Offer Discounts to Customers How Creators Can Optimize Sales to Increase Sales

Aug 4, 2022

 The last update was on August 4, 2022

Selling your digital products and services online requires just the same amount of planning and preparation as making them. There is a need for compelling marketing as well as a loyal audience and a dependable selling platform. But what happens when all that still doesn't translate to better sales numbers?

The best place to start is offering discounts to customers.

Everybody loves sales, with a recent survey showing that 88% of American customers used coupons for discounts for 2020.

So what does it take to successfully promote deals on subscriptions, downloads and memberships online? This is what digital creators have to think about before slashing prices.

Do not offer discount offers before taking into account the fundamentals

Selling online is a great option to earn money doing what you enjoy to do. It is important to remember why you're doing it to make cash. It is important to consider these factors when deciding if it is appropriate, what, and how to give discounts to customers.

 What's your profit margin?

It is possible to sell your own products online at a low cost upfront is one of the major advantages of being a digital artist. But, you'll still require the right business strategy to succeed.

Prior to offering discount coupons to your customers you must calculate:

  • The business costs (subscription charges of graphic design programs, tools for managing social media and maintenance, hosting for websites and selling platforms, etc. )
  • The quantity of money you should aim to achieve

Adding these two amounts will give you the number that you have to reach each month. This can help you decide how to price your products and how to apply discounts in line with.

 Who are your customers?

Everybody loves sales, regardless of age, gender or income. But keeping these things in mind can help you determine which discount offers are available and what you should make them available.

The creation of customer personas is a effective method to achieve this. Here are some categories to make you think about people potential customers who are interested in your products and how to offer them discounts.

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Location
  • Profession
  • Income
  • Family (marital status, children)

How do these data help in decision making regarding promotions?

Firstly, if you've established the minimum monthly amount you need to make and estimate your client's budget, this helps you decide on that discount 'sweet spot that is a value which entices customers but still manages to make you profits.

Secondly, solid user personas will aid in choosing which products you should include in sales bundles or buy one, receive one deals.

 How does your schedule and store look?

The process of getting your merchandise in front of customer eyes is a feat of technology that is a feat in and of the sense of. Once you've done it, that first impression counts your storefront must provide background information on yourself and your products, along with detailed product descriptions as well as a straightforward checkout procedure. This demonstrates legitimacy, fosters trust among customers, and creates a an impact.

If you're selling a wide range of items, you'll have choose which to discount in order to convince customers to buy more. That's where an accurate customer persona really can make a difference. It helps determine which items are the best to offer as a deal or gift, and which can be used at full price.

As a coach or instructor providing free consultations or trial sessions it is not a good idea to book yourself to gain more customers. You will need to review the current volume of clients and the availability prior to initiating such offers.

Which types of discount to offer

The most successful sellers are aware that there's more than just a sale to be won when offering discounts to clients. Making the most of promotions means providing the right one when it's needed.

Digital downloads (Ebooks, printables, presets, sewing patterns etc. )

 Reduction in percentage

It is the most popular type of sale and those who shop online love it the most. Recent research shows the fact that 74 percent of the digital coupon users prefer a percentage discount to other kinds of offers.

 What to watch out for

For cheaper products, customers tend to see a greater value in percent reductions than dollar discounts -- even when the savings are identical. As an example, a promotion featuring $20 T-shirts at 25% discount will attract greater attention than a sale that offers five dollars off the same 20 T-shirts.

 How to use it

  • Get new customers to join your list and expand your mailing list with a 10% discount on the first time you sign them up to your email newsletter.
  • Be a loyal customer by rewarding them by giving them a discount of 20% for their subsequent purchase.

 Fixed Discount

Another type of discount is one which gives a specific amount off the price of the product. Like percentage reductions the message is all-important.

 What should you look for

Make the most of discount coupons that are fixed in amount using them on more expensive items. Check out how much different $50 off of a digital print poster appears when in comparison to offering the exact item at 33% off. Think about applying it to higher-priced items which haven't performed well over time.

 How to use it

  • Provide a predetermined discount on purchases of an amount of. For example, 30 percent off any purchase greater than $100.
  • allow customers to purchase and redeem digital gift vouchers for $10, $20, $50, or more.

 Buy One Buy One, Buy One,

BOGO discounts are basically providing two goods at 50% off. This is why it kind of deal is that is favored in 64% of shoppers all over the world. This kind of offer is a great way to sell items to other customers and expose your customers to products they may normally not purchase.

 What should you keep an eye out for

Be smart about which products you bundle and consider the needs of your customers. Does the possibility of bundling the products from various categories higher than the chance of having an abandoned cart? Should you be playing your cards safe and offer related products, even if it means giving something that may have been bought separately?

 What is it and how to utilize it

  • BOGO offers to your email list. Offer customers a discount when they purchase a new product at full price.
  • Promote Buy One, Get One deals via social media. Make a multi-slide reel with every product that consumers can mix and match to get discounts.

 Bundle discounts

Offer multiple items for sale at a discount is a great method to increase sales and boost your AOV (average price per order). Research shows an average of 29% customers will buy a product they never planned on purchasing if it's heavily marked down. Brick-and-mortar stores use this type of discount to rapidly move out stagnant inventory in order to free up space for the latest products.

 What to look out for

Being a digital creator and having infinite storage space, you must be aware of your profit margins when you offer multiple items at a reduced price. Be aware that when offering bundle discount offers the timing of your offer is crucial An effective strategy is offering this promotion at the conclusion of the purchase. If someone decides to buy something, provide similar items for a discounted price at the time of checkout.

 How to use it

  • Add a pop-up window on your checkout page that displays an assortment of related items.
  • Include a bundle discount on pages for products with complementary products listed below, or in the sidebar.

 Limited time/supplies & seasonal deals

The internet is available all hours of the day, which reduces the need to buy when shopping on the internet. Using time-sensitive discount offers or special offers that are limited in supply encourages shoppers to act promptly. In addition, you could utilize seasonal and holiday sales to make the most of the increased shopping traffic or to highlight products that fit certain time of the year.

 What to watch out for

Plan your discount calendar ahead of the date. This helps you to plan releases of new products as well as your social media content. Additionally, you should be aware of timings for sales duration It is important to keep them small enough to create urgency, but large enough for adequate promotion and customer awareness.

 How to use it

  • Birthday discounts are offered to clients who have already purchased with your company.
  • Give digital Christmas coupons to those on your mailing lists.
  • Take part in Cyber Monday and enjoy significant savings.
  • Offer sales on seasonal items inside your newsletters. For example, if you have created vegan cookbooks give discounts to your top soup recipes at the beginning of the autumn season.

 Freebies

While technically not considered a discount, freebies can be an excellent opportunity for sellers to build awareness and drive traffic to their store. This kind of promotional strategy works well for online creators since there is no monetary loss.

 What to watch out for

Everyone likes free...but what's the goal of giving away freebies is to get your clients to eventually buy. So be wise: Offer examples that showcase your finest work , and keep your customers looking for more. As an example, if you're a fitness coach and you want to offer your customers a free daily meal program that offers just lunch choices and workout regimens that are targeted at a specific region.

 What are they and how to utilize them

  • Offer free downloadable PDF templates throughout your social media networks.
  • Combining less well-known products as freebies for customers who purchase items for full price.
  • Promote free items through your newsletters to customers along with a link to your store page to drive traffic.

Memberships, Subscriptions, Software, and Memberships

Think offering discounts to clients is only for downloads? As a coach, instructor, or software developer, you have a variety of choices to promote memberships to your classes, as well as subscriptions to your software.

 Free trial/Freemium plans

A free trial access to your courses' materials or software can be an effective way to draw and retain new followers.

 What to watch for

In the case of product-based marketing, knowing your market is essential: What exactly are those potential clients searching for? How do you present them with the best of your offerings or programs to get them to choose paid alternatives?

 What can you do with it?

  • Offer a free version of your program with no features.
  • Give a complete version of your program for a specified period of time.
  • Promote a test of fitness plans or courses.
  • Save money by choosing to pay annually vs. monthly.

 Free consultation

Consultations for free are an effective opportunity for coaches and service providers to gain confidence from clients. You can offer a short online meeting via Zoom or through a messaging platform. Clients describe their particular issue (weight loss, nutritional issues or parenting issues) and you can offer structured plans that are specific to their requirements.

 What should you look for

In the beginning, you'll need to determine what time frame you'll have to devote. Do you want to target a local or international audience? The time difference could be a scheduling factor. To address both issues you should make sure to advertise the availability of your product (i.e. first 10 respondents) and be clear as to what you're offering and the audience it's best suited to.

 What is it and how to utilize it

  • Include a "booking" button on your store's homepage connected to Calendly or another interactive calendaring tool.
  • Offers for free consultations to members of your list of subscribers who haven't previously purchased or booked at your company.

Free webinar/ Questions and Answers

The idea of hosting live events is the ideal way to get more people to know about your services. Even though you might not be able to dedicate as much time to each person, this method may be less intimidating than a 1-on-1 consult.

 What to look for

Pick a general topic that your audience is interested in and be prepared to answer questions! Try to give relevant information, but don't try to market your products, yet don't go too far into specifics to keep them coming back for more!

 How do you use it

  • Set up an event live on Facebook and share it with your account on social media, website, and email.

What marketing channels should you employ when offering discount to clients

Even the most well-planned discounts will fall flat if they aren't promoted successfully. Using proper marketing channels correctly will increase the chances that your offers will be noticed by your intended audience and convince people to act.

 Social media

If you've not yet set up a page on social media for your product, this is the time to create one. This is the primary tool for getting your goods or services discovered.

  • Making a Facebook company page can help you appear more professional and will allow millions of customers across the globe to discover you. Use your page to promote discounts, and connect with your audience. Join relevant forums to find out more about your industry and to increase the awareness of your services. Additionally, you can use the platform to create and advertise free live events as well as paid advertisements.
  • Instagram is the ultimate tool to capture your audience's interest, showcase your goods or services and also drive customers to your online storefront. In a recent survey, 33% of the respondents reported that they'd used coupon codes found on stores' Instagram pages to buy on the internet. Posts that highlight sale items and include discount codes inside the post's caption. Add your store's URL to your bio for an easy way to take visitors to your website in a matter of minutes.

 Email marketing

Marketing emails are notoriously loathed by shoppers. But don't ditch your newsletter just yet: A surprising 81% of online shoppers are actually happy to receive emails that contain discount announcements or sales. Increase the number of emails you send out by giving sign-up bonuses and freebies, then use it to offer your customers coupons and draw more traffic to your store.

 Your storefront or website

As a digital creator A dedicated area for your products and services is vital. Use social media and emails to drive more the number of visitors to your online storefront and give customers an in-depth view of you and your inventory. Utilize pop-ups, and other similar product windows to advertise packages, BOGO discounts and more.

No website? Problem solved! Connect your shop to your social media account and instantly make your product available to millions of online shoppers. Find out how easy to do this by clicking here.

The average online shopper who make use of discount codes are an average of 24% more than shoppers who don't. Being a digital creator is in your own best interest to find the most efficient and simple method for you to give discounts to customers.

helps thousands of online creators make money selling their creations and services without an upfront investment or website necessary. Find out more about how easy it is to start now.