I've had a version of the same conversation with a few clients this month. "What are we doing for sale season this year?" It’s that time of the year when the clock strikes from this being conversation of interest to a code-red priority. As we all know, it's coming up fast, and becoming increasingly more competitive.
That's sort of the problem, though. Sale season used to have a bit of breathing room in it, and it was confined to a single day or weekend Now it's every brand chasing the same publications, the same inboxes, and a customer-base that's watching their spending more closely than they were a year ago, especially with a looming rate rise on the horizon. People aren't jumping at the first sale they see anymore. They're waiting for the one that actually feels worth it.
So the brands that do well this year probably won't be the ones who discount the hardest. They'll be the ones who worked out their story early, know exactly where their margin line sits, and made their existing customers feel like they mattered before anyone else did.
1. Get your PR agency on the phone now, not in the week before
If the first conversation about your amplification campaign for your sale happens in launch week, you're already behind. Media coverage, EDM sign-ups and a proper paid strategy all need lead time to build momentum, and none of it lands the way it should if it's rushed together at the last minute. Basically, today is the day for this to start.
Start the conversation with your PR agency now. Think about what the actual story is, not just "we're having a sale." Is there a reason behind it, a cause it's tied to, a new product it's launching alongside, an angle a journalist would actually want to run? The brands that dominate share of voice during sale season are the ones who gave their agency time to build a proper media and EDM strategy around it, not the ones who sent a press release the week before.
2. Get your media affiliate program sorted
This is the one brands leave too late, or skip altogether. A huge range of Tier 1 publications publish a Black Friday and Christmas gift guide, and those round-ups are some of the highest-converting content a publisher runs all year, which means they're highly selective about what makes the cut. If you're not set up with a platform like Skimlinks or a similar affiliate network, you're an easy one to leave out. If you are, you're a far easier "yes" for a journalist under deadline pressure trying to fill a round-up with products that actually convert.
Get this sorted well before the sale itself, not the week the round-ups are being written. Make sure your product feed, pricing and imagery are all in order, and flag it to your PR agency so they can pitch you into the right lists rather than hoping a journalist stumbles onto your site.
3. Know your discount ceiling before you talk to anyone
With a rate rise on the horizon, margins are under more pressure than usual, which makes this the year to be disciplined about discounting rather than reactive. Decide upfront exactly how much you're willing to give away, and hold that line even when the temptation to go deeper creeps in as the sale wears on.
This matters for your media strategy too. Journalists and media outlets remember what discount you led with last time, and a brand that's constantly upping the ante trains its audience to wait for the next markdown instead of engaging with anything else you have to say. A clear, agreed discount ceiling protects your margin and keeps you in control of your own narrative.
4. Tell your customers first, and grow your database while you're at it
When considering the above point, make sure there is room in your margins to offer an extra discount to your OG’s. Your existing customer base should always hear about your sale before the general public, and it's worth giving them a little extra on top of the public offer. It rewards loyalty, and loyal customers are more likely to buy without needing the deepest discount to be convinced.
It's also one of your best owned media channels, and a genuine opportunity to grow it. Use early access as the incentive: ask people to sign up for first look and an exclusive discount, and you're building a database you'll be able to talk to directly well beyond this sale season, without needing to buy or earn your way back into their inbox
None of this works if it's left until the last minute. The agency, the affiliate program, the discount ceiling, the customer database…they all need lead time to actually pay off, and that lead time is the one thing you can't buy back once sale season is underway. The brands that come out ahead this year won't be scrambling to catch up. They'll be the ones who started planning now, while everyone else is still deciding what to do.
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