All promotions have one thing in common: they serve multiple purposes at the same time. For example, making a promotion on the price of a fixed menu entices new customers to buy and also allows you to dispose of specific goods in stock.

It is their versatility that makes them a strategic element within an effective sales plan. In this article we go into more detail on how to structure promotions from a marketing perspective and to retain customers of your e-commerce.

Let’s start with some data

From what emerged from the Netcomm Forum 2023, a 13% increase in online purchases by Italian consumers is expected by the end of the year, up to 54 billion euros.

This is a lower increase than in past years, but it is welcomed at the Forum as the normalization of the change set in motion in Italy by the Pandemic: Italian consumers finally seem to have accepted a digital purchasing system. At least 24.4 million habitual consumers have become (i.e. those who make at least one purchase a month) and their average age has risen.

Above all, it emerges how the boundary between “physical” and “digital” is becoming thinner. In fact, consumers often read up online before buying something or go to the physical store before buying online. This is why e-commerce has become much more than a strategic solution: it has become a real necessity.

In this new equilibrium, the market extends its borders and rules to digital. Therefore, your e-commerce goes beyond the concept of a simple “digital showcase” and gains the same dignity as a physical store.

E-commerce and physical store: same rules, same game

This means that you must also include your e-commerce in your short-term and long-term marketing plan. In addition to proposing your offer to a potential customer 24 hours a day, the e-commerce platform offers all the marketing possibilities related to the world of the web: Search Engine Advertising, sponsored posts on social networks, e-mail marketing and, if well optimized from an SEO perspective, it will give even greater visibility to your business.

There is also another way, however, to exploit the potential of your e-commerce. I’m talking about promotions. The logic behind them is the same that comes into play in a physical store, with one big advantage: depending on your strategy, “digital and physical promotions” can integrate to achieve greater results.

Here’s an example: if the goal is to launch the new e-commerce platform, you can offer a €10 discount code on the first online purchase to all customers who come to the store. How? By scanning a QR Code in the shop to which the discount code has already been associated, the customer will land directly on the app and register. At the first purchase, the discount will be applied automatically.

There are so many possible promotions. Here are some of the most frequent:

• discount only certain products. This is the typical promo of sales periods
• discount the cheapest product in the cart. It is the classic “empty warehouse” case: if you buy these products, you pay half the price for the cheapest
• offer a gift/discount if a certain spending limit is reached: this promotion is a must for e-commerce. Often, in fact, the shipping costs are free when the expense exceeds N€
• propose a combo of products at a single price (e.g. full menu for €10)
• set up a gamification logic: customers who reach a certain goal will have access to exclusive discounts and benefits

Furthermore, depending on the time of year, promotions can change: there are sales months, Black Friday, holidays that aim to promote specific products, seasonal changes in which many businesses tend to empty their warehouses…

Not just discounts!

As we anticipated at the beginning of the article, promotions operate on several fronts. One of them can be customer loyalty. In fact, the most desirable result for any commercial activity is not so much attracting new customers, but making sure that those customers come back several times and give way to the much desired “word of mouth”.

Two tools to kick off a loyalty campaign are:

• loyalty cards: for every N products of the same type purchased, one is free
• loyalty points: the purchase of each product adds points to the user’s profile. Once you have reached a certain number of points, you can request a product/discount/service
• the logic of gamification

Can an ecommerce platform handle all of these types of promotion?

The answer is yes and in some cases, such as with the Jaqui app, you can manage your promotions in complete autonomy and without having particular IT skills.

In addition to how it works, the graphic outlook of your digital promotions is also very important. The advice is to contact your graphic team or contact the platform supplier for custom implementations. You will be able to choose how to make the promotions appear in the app: banners, raised communications, drip boxes, pop-up blocks… each element must be placed in a strategic position and immediately catch the eye.

Now you have some ideas for setting up your online promotions. Start creating one now!