Flash sales could be described as a sales boom gone in a flash.
Big sales have taught us one lesson about brick-to-mortar shops: People can line up before going to bed and fight for the products they want during sales.
These sales campaigns are often called the deal of the week. These sales campaigns can offer discounts of up to 80% on certain products for a short time.
This article will explain everything you need about flash sales campaigns.
What are Flash Sales?
Flash sales increase consumers’ impulse to buy, boost short-term sales, and sell a lot of products in a few hours.
Be prepared to take on heavy loads and orders in a short period.
If your flash sale will sell ten times more items than your daily sales, special preparations should be made.
Think about this: What if there were no stock or shipping issues?
This could damage your brand reputation, and in the worst cases, you might lose customers.
What’s the difference between flash and regular sales?
- Shorter period
- Your company offers better deals than the ones you currently offer.
- A limited selection of products, sometimes with lower stocks
Flash sales work best when people spend more than they usually do. Flash sales are great for attracting shoppers online.
When is the best time for a flash sale?
There are no best times to hold a flash-sale campaign. This is how to increase your bottom line.
Before holidays
E-commerce companies flood customers with holiday sales during peak season. This leads to sales fatigue.
Customers are often bombarded by sales emails from brands. How can you get them to sign up for your flash sale campaign?
You could run holiday ads in e-commerce before the holiday season starts (as far back as October) and coordinate with flash sales. This will give you an edge over your competition, help you capture new clients, and increase your inventory.
After holidays
Online shops experience an increase in holiday orders and a rise in returns.
Don’t be discouraged. You don’t have to lose any money. Flash Sales can be run after the holidays in January to increase your gross margin, compensate for lost returns and increase your net profit.
Sometimes
Flash sales should not be done. Timing is everything.
E-commerce businesses have the option to run a flash sale every two months. Online shoppers often look for discounts on gifts.
How long can a flash sale last?
Flash sales can be more successful if they last for a shorter period. It is supported by data.
Research shows that
- 56% of Businesses receive flash sales emails at higher click-to-open rates than their annual rate.
- 50% Flash sales begin within an hour.
- Flash sales lasting for 3 hours generate a 14% transaction rate
Flash Sales: Are they a good idea for your business?
Flash deals can be lucrative for certain companies, but can also cause reputational damage for others. However, you will have higher chances of success in achieving top-line and bottom-line growth.
Consider the pros and cons of a flash sale to help you set realistic goals.
The pros & cons of a flash sales campaign
Flash sales can be a great way for ecommerce businesses to raise brand awareness and increase sales.
Customers will respond to your brand’s urgency and increase visibility. This converts visitors to buyers instantly. This helps increase brand awareness.
Increase revenue
Flash sales can increase customer loyalty. Flash sales are better than regular sales and can be seen as a reward for your customers. They will purchase your products at a reduced price if they like your products.
Flash sales allow you to sell items that are not in high demand at lower prices. Flash sales are a great way to get rid of excess inventory and sell them at lower prices.
Cons of a Flash Sale Campaign
Flash sales can bring you the above advantages While I hope it doesn’t, these are just a few examples of what could happen:
Shipping fail
Flash sale season is the busiest time for E-commerce shops. Many businesses have shipping issues due to too many orders.
A failure to ship can lead to a poor customer experience and a lower brand reputation.
Flash deal customers complain about waiting weeks for their orders
- 61% of online shoppers want their products delivered within 3 hours after placing an order. 80% of online shoppers want their products delivered on the same day.
- 17% of respondents also said they would abandon a brand due to shipping delays. ( Simpleship).
Free shipping is a great way to stand out among your competitors and increase customer satisfaction.
Website fail
Flash sales can cause website crashes for even large businesses.
- Load testing
- Extra server capacity
- Scalability to Meet Demand
- Load-test your apps, ecommerce platforms, or any third-party tool that relies upon API calls
Stock failure
Customers can feel disappointed if they don’t receive the product that they desire To prevent inventory failure
- Do your market research and plan your supply chain to meet it
- Add inventory quantities to product pages
- You can avoid overselling by having enough buffer stock
8 Flash Selling Best Practices to Double Your Sales
1. To Attract More Customers, Use Popups
Flash sales are a way to make sure everyone is aware of it.
Outbound and inbound marketing can increase sales revenues, brand visibility, and customer engagement. Convert existing customers into flash sale customers.
This is the simplest and most effective way to do it. Use promotional popups to announce your campaign and direct people to the sale page
Kobe Digital is a trusted tool that allows you to target visitors at the most convenient time for you. Keep your conversions going with a visually appealing Popup.
Countdowns can be used to motivate more people to buy. This is similar to the popup above. This tactic is proven to be successful.
2. Segment Potential Buyers
What audience can your online sales reach? There are many target markets.
Flash sales can be a different story. You should focus on two types of customers: loyal customers, and potential customers.
Flash sales can be a great way of attracting loyal customers
It should be unique. Flash sales are only available to your most loyal customers.
Segment, but not broadcast: Flash sales emails should only be sent to customers who have already purchased the product. It won’t surprise them to find that they can purchase the same product for 50% less.
Keep passive customers happy: Engaging customers who aren’t actively involved in flash sales emails can be a great way of gaining them back.
Target cart abandoners. Target cart abandoners. 69.80% of them abandon their carts and don’t make a purchase.
Flash sales are a way to reach potential customers
Flash product pages can now include inventory countdowns. The popularity of a product can influence customers’ purchasing decisions.
Use email to disengage customers and subscribers who haven’t made a purchase.
Consider running a limited-time Google Ads Campaign: Use keywords that are closely related to flash products to trigger flash sale ads.
3. Keep flash sales short and sweet
Flash sales last for a shorter time than regular sales. Is flash possible?
Studies show that flash sales are usually only for a day. Flash sales should last between 2 to 3 hours.
I can’t stress this enough: Flash sales must be made immediately.
FOMO is a powerful tool for quick buying decisions.
4. Select the Right Products to Successfully Sell
If you have thousands of products in your store that aren’t selling quickly, it is worth taking the time to identify the most valuable products for flash sales.
- Google Keyword Planner can be a powerful tool to find search volume.
- Use SEMrush keyword research tools to find the most popular products among your competitors.
- Look for negative reviews left by competitors’ customers and include them in the sales ad.
5. Promote your Flash Deals
Popups can be a great way for your offers to reach more people. These offers can be promoted via other channels as well.
Email newsletters Emails have an 18% average open rate.
These are some of the ways to increase email engagement
- Create a catchy subject line
- A strong call to action
- Write concise, convincing copy
SMS is another channel you can use to promote your campaign. You can also send customized messages via text message to reach your audience and convert them.
SMS messages can be read in under 3 minutes. These messages are a great way to promote time-sensitive campaigns.
How can you get your customers’ numbers? This is possible with SMS subscription popups.
6. Highlight Differences Between Regular Sales
Why should customers purchase now, and not during regular sales? What do they get out of it?
Highlighting flash sales’ benefits and differences is always more productive and practical. Market flash sales, regardless of how small or large.
These are key points that will help you succeed with flash sales
- Check your stock before you start a flash sale
- Expect a lot more deliveries and orders.
- Flash sales should be short
- To reap greater results, promote it effectively
- Popups are a great way to convert passive visitors to your site.
- Choose the best products or services.
