Occasions such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas are always associated with sales and discounts in the world of shopping. In fact, thousands of people make their major purchases exclusively during these times, and not seeing any discounts might cause disappointment.
If you are a business that’s planning not to offer discounts this festive season, this blog post is for you. It will guide you on how to handle this situation effectively.
When you shouldn’t run a discount campaign
Before discussing anything else, let’s see the situations when you shouldn’t run a discount campaign.
Luxury brands
Luxury brands such as Gucci, Prada, and Rolex consistently avoid running promotional offers or discount campaigns. They ensure product scarcity and refrain from offering discounts to maintain their luxury image. This approach ensures that every transaction feels like an investment in luxury rather than just a purchase.
If your brand has a similar story, not running a discount campaign can reinforce its positioning as a ‘true luxe’ brand.
Low margin products
Another reason to avoid running discount campaigns is your product margin. For brands with tight margins, offering discounts could actually harm their business. Unless you’re a cash-rich startup, it’s generally better to run a modest and sustainable operation.
Brand story
Brands tend to have their own unique stories and identities, and not offering any discounts can be part of that identity.
Take Fathom Analytics as an example: they clearly explain why they never plan to offer discounts, yet people still love and use their product.
Value customers who bought at regular price
While discounts typically please most consumers, they can also upset those who recently purchased the same product from you at the original price.
Situations like this may lead your customers to believe they were overcharged, creating a negative perception of your brand and hurting brand loyalty.
What to do when you aren’t going for discounts
Now that we know when you shouldn’t offer a discount, let’s explore how to convey this message effectively.
Convey message with clarity
If you’ve decided not to run any sales or discounts, then the first thing you should do is make a public announcement to address all your customers who are probably waiting for a sale to go live.
You can either use your social media channels or send out a newsletter announcing that there will be no discounts along with a quick explanation.
Here’s an example of a post on X (formerly Twitter) by a solopreneur announcing the decision not to offer any discounts for Black Friday or Cyber Monday, along with the reasoning behind it.
Note: While most of the messaging was acceptable, some areas could benefit from refinement, as indicated in the annotated image below.
This approach will not only provide clarity to your customers but also motivate those waiting for a sale to make a purchase.
Continue your marketing campaigns
In addition to being open, as a brand, you should continue marketing even when there are no offers or discounts available. In fact, you should increase your marketing efforts as more people join the marketing rush.
You should also run dedicated email marketing campaigns throughout this period to ensure brand visibility and engagement. These campaigns can include personalised product recommendations, the brand story behind not running sales and updates about new products or services.
Moreover, you can use your other marketing channels, like social media, to reinforce your brand strategy with hashtags like “#noblackfriday”. In your posts, you can continue talking about the reasons behind not having discounts.
Here’s an example of how occasions can be creatively linked to products.
Charity instead of discounts
If you fall into a category where not doing discounts is a choice, this might be the right alternative. You can donate to charity for every sale you make during the holidays, adding a feel-good factor to purchases.
This is also a great way to ensure that your brand and your community help those less fortunate when the whole world celebrates.
For example, here’s a blog post by WEGLOT, a SaaS company that donates 50% of its profits during Black Friday and Cyber Monday to various charities.
Last year they were able to raise 52K euros, which showcases the extent to which people support such causes. This can be a strong alternative to just offering discounts.
A noteworthy fact: at EmailOctopus, we believe in giving back to the world we live in. Visit our dedicated page to learn more about how we contribute.
Conclusion
While sales and discounts are common during the festive seasons, it’s also important to recognise when they may not align with your brand’s objectives or identity.
Communicating clearly that you’re not offering discounts can help build trust with your customers. Innovative marketing and offering other options, like charity initiatives, can increase brand loyalty and show your dedication to your customers and society. Use these strategies to handle the holiday season while staying true to your brand values.
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