Large e-commerce sites often plan regular sales (summer sales/end of month sales, etc.) to keep users coming back to their websites. Also, large shopping malls/websites such as Amazon and Rakuten are also doing big sales every month or every few months to increase their sales.

So what about the slightly smaller e-commerce sites? Some of them have regular sales, and many of them do it unexpectedly when their inventory increases or when they have more man-hours to do it.

If we organize the purpose/effect of the sale, we can think of various effects such as attracting new users or making repeat purchases by existing users, but in the end, the effects can be summarized in the following two points
– Increase in sales
– Inventory Management

Some of the most common sales are:
1) Seasonal sale (summer sale/winter sale, etc.)
2) Year-end and New Year’s sale
3) Christmas sale
4) New Life sale (early spring)
5) Various event sales (Obon, beach day/mountain day/golden week, etc.)

By implementing these standard sales in a planned manner, you can increase sales and adjust your inventory regularly, even on a small-scale e-commerce site.

Here is a summary of what you should prepare in advance for when you actually run a sale

– Review historical data: which products sold best at what time of year (in which month)
→ If your products are seasonal or have a purchase cycle, you can increase your sales by responding to the sale according to the season/cycle.

– Prepare sale banners and special sale pages
→ If users don’t notice the sale, it won’t lead to sales. Therefore, be prepared to start announcing the sale a week before it starts, if possible. If you can, consider using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social networking sites or web advertising.

– Organize your stock (inventory)
→ It’s a shame if your best-selling items are sold out during the sale. Keep a large amount of popular products in stock based on past sales and sales results.

If you are running a small e-commerce site, you may be too busy to prepare for the sale, but if you prepare a schedule in advance, you will be able to increase your company’s sales with a “planned sale” rather than a “spontaneous sale”. Why don’t you take this opportunity to plan a sale for the whole year?

SOPHOLA Inc.
Kenta