Flash sales can be an incredible tool for generating quick revenue, increasing customer engagement, and clearing inventory.
However, they require strategic planning and execution to be truly effective.
Based on my recent flash sale experience, I’d like to guide you through the process of setting one up, step by step, and share what I’ve learned.
Whether you’re new to flash sales or looking to refine your approach, this article will provide a solid framework for success.
Let’s talk about it!
Why Run a Flash Sale?
Flash sales are designed to create urgency, pushing customers to act quickly to secure a deal.
They typically last a very short time—anywhere from a few hours to a few days—which can generate a high volume of sales in a brief period.
In my case, I chose to run a one-day sale after Labor Day to take advantage of the holiday weekend when many people are already in a buying mood.
Here’s a closer look at the steps I took to set up the sale and the results I achieved.
My First Step
I planned to launch the sale on Monday, September 2nd, which was Labor Day, but due to some scheduling errors, I didn’t get it live until Tuesday, September 3rd.
Despite this, the sale still performed well.
Timing is critical for flash sales, but as I learned over time, being a little flexible can still yield great results.
PRO TIP: Tie your sale to a specific occasion or event. In this case, using the Labor Day holiday as the backdrop, which helped me tap into a natural moment when people are looking for deals.
Deciding on the Offer
I had recently created a binder focusing on the planet as part of a bundle, but after getting feedback from the customers, I discovered that many wanted the option to purchase the binder individually.
So, for this sale, I offered the binder on its own for $17, while also including a few upsells to increase the total order value.
PRO TIP: Pay attention to your customers’ feedback. Offering a product they specifically asked for ensured we met a need in our audience, which boosted conversions.
Next, Set Your Goals
For this flash sale, my primary goal was to generate quick revenue and test how well a single product offer with a few upsells would perform.
I wanted to see how much my team and I could earn from minimal promotion, as we only sent one email to our list.
Despite this limited outreach, we made a respectable $500 during the sale.
Even small-scale flash sales can generate significant revenue. It’s important to set realistic goals but also be willing to experiment with different offers to see what resonates most with your audience.
Now For The Next Step…
Email Marketing Campaign:
Since this was a flash sale, we focused our promotion almost entirely on email marketing.
As mentioned earlier, we only sent one email to our list via ConvertKit, which resulted in 163 clicks on the sales page.
The email had a 5% click-through rate, which is somewhat low, but we were still able to convert a good portion of those visitors into paying customers.
Lesson: A single email can drive traffic, but sending a sequence of emails—including reminders—could significantly improve click-through and conversion rates. For future sales, we plan to send a pre-launch teaser email, followed by multiple sale reminders, to keep our audience engaged.
Tracking Engagement:
Through ConvertKit, we were able to track the key metrics of our sale. Out of 163 clicks, a third of those visitors made it to the checkout page, translating into a 40% conversion rate.
This is quite high, and it speaks to the quality of the offer and the checkout experience we provided.
Lesson: Tracking your metrics is essential. Conversion rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates help you understand what’s working and what’s not. We had 62 unsubscribes, which seems high but is not unusual for promotions. In the future, we’ll work to make the email copy more compelling to improve engagement without alienating part of our list.
Upsells and Order Bumps:
One of the most effective strategies during the sale was adding order bumps and upsells.
Along with the $17 binder, we offered additional products for $17 during the checkout process.
These upsells and order bumps accounted for almost half of the total sales, demonstrating how effective they can be in increasing revenue without much extra effort.
Lesson: Always include upsells or order bumps. Offering related products or upgrades during the checkout process can significantly increase the average order value and overall revenue.
My Final Step! Reviewing the Results
Sales and Revenue:
After the sale, we reviewed the data and saw that we generated just over $500 in total sales.
Given that we only sent one email and offered a single product with a few upsells, this was a solid outcome.
About half of the revenue came from upsells, which highlights how essential it is to maximize each transaction by offering additional value.
Lesson: Even a modest flash sale can generate decent revenue when you leverage upsells. For future sales, we plan to explore offering more upsells at different price points and experimenting with other product combinations to see what works best.
Conversion Metrics:
While our click-through rate was 5%, the conversion rate was impressive at 40%, meaning that nearly half of those who clicked through actually made a purchase.
This shows that our sales page and checkout process were optimized for conversions.
Lesson: Conversion rates are more important than traffic volume. It’s better to have fewer visitors who are highly motivated to buy than a large number of visitors who don’t convert.
Actionable Steps For The Next Sale
More Emails, Better Targeting:
One of the biggest takeaways from this sale was that more emails could have driven even higher engagement.
Next time, we plan to send a series of emails, including a:
- Pre-launch email to build anticipation
- Launch email with the sale details
- Reminder email as the sale is ending
This will create a sense of urgency and keep the sale top-of-mind for our subscribers.
Increase Click-Through Rate:
Although we had a decent conversion rate, the click-through rate on our email was lower than expected.
To improve this, we’ll focus on creating more engaging subject lines and stronger calls to action.
We might also segment our email list more carefully to target only the most interested subscribers.
Create Scarcity and Urgency:
We could have made the sale feel more urgent by limiting the time even further or by offering a limited quantity of products.
People are more likely to act quickly when they believe they’re going to miss out on a great deal.
Lesson: The combination of scarcity (limited availability) and urgency (a short timeframe) is powerful in a flash sale.
Test Different Offer Structures:
In future flash sales, we plan to test different product bundles and price points.
We may also experiment with higher-priced products and see how that affects our overall revenue.
Lesson: Experimenting with different offer structures is key to finding out what resonates with your audience. What works in one flash sale might not work in the next, so continual testing is essential.
Start Framing Your Next Sale Now!
Running a successful flash sale takes careful planning, strategic execution, and a willingness to adapt based on your results.
From my recent experience, we learned that even with a simple product and a single email, you can generate significant revenue.
Key strategies like leveraging upsells, creating a compelling sales page, and building urgency around the event are crucial for maximizing results.
If you’re considering running a flash sale, keep these points in mind:
- Tie your sale to an event or holiday to tap into natural buying patterns.
- Listen to customer feedback and tailor your offers to what they’re asking for.
- Leverage upsells and order bumps to increase your revenue per transaction.
- Send more than one email to create engagement and urgency.
- Track your metrics and use them to refine future sales.
With these strategies, you can create a flash sale that not only boosts revenue but also engages your customers and builds momentum for future promotions.
If you’re interested in learning more of how to run your business to a higher level, consider joining my email list for free and learn more insights.
Good luck with your next sale!