Referring to sales promotion examples from successful ecommerce stores is one of the best ways to inspire your marketing strategy.
A good sales promotion can immediately impact your revenue and customer behavior by attracting new customers, encouraging signups, increasing basket values, driving website traffic, and building interest in new products.
The most effective sales promotions combine three elements: an irresistible offer that provides clear value, strategic distribution across multiple channels to maximize reach, and a purchase funnel that minimizes friction.
Tools like Omnisend can help automate your email, SMS, and push notification campaigns, ensuring your promotions reach customers wherever they are.
This article covers 16 examples of sales promotion to freshen up your marketing campaigns.
Let’s get started.
Enhance your sales promotions with Omnisend’s powerful email and SMS marketing tools
A sales promotion is a strategic marketing activity that increases sales by incentivizing customers to purchase right away with limited-time offers, product bundles, coupons, free samples, and other enticing deals.
Effectively targeted sales promotions can help increase short-term revenue, clear excess inventory, increase website traffic, and reward loyal customers. Timing also influences how successful sales promotions are, with seasonal events, holidays, and new product launches among some of the best moments to launch campaigns.
The example below shows a sales promotion sent by National Geographic during Black Friday, offering savings of up to 70%:
There are plenty of sales and marketing promos you can use to increase sales, whether you’re selling physical or digital goods.
The examples below showcase how highly successful stores have included multiple offers, discounts, and other incentives in their promotional campaigns. Get inspired and try these strategies out for yourself!
1. Clearance sales promotion
Image via Really Good Emails
Clearance sales promotions are an excellent way to enhance sales and clear excess inventory.
The Soak & Sleep example above uses bright colors to grab the customer’s attention and presents the offer upfront: 50% OFF.
You can offer hefty discounts on products, enticing customers to make purchases they may not have considered otherwise and free up valuable storage space from your warehouse.
Clearance sales also create a sense of urgency, encouraging customers to act quickly before the best deals disappear.
Vape Superstore can also vouch for this strategy. It saw excellent results with Omnisend’s SMS marketing capabilities to promote its clearance sales, leveraging the immediacy and directness of text messages to drive customer engagement and revenue.
Vape Superstore uses SMS marketing campaigns for its clearance sales, product recommendations, product launches, and its rewards program.
Newsletter signup discounts can significantly boost your email signup rates by incentivizing customers with an offer.
In the example above, Android Homme uses a popup form on its website, offering 15% off the customer’s first order if they sign up for its mailing list. It’s super simple, and having only two fields helps to reduce friction and make it easy for the customer.
Creating a similar sales promotion could encourage first-time purchases and initiate ongoing communication with your customers. Use it to build your email list and acquire new customers on your website.
How to make this promo campaign
Omnisend provides various signup form options, including popups, that can be easily customized and integrated into your website.
These popups can be set to appear based on specific triggers, such as time on site or exit intent. They allow you to capture visitor information and offer promotional discounts or other incentives to drive signups.
For instance, the following popup was created with Omnisend:
Image via Omnisend
If you’re interested in creating popups for your ecommerce store, you can make them easily with Omnisend. Detailed tutorial below:
3. Flash sale
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Flash sales drive immediate action with attractive discounts for a brief period, typically lasting a few hours to a day.
The example above shows a flash sale promotion from clothing retailer P&Co, offering 20% off all t-shirts. It also reveals no minimum spend or code is needed, helping convince customers it’s easy to get the discount.
You can use flash sales to encourage impulse purchases and higher average order values as customers rush to take advantage of deals.
Event-based promotions encourage purchases for loved ones by tapping into emotional connections to holidays like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day.
The promotion example above for Mother’s Day offers 20% off and includes a Shop now button to take customers directly to the store. It’s one of the newsletter templates offered by Omnisend for events and special occasions.
Consider event sales promotions to attract shoppers with timely offers and create urgency with limited-time deals. They are also an opportunity to create helpful gift guides to inspire your customers.
End-of-season sales are fantastic promotions for clearing inventory and increasing revenue during transitional periods.
The example above from heyday, a lifestyle and gift boutique, uses bright pink colors to capture attention and presents two options: up to 60% off the end-of-season sale and up to 60% off the ski collection (clearly, it wants to shift it!).
You should consider end-of-season sales to reduce stock and increase revenue quickly. Pairing a sale with bundle offers can also double its effectiveness by incentivizing multiple purchases.
Buy one, get one free (BOGOF) sales promotions tap into the consumer’s desire for value, creating a perception of getting more for their money and encouraging them to make purchases they might have otherwise delayed.
The example above from Mixbook is excellent for a few reasons: it presents the offer upfront, has a clear “GET STARTED” call to action, and clarifies that it’s for “insiders only,” giving the promotion exclusivity and encouraging signups.
Using BOGOF offers is a tried-and-true trick to increase revenue. You can also use them to introduce new products to the market alongside established bestsellers.
7. Buy one, get a discount on the second one
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The ‘buy one, get a discount on the second one’ approach offers flexibility for retailers and value for customers. This strategy works well for lower-margin products and encourages multiple purchases without inventory complications.
The example above from earplug manufacturer Zound presents the offer “buy one, get one 25% off” immediately with a button to “SHOP NOW AND SAVE.”
You should consider this discount pricing strategy to drive sales for products with high profit margins while retaining profit on the second item.
8. Wheel of Fortune prize giveaway
Image via Omnisend
The Wheel of Fortune prize giveaway is an interactive promotional strategy that adds an element of excitement to the shopping experience.
The example above of Omnisend’s Wheel of Fortune is a digital wheel divided into sections with various prizes or discounts, such as 20% off.
How does it work? Your customer spins the wheel, and to qualify for the prize, they must provide their email address — perfect for encouraging signups.
Fancy making a Wheel of Fortune with Omnisend? Here’s how:
Login to Omnisend
Go to the Forms tab and select Create form, then choose the Wheel of Fortune option
Configure the design, timing, and triggering conditions for when the Wheel of Fortune popup will appear on your website
Customize the content, discount offer, and other settings to make the Wheel of Fortune popup engaging and effective at collecting new email subscribers
If you collect date of birth or birth month information, a happy birthday discount can create a sense of exclusivity and increase sales.
Additionally, birthday discounts allow cross-selling and upselling, as customers may be more inclined to try new products or upgrade to a premium service when they feel valued and incentivized.
The example above from Nike jumps on this personalization with a celebratory discount code for the customer, offering them 25% off for a limited time.
Referral discounts leverage the power of your existing customers to acquire new ones, helping increase customer acquisition while rewarding loyalty.
The example above from cereal brand Surreal makes the offer clear with the heading “We’re bribing you” and the explainer “we’ll give you money off your next order” with a clear “REFER NOW” button.
You should consider referral discounts to increase signups and sales and generate higher-quality customers through trusted personal recommendations.
11. Loyalty program promotions
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Loyalty program promotions offering reward points for freebies or discounts can strengthen customer retention and increase repeat business.
The McDonald’s example above promotes the company’s reward points for free food, notifying customers about points earnings to encourage spending.
You could follow McDonald’s lead and allow your customers to collect and redeem points in your store. Creating tiers or levels to encourage increased engagement can further incentivize purchases.
Limited-time free shipping promotions temporarily waive shipping costs for customers to encourage immediate purchases and reduce cart abandonment.
The example above from skin-safe incontinence brand Attn:Grace shows how a simple email can present a powerful free shipping offer. It uses CTAs like “GET IT WHILE IT LASTS” and “SHOP NOW” to encourage immediate action.
Of course, free shipping is already a popular sales promotion example, but making it a limited-time offer creates urgency and potential for higher order values.
13. Vouchers and coupons
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Vouchers and coupons provide your customers with specific discounts or deals, such as percentage off, BOGOF, or fixed-amount reductions.
Creating a similar sales promotion could help to encourage first-time purchases and initiate ongoing communication with your customers.
The example above from women’s fashion brand Simply Be offers £30 off the customer’s next order of £60 or more with buttons to various shopping categories. It uses the heading “Your exclusive voucher is here!” to make the offer feel personal.
You should consider coupons and vouchers to attract new customers to your store and encourage repeat purchases.
You can easily create unique discount coupon codes while crafting an email using Omnisend’s email builder. Here’s an example:
Image via Omnisend
14. Sitewide sales
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Sitewide sales, such as 25% off everything, create a sense of urgency and excitement and encourage larger purchases across multiple categories.
The example above from Projects Watches uses Black Friday to promote its sitewide sale with 60% off everything. It also offers a bonus gift card on purchases over $150 to incentivize a minimum order value.
This sales promotion example is particularly effective when your site experiences spikes in traffic, such as during the holidays.
Ensure you have a satisfactory profit margin on all products, especially bestsellers, to avoid financial losses during sitewide sales.
15. Product bundle offers
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Product bundles combine multiple items into a single package at a discounted price to increase average order value, encourage customers to try new products, and create a perception of value.
In the example above, sunscreen brand Vacation presents its bundle in an email with product information and a description covering why to consider it. A prominent “SHOP NOW” button makes it quick to start shopping.
Consider product bundles to simplify purchasing decisions, upsell, clear slow-moving inventory, and differentiate your offerings from competitors.
Offering gifts with purchases incentivizes larger transactions and boosts revenue by offering a bonus item at no extra cost, encouraging customers to spend more.
The example above from organic retailer Thrive Market is excellent because it uses an image to showcase its free offerings. The heading “Choose Your Free Gift” introduces a sense of customization, allowing customers to choose a freebie.
Consider offering gifts with purchases to encourage sales, enhance customer loyalty, create excellent marketing opportunities, and foster a positive shopping experience.
Sales promotion best practices
Congratulations on making it this far, but we’re not done yet! Even if you use some of the ideas above, your campaigns might fall short with poor design and marketing.
Follow these best practices for winning sales promotions:
Build trust with clear messaging about promotion terms, eligibility criteria, and expiration dates
Market your sales promotions through as many channels as possible, including email, SMS, and push notifications
Use list-building tools like popups, teasers, and exit intent forms to grow your subscriber lists
Run A/B testing on different email and popup campaigns to identify the most effective designs for specific customer segments
Build urgency into your offers with countdown timers and by highlighting low stock levels to encourage faster purchasing
Track your inventory during promotional periods to avoid stockouts
Double-check your promotional pricing strategies to avoid over-discounting that could erode profit margins
Don’t settle for basic promotions — enhance your ecommerce store with product bundles, coupons, and other promotional features to create better offers
How to share your sales promotions
Here are the five main ways to share your sales promotions:
Email marketing: This channel excels at personalization and targeted messaging, letting you segment your audience and create messages for customer behaviors or preferences. Automated emails had a 42.1% open rate in 2023.
SMS marketing: SMS leverages immediacy for high open rates and is perfect for flash sales. In 2023, automated SMS messages had a 9.5% click rate.
Website popups and banners: These capture attention at critical moments in the customer journey based on user behavior, such as exit intent or time on page. They are fantastic for building your subscriber lists.
Paid ads: These put your sales promotions in front of new audiences that match your ideal customer profile. Google Ads and Facebook are two popular platforms.
Wrap up
Replicating proven sales promotions lets you focus on what works rather than reinventing the wheel with each new campaign.
You’ll achieve excellent results by offering personalized discounts, bundles, and limited-time offers that match your audience’s behaviors and preferences.
However, there’s nothing wrong with creating a random discount and sending an email alert to measure the response. Testing is part of the process, and it’s always worth trying multiple channels such as email, SMS, and popups to see what works.
Design eye-catching sales promotion emails and popups with Omnisend’s easy-to-use templates
Karolina is a content project manager and team lead at Omnisend, where she blends creative strategy with a keen focus on competitive intelligence. Outside of work, Karolina finds balance through her love of gardening, exploring new hiking trails, biking, and raising a bunch of boys.
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