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Seasonal Sale Campaign

4 min read

Seasonal sales are extended promotions tied to holidays, seasons, or events. They typically run for days or weeks and require careful planning. This guide covers creating effective seasonal sale campaigns.

What is a Seasonal Sale? #

Characteristics #

  • Duration: Days to weeks
  • Timing: Aligned with seasons, holidays, or events
  • Scope: Often store-wide or category-wide
  • Planning: Typically planned well in advance

Common Seasonal Sales #

Season/Event Typical Timing Duration
Black Friday Late November 1-4 days
Cyber Monday Monday after Thanksgiving 1-3 days
Holiday Sale December 2-4 weeks
New Year Late Dec – Early Jan 1-2 weeks
Valentine’s Day Early February 1-2 weeks
Spring Sale March-April 1-2 weeks
Summer Sale June-July 2-4 weeks
Back to School August 2-3 weeks
Fall Clearance September-October 2-4 weeks

Example: Holiday Season Sale #

Scenario #

Event: Holiday/Christmas Sale
Duration: December 1-24 (24 days)
Discount: 20% off store-wide, 30% off selected categories
Products: All products, with exclusions for new arrivals

Planning Your Seasonal Sale #

4 Weeks Before #

  • Define sale scope and discount levels
  • Identify products to include/exclude
  • Check inventory levels
  • Plan marketing materials

2 Weeks Before #

  • Create campaigns in Smart Cycle Discounts
  • Test on staging if possible
  • Schedule marketing emails
  • Prepare social media content

1 Week Before #

  • Final review of campaign settings
  • Verify all products are correctly included
  • Test checkout process
  • Brief customer service team

Step-by-Step Setup #

Campaign 1: Store-Wide 20% Off #

Step 1: Basic Information #

  1. Go to SC Discounts → Add New Campaign
  2. Name: “Holiday Sale 2025 – Store Wide”
  3. Priority: 2 (Low-Medium) – Base discount, can be overridden

Step 2: Product Selection #

  1. Select “All Products”
  2. Add exclusion conditions:
    • Tag does not equal “new-arrival”
    • Tag does not equal “no-discount”
    • Category does not equal “Gift Cards”

Step 3: Discount #

  1. Select “Percentage Discount”
  2. Enter 20

Step 4: Schedule #

  1. Start: December 1, 2025, 12:00 AM
  2. End: December 24, 2025, 11:59 PM

Campaign 2: Category Bonus 30% Off #

Step 1: Basic Information #

  1. Name: “Holiday Sale 2025 – Winter Apparel”
  2. Priority: 4 (High) – Overrides the 20% store-wide

Step 2: Product Selection #

  1. Select “Products by Condition”
  2. Add condition:
    • Category equals “Winter Apparel”

Step 3: Discount #

  1. Select “Percentage Discount”
  2. Enter 30

Step 4: Schedule #

  1. Same dates as store-wide sale
  2. Start: December 1, 2025
  3. End: December 24, 2025

Configuration Summary #

Campaign Priority Discount Products
Store-Wide Base 2 20% All (with exclusions)
Winter Apparel Bonus 4 30% Winter Apparel category

How Priority Works Here #

  • Winter jacket in “Winter Apparel” → Gets 30% (higher priority wins)
  • Regular t-shirt → Gets 20% (base store-wide discount)
  • Gift card → Gets no discount (excluded)

Phased Seasonal Sales #

Concept #

Increase discounts as the season progresses:

Phase Dates Discount
Early Bird Dec 1-7 15%
Main Sale Dec 8-17 25%
Final Push Dec 18-24 40%

Setup #

Create three separate campaigns with the same products but different dates and discounts. Give each the same priority – they don’t overlap in time, so no conflict.

Seasonal Sale Best Practices #

Product Selection #

  • Include: Seasonal items, high-margin products, overstocked items
  • Exclude: New arrivals, low-margin items, items with MAP pricing
  • Consider: Creating a sale-specific category

Discount Strategy #

  • Base discount: 15-25% for store-wide
  • Category bonus: 5-15% extra for featured categories
  • Clearance tier: 40-60% for items you must move

Communication #

  • Announce sale dates in advance
  • Send regular reminders during sale
  • Create urgency as end date approaches
  • Highlight best deals and limited stock

Multi-Campaign Seasonal Strategy #

Layer Multiple Campaigns #

Base Layer (Priority 1):
- 10% off everything
- Longest duration

Category Layer (Priority 3):
- 25% off Electronics
- 30% off Clothing
- Same duration or subset

Flash Overlays (Priority 5):
- 50% off specific items for 24 hours
- Scattered throughout the sale

Benefits #

  • Keeps sale fresh throughout duration
  • Creates multiple urgency moments
  • Allows targeted marketing for different phases

Analytics During Seasonal Sales #

Daily Monitoring (Pro Feature) #

  • Check daily revenue vs. previous year
  • Monitor conversion rates
  • Track inventory levels
  • Watch for underperforming products

Mid-Sale Adjustments #

Based on performance, you might:

  • Increase discount on slow sellers
  • Add products to the sale
  • Create flash promotions within the sale
  • Extend successful category discounts

Post-Season Analysis #

Metrics to Review #

Metric Compare To
Total Revenue Last year same period
Units Sold Non-sale average
Margin Impact Discounts given vs. revenue gained
New Customers Customer acquisition during sale
AOV Normal period AOV

Document Learnings #

After each seasonal sale, note:

  • What discount levels worked best
  • Which products sold fastest
  • What timing issues occurred
  • Customer feedback received
  • Technical problems encountered

Template: Black Friday/Cyber Monday #

Campaign Structure #

Campaign 1: "Black Friday - Store Wide"
- Dates: Friday 12AM - Sunday 11:59PM
- Discount: 25% off all products
- Priority: 2

Campaign 2: "Black Friday - Electronics"
- Dates: Friday 12AM - Sunday 11:59PM
- Discount: 35% off Electronics category
- Priority: 3

Campaign 3: "Cyber Monday - Online Only"
- Dates: Monday 12AM - Monday 11:59PM
- Discount: 30% off everything
- Priority: 4 (overrides BF if it extends)

Campaign 4: "Doorbusters" (Flash deals)
- Dates: Friday 6AM - Friday 12PM
- Discount: 50% on select items
- Priority: 5
Updated on February 14, 2026

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