Successful eCommerce Campaign: Discount Is Not the Only Solution

When creating new campaigns or looking at ways to increase sales, a discount usually comes to mind. However, before you launch a campaign, keep in mind that coupons and discounts can destroy your store on Shoplazza and Shopify in two ways:

• Fewer Profits: Since you’re lowering prices, your profit margin could plummet, meaning you need to get more orders to break even. That could lead to unprofitable campaigns or something even worse.
• Unideal Clients: You run into one problem when you discount yourself too much: People won’t buy your products when they aren’t on sale. That doesn’t only mean you’ll get less profit, but it could bankrupt your business.

Fortunately, there are ways to counteract that! All you need to do is try out the five types of eCommerce campaigns below.

The 5 Best Types of eCommerce Campaigns

So now that you understand why discounting could hurt your campaign, let’s talk about five different types of campaigns you can start that won’t take away your profits.

#1 – Bundles

One of the best ways to not discount your products is by adding them to a bundle. While you might still give them away for a lower price, they don’t make your brand look cheaper. Plus, you can add a smaller “discount,” and it will still work for you. 

But when you make them, be sure of one thing. The products you’re going to bundle in need to be complimentary. If they aren’t, it won’t appeal to any potential customer.

#2 – BOGO Deals

Instead of discounting your products outright, why not create a different deal? BOGO deals (also known as “Buy One, Get One for Free”) are deals where your customer needs to pay for a specific number of items for the total price to get something for free. 

While this might feel similar to a discount, it doesn’t feel that way to the customer; they’re still paying the total price for a particular product to get another one for free.

However, BOGO deals aren’t good for every product. The best BOGO deals are those that you consume. Just think about it. Would you buy a sofa to get another one for free? Probably not, as you wouldn’t have room for another one!

#3 – Free Shipping on Conditions

Another way to incentivize you to buy your products at a total price is by giving them free shipping on their order value. This way, people will be motivated to buy more to get something for free.

However, when you do, make sure that the order value is just right, not too low that it becomes unprofitable, not too high that it won’t create an incentive to buy more.

#4 – Loyalty Programs

Another way of getting more sales is by adding a loyalty program for your customers. But what is it?

A loyalty program is usually a system that lets your loyal customers earn points to trade in for benefits like different coupons or gifts. For instance, give them points when their friends and families purchase from you through a unique affiliate link.

However, this isn’t the only way you can use loyalty programs!

One of the most famous examples of this is Amazon Prime! Instead of buying more products, Amazon Prime members need to pay for a monthly subscription. But with it, they get free shipping on all products!

#5 – Affiliate Network

And lastly, I’d like to talk about another great way of boosting your sales without a discount, and that is by creating an affiliate network.

That is a network where people can join and send links to your eCommerce store. And whenever a person buys through that link, the people get a small commission on each sale. While you might be losing out on some profits, you won’t have any marketing costs before sales.

However, when you create an affiliate network, be sure to give at least 20% commission to make it enticing for the seller.

Conclusion

And those were the five ways of creating a successful eCommerce campaign without a discount. But before you go, we wanted to tell you that discounting isn’t necessarily a bad thing! Instead, overusing this is.

So use discounts from time to time, but don’t make them your primary strategy for increasing sales.

(Contributed by Andreas Ojala & Hermes Fang)