When you fail to plan a sales promotion, you neglect to set up how to run a promotion effectively. Generally speaking, there are three main steps to consider when planning a sales promotion:
1. Set objectives.
2. Determine the type of promotion.
3. Choose when to run the promotion.
In particular, most e-commerce sales promotion ideas are ineffective when they happen too frequently. It’s one thing to run regular promotions such as monthly clearance sales. However, it’s a completely different situation when you run too many daily promotions, such as multiple flash sales.
Over time, too many promotions may cause customers to question your sales. Customers also become reliant on your sales. This reliance is bad because it causes customers to avoid paying full price. After all, why would they pay full price if all they have to do is wait for the next promotion? Indeed, sales are highly useful, but understanding when to time them is crucial. A good rule of thumb is less is more.