Running promotional campaigns shouldn’t mean losing money. While discounts and gifts can drive sales, if poorly managed, they can eat into your margins, cause confusion, or even harm your brand’s perception.
In other article, we already explained how to adapt your promotions to the commercial calendar to take advantage of key dates without improvising. Today, we go one step further: how to design campaigns that sell more without hurting your profitability.
The key isn’t how much you discount, but how and to whom you show it.
With Planet, you can design campaigns that boost conversions without compromising profitability. How?
- Using advanced conditions: show the promotion only to specific profiles, markets, or spending thresholds.
- Leveraging the cart as a strategic hub: add relevant upsells, progress bars, personalized banners, and more.
Promote smartly, not impulsively.
Start with Planet and turn every campaign into a real growth opportunity.
1. Start with goals, not discounts
One of the riskiest and most common mistakes is launching a promotion without a clear goal.
Before deciding on the type of promotion, ask yourself: What do I want to achieve?
- Clear out seasonal stock? → Utilize time-limited promotions or volume discounts for select products.
- Increase average order value? → Use progress bars, upsells, or gifts with purchase.
- Build loyalty among top customers? → Run campaigns visible only to returning users or VIP tags.
- Attract new buyers? → Design high-perceived value offers for the first purchase.
Each objective requires a different logic. And with Planet, you can build it easily: choose products, set conditions, segment by customer or market, and define the right incentive.
Don’t start with how much to discount. start with why.
2. Segment: not all customers should see the same thing
One-size-fits-all promotions may seem practical, but are rarely profitable. Not all your customers behave the same or need the same incentives.
Segmentation lets you offer just the right promotion to the right audience, maximizing conversion.
What can you do with smart segmentation?
- Offer volume discounts only to customers who already spend more.
- Activate BOGO only for fast-moving items or in targeted campaigns.
- Give free gifts only above a specific spending threshold.
- Show discounted bundles only for key categories or during certain events.
With Planet, you can easily segment using advanced conditions such as:
- Customer tags (VIP, wholesale, recurring buyers…)
- User type (new vs. returning)
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Market (to adapt message and logic)
Segmentation isn’t about excluding; it’s about personalizing with precision.
3. Promote without altering your base prices
One of the most common mistakes is directly altering the base product price. While it may seem like a quick fix, it creates several issues:
- Erodes long-term value perception.
- Breeds mistrust if customers see constant price changes.
- Complicates management, especially for large catalogs or multi-market setups.
The solution? Keep your base prices intact and apply promotions only when needed.
Promoting doesn’t mean discounting; it means communicating value at the right time.
With Planet, you do this flexibly and without compromising your pricing structure.
4. Deliver value without giving away your margin
Promoting doesn’t have to mean steep discounts. The most profitable campaigns often increase perceived value without eating into margins.
Effective tactics you can apply with Planet:
- Low-cost, high-perceived value gifts: A reusable bag, a sample, or a stylish accessory can be a strong purchase trigger.
- Bundles with moderate savings: Group related products and offer a combined discount, without altering base prices.
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Upsells before checkout: Suggest complementary products at the perfect moment. Improves UX and AOV, no free items required.
More value, better conversion, intact margins. That’s the formula.
5. Measure and adjust in real time
Promotions aren’t static: what works today might flop tomorrow. A strong campaign can quickly lose its punch if it’s not fine-tuned.
Ask yourself during the campaign:
- Which promotions are driving the most conversions?
- Which discounts are boosting AOV without hurting margins?
- Which customer profiles are responding best?
- Where are carts being abandoned despite promotions?
With Planet, you can act instantly:
- Activate or pause promotions based on performance.
- Adjust conditions like spend thresholds or customer tags.
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Edit messages or combine incentives.
A profitable campaign isn’t just a good idea; it adapts and improves.
Ready to design smarter, more profitable promotions?
With Planet, you can create personalized, Shopify-integrated campaigns and protect your margins, without giving up on growth.
Start today with Planet and turn every promotion into a strategic advantage.