To begin with, a flash sale is when products are available in limited quantities, at discounted prices and for a limited time. A sense of urgency is created and this leads to higher sales volumes as well as extra market attention. The urgency to save on high-value items before time runs out incentivizes customers to make quick purchases and encourages them to shop at your store.
So, after you have tried out all the usual sales tactics, running a flash sale for eCommerce store could be just what your store needed. It drives higher than normal traffic to your store and hence it is essential that your pre-plan a number of things to take full advantage of the flash sale.
Here are a few tips for planning eCommerce Flash Sales
Choose wisely
The items you choose and the discounts you offer make a huge difference. It’s wise to select items that can provide you with a profit even if they weren’t sold at full price. Select some items that are seasonal and may not clear until the next season or some that are expensive yet in-trend or appealing to the customers.
Set the date wisely
Setting the date is just as important as choosing the items. With this, you can get your affairs in order by planning the inventory and having enough staff onboard at least during the time you run a flash sale.
Design landing pages wisely
Landing pages would allow your customers to share the link specific to the sale with their friends and family and would allow you to share information easily with your customers.
Build hype around your event wisely
Build hype around existing customers and tap new customers while you promote your flash sale. Leverage email marketing lists. Develop marketing content and social media content to create that extra exposure for your campaign.
Is your site equipped to handle the traffic?
Now that the wheels are in motion, make sure that your site can handle the influx of traffic that the flash sale will bring. Talk to your hosting provider for extra bandwidth. Further, make sure you have configured enough payment methods and support options for customers to call if they have any queries.
Finally, pre-planning will ensure that half the battle is won – don’t leave anything for the last minute!
