With the major e-commerce shopping season about to kick off, how can you strike the right balance between discount amounts and the duration of promotions to avoid hurting your bottom line? When it comes to combining coupons and discount promotions, which type of consumer is more likely to make a purchase? How should discount offerings be designed for different phases?
In this guide, we will incorporate Pinkoi’s newly launched feature that allows customers to claim coupons directly from shops, showing brands how to use the right discount strategy in the four key phases of the shopping season. This will enable significant performance growth without having to engage in price wars!
※ Be sure to check out the list of do’s and don’ts at the end of the article.
What new features have been added?
- New Coupon Section: Once your coupons’ visibility settings are set to “Public”, they will automatically appear on your shop’s homepage for customers to claim. After customers successfully claim coupons, they can view all of their claimed coupons under “My Coupons” → “Shop Coupons” and apply them in their shopping cart during checkout.
- Upgraded Shop Discount Card Layout: The new layout is cleaner and more streamlined, making it easier to view ongoing discounts and promotions.
📌 Make sure you have upgraded the app to its latest version in order to be able to see coupons and shop discounts on your shop homepage.
📌 Can’t see any coupons? Go to your coupons’ settings and make sure that visibility is set to “🌐 Public”.
For more information on how to use these functions, please see:
Should I use coupons or shop discounts?
| Coupons | Shop Discounts |
| ✔️ Limited availabilityEffectively control discount costs ✔️ Automatic expiry remindersIf members have unused coupons, they will receive email reminders from Pinkoi, encouraging them to come back and make a purchase.※ Reminders will be sent for coupons with a remaining validity period of more than 7 days and less than 30 days. ✔️ Convert potential buyers into orders and salesYou can target specific customer segments by sending private discount codes, creating your own membership ecosystem. | ✔️ Flexibly configure discount titles and typesSuitable for use with long-term or permanent promotions (e.g., year-round discounts). ✔️Discounts automatically applied at checkoutCustomers don’t need to claim coupons or enter codes; the discount is applied automatically as long as a threshold is met. |
4-Phase Discount Strategy
Phase 1: Preparation Period (New Customers)
The primary goal during the preparation period is to acquire more new customers. You can achieve this by creating coupons that will automatically be sent to members when they follow your shop.
⚙️ How do I set up coupons for new customers?
Shop Manager → “Promotions” → “Coupons” → “Create New Coupon” → Set the “Start Date” and “End Date” → “Total Number of Uses” = 1 → “Number of Uses Per Account” = “Only once” → For “Auto-Send”, select the “Following” checkbox.
💡Tips
- Why do we encourage brands to set up auto-send coupons for members who follow their shop? 💎 A must-learn for new shops 💎
Once a member follows your shop, they can receive updates on your new listings from emails or their “Wish List” on Pinkoi. This not only effectively encourages their first purchase but also makes them more willing to make repeat purchases. This is an essential means of acquiring quality new customers.
- Remember to set a validity period for the coupon. We recommended not exceeding 30 days.
For coupons with expiration dates, the system will automatically send expiration notifications to members who have claimed them, reminding them to return to Pinkoi to make a purchase.
Friendly reminder: Notifications will only be sent for coupons with a remaining validity period of more than 7 days and less than 30 days.
Phase 2: Warm-Up Period (Open to super early birds and VIP pre-orders; seize the initial wave of orders)
During the warm-up period, there are two marketing objectives: The first is to utilize super early bird discounts to promote popular products to customers who are still contemplating and undecided about their purchases, prompting them to add items they’re interested in to their shopping carts. The second is to “launch VIP pre-orders” to re-engage loyal customers from the brand’s website or social media platforms, aiming to secure the first 100+ orders.
From a promotional perspective, you can create an “early bird exclusive discount” visible on the shop’s homepage, allowing members who come across the discount to claim it first. Alternatively, you can create “confidential VIP discount codes” distributed through email newsletters.
On the product side, you can pre-release new items and bundles, enabling customers to have a sneak peek and to line up in advance, cultivating their desire to purchase and facilitating direct orders!
⚙️ How do I set up coupons?
Shop Manager → “Promotions” → “Coupons” → “Create new coupon” → For “Type”, select “Discount for multiple items” (Can specify multiple listings)
💡Tips
- How do I set up pre-order items?
Shop Manager → “Listings” → Edit listing icon → Under “How to Purchase”, select “Pre-order” → Provide an estimated shipping date
- How can I quickly share my listings on social media?
Please see: Using the Pinkoi app to share listings or your shop to your Instagram Story
Phase 3: Peak Sales Period (Drive conversions with limited time, limited quantity and daily exclusive coupons)
The objective of this phase is to “drive conversions”. Alongside continuing the promotional strategies used in the warm-up period, we strongly recommend leveraging the following promotional formats to boost sales and create a sense of activity in the shop.
- “Daily Exclusive Coupons x Specific Listings”: Unveiling different coupons daily not only creates anticipation but also effectively boosts daily traffic to the shop.
- “Limited Hourly Coupons x Premium Bundles”: Limited hourly coupons are available on the hour in limited quantities. Offer deeper discounts in limited quantities; ideal for pairing with high-value bundles ranging from NT$ 3,000 to NT$ 5,000.
⚙️ How do I set up a limited-time coupon?
Shop Manager → “Promotions” → “Create New Coupon” → For “Type”, select “Discount for multiple items” → Under “Conditions”, select the items eligible for the coupon → For “Discount Options” select either “Fixed amount” or “Percentage” → Set the “Start Date” and “End Date” to the same date.
If it’s a “limited hourly coupon”, you can initially set the “Visibility” of the coupon to “Private”. Later, set it to “Public” right before the promotion begins.
💡Tips
- You can include the phrase “Exclusive Pinkoi Discount” in listing titles to prompt conversions and reduce customer hesitation when comparing prices.
- As the validity period of the coupons is shorter at this stage, it’s essential to notify customers about your promotion through social media or email. You can also provide a daily activity calendar to remind customers to come back to the shop to claim coupons.
Phase 4: Last Push (Countdown bonuses and review coupons)
This stage primarily targets two groups: The first group might have made a few purchases of lower priced items, and their carts still hold some items they’re considering. The other group is made up of customers from pre-orders, hoping to make additional purchases. The focus at this point is to use “bonus coupons” to incentivize customers with items in their carts to complete their purchases, and to employ “review coupons” to bring back customers who participated in the initial pre-orders, rewarding them for reviews, and boosting positive feedback for the shop.
⚙️ How do I set up coupons to auto-send when people follow my shop?
Shop Manager → “Promotions” → “Coupons” → “Create New Coupon” → Set the “Start Date” and “End Date” → “Total Number of Uses” = 1 → “Number of Uses Per Account” = “Only once” → For “Auto-Send”, select the “Following” checkbox.
Clarify marketing objectives before determining discount amounts and thresholds
| Marketing Objective | Increase number of orders | Increase number of customers |
| Threshold | Low | High |
| Discount | Low | Medium – High |
| Recommended Coupon Type | Shipping Fee Discount | Price Threshold DiscountItem Threshold Discount |
| Example | Get NT$ 29 off shipping fees on a purchase of at least NT$ 399 | Get NT$ 150 off on a purchase of at least NT$ 2,000Get NT$ 200 off on a purchase of at least NT$ 3,000 |
Conclusion
By now, you should have a solid grasp of different coupon strategies. As a conclusion, we’ve compiled a list of do’s and don’ts for you to consider before wrapping up your planning.
Do’s
☑️ Based on the duration of the promotion, design discounts starting from small → large → large → small.
☑️ Make effective use of “limited time”, “limited quantity” and “bonus” coupon types.
☑️ Create coupons that are automatically sent when customers follow your shop or leave a review for you.
☑️ Assist customers in creating the most cost-effective product combinations; they will appreciate your help.
Don’ts
❌ Create plans that lack discount strategies for early, mid, and late stages of a promotion, and rely solely on one type of discount.
❌ Create plans that do not include any product combinations, leaving customers to browse aimlessly.
❌ Use coupons with thresholds that are too high (e.g., significantly about the average order value) that make them challenging for customers to use.
❌ Pair coupons with unpopular items, resulting in naturally poor sales.
Ready to plan your coupon promotion? Visit Pinkoi’s Promotions section now!
Go to Shop ManagerIf you enjoyed this article, feel free to leave a comment. If there are other topics you’d like to learn more about, please let us know!
If you’d like to open a shop on Pinkoi, please see: Open a Shop
