a fixed cost structure that makes financial planning much easier.

When you use Tevello, you get:

• Unlimited courses and students.
• Unlimited video hosting and bandwidth.
• Drip content scheduling and quizzes to keep students engaged.
• Full community features to foster brand loyalty.

Creating a "Digital-First" Sale Scenario

Let's look at a practical example. Imagine you run a store selling artisanal coffee beans. You decide to run a "Summer Refresh" sale.

• The Physical Side: You offer 20% off all light roast beans.
• The Digital Upsell: You create a "Home Barista Basics" video course.
• The Bundle: Anyone who spends over $50 on coffee beans gets the course for free.

By install Tevello from the Shopify App Store today, you can set this up in minutes. The customer buys the coffee, gets an immediate email with their course login, and starts watching your videos while they wait for their beans to arrive. You have just turned a simple commodity purchase into an educational experience. This not only makes the sale more attractive but also positions you as an authority in the coffee space.

This is the power of a "Native Shopify Integration." The customer never feels like they are leaving your brand. They stay on your domain, they use their existing Shopify account, and they see your logo every step of the way. This level of professional consistency is exactly how brands are migrating over 14,000 members and reducing support tickets.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Setting a Sale

Even experienced merchants can make mistakes. Here are a few to watch out for:

1. Over-discounting: If you run sales too frequently, you train your customers to never pay full price. Save deep discounts for major events.
2. Ignoring Mobile: If your "Apply Discount" button is hidden on mobile, you will lose sales.
3. Complicated Terms: "Buy 2, get 1 at 50% off if you also buy a hat" is too confusing. Keep your offers simple and easy to understand.
4. Neglecting Post-Purchase: If a customer buys a course and never gets their login, they will be frustrated. Ensure your automated emails are firing correctly.

To ensure your technical setup is robust, we recommend checking merchant feedback and app-store performance signals for any tools you add to your stack. Seeing how other merchants have navigated high-traffic sales can provide valuable insights.

Diversifying Revenue with Memberships

While one-off sales are great for quick cash, memberships are the key to long-term stability. A membership allows you to charge a recurring fee (monthly or annually) in exchange for ongoing access to content, products, or a community.

When you set up a membership site on Shopify using Tevello, you can create a a flat-rate plan that supports unlimited members. This means your software costs don't increase as your community grows. You can even run a "sale" on your membership—for example, "Join today and get your first month for $1." This is a classic "tripwire" offer that gets people into your ecosystem so you can provide them with incredible value over the long term.

Final Checklist for Your Shopify Sale

Before you hit the "Go Live" button, run through this final list:

• Prices and "Compare at Prices" are verified.
• Discount codes are tested and active.
• Announcement banners are visible on all devices.
• Tevello courses are published and linked to the correct products.
• Inventory levels are sufficient for physical goods.
• Post-purchase email flows are active.

By taking these steps, you ensure that your sale is more than just a momentary blip in revenue. It becomes a cornerstone of your growth strategy.

Conclusion

Mastering how to set a sale on Shopify is a fundamental skill for any e-commerce entrepreneur. It allows you to move inventory, acquire new customers, and reward your most loyal fans. But as the digital landscape evolves, the most successful merchants are those who look beyond the physical product. By integrating digital courses, communities, and memberships, you create a business that is not only more profitable but also more resilient.

At Tevello, we are proud to offer a solution that empowers you to keep your brand, your data, and your customers all under one roof. With our 0% transaction fee model and simple $29.99/month Unlimited Plan, we make it easy to scale your digital offerings without worrying about hidden costs. Whether you are selling your first course or managing thousands of students, we provide the tools you need to succeed.

To build your community without leaving Shopify, start by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from. You can start your 14-day free trial and build your first course now, allowing you to build your entire curriculum and test your sale strategy before paying a cent. Let’s turn your store into a digital powerhouse together.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set a sale on Shopify for specific customer groups only?

Yes, you can create "Customer Segment" discounts in Shopify. This allows you to target specific groups, such as "Repeat Customers" or "Subscribers," with exclusive discount codes that won't work for the general public. This is a highly effective way to build loyalty and make your best customers feel like VIPs.

How do I show the original price crossed out on my store?

To show the strike-through price, you must use the "Compare at price" field in your product settings. The "Price" field should contain the new sale price, while the "Compare at price" should contain the original, higher price. Shopify will then automatically display both, showing the customer exactly how much they are saving.

Does Tevello charge a percentage of my course sales during a sale?

No, Tevello charges 0% transaction fees. Whether you sell a course for $1 or $1,000, and whether you sell one or one thousand, we never take a cut of your earnings. You keep 100% of your revenue, making it much easier to manage your margins during deep-discount sales events.

Can I bundle a digital course with a physical product sale?

Absolutely. This is one of the most effective ways to use Tevello. You can set up your Shopify store so that when a customer purchases a specific physical item, they are automatically granted access to a corresponding digital course. This adds immense value to the purchase and differentiates your brand from competitors who only offer physical goods.