Top Sales Promotion Trends 2021

Every marketer must have asked themselves this question during this pandemic - “Will it be insensitive for me to run a sales promotion campaign at this time?”. The answer is no, it won’t be insensitive because apparently the consumers have not entirely stopped spending. Also yes, it will be insensitive if the campaign is not done responsibly.

The most critical part about running a successful campaign this year is the tone of the campaign and accountability. Marketers should be asking the right questions while formulation of such a campaign. The questions should be: “Are we relevant?”, “Is my offer adding value to my audiences’ lives?”, “Is my communication sensitive enough?”, “Will the execution of our campaign be safe and not jeopardize lives?” The top responsible sales promotion trends in 2021 should be an addition to the above answers.

Let’s check out the top sales promotion trends 2021:

Buy One Get One (BOGO) is working wonders for brands. BOGO fits the best during pandemic as currently consumers have a “stock up” habit and BOGO is usually used to move inventory. This is a win-win trend for 2021. The campaign can become a star if the execution can make an emotional connection with the consumer by conveying that the offer is intended to help them out during the pandemic. For example, as per Covid - 19 initiative in India, Jio is offering it’s users a Buy one get one free offer on mobile recharges. (with a Rs 75 plan, will get an additional Rs 75 plan free)

Limited-time offers have become the next go to trend this year as it creates a sense of urgency amongst the customers which otherwise is missing during the pandemic owing to the lifestyle changes. Many people stuck at home are buying only essential stuff, and limited time offers would give them another reason to buy. Example: Amazon has lately increased the items on which they run limited time deals.

Staying Relevant: This year, staying relevant is the key to a successful sales promotion campaign. Customers are engaging more with deals on anything and everything that’s touching their quarantine, and work from home lives. Promotions on products that are relevant to the new normal lifestyle are in highest demand.

Free Gifts: Brands can offer free gifts to the consumers. Offering free gifts would trigger impulse buying among the audience. The gifts could be offered upon a minimum billing amount. The gifts could be in the form of free shipping to selected pincodes. These free gifts could also be utilized for sampling a high-end new product in the market and attracting new customers. This technique of sales promotion can also be used to increase sales.

Bundling less popular items with best sellers gives retailers a way to move excess stock. These lower-demand products can be included in bundles as free gift items, or bundled with similar products for the chance to receive a discount on the cart total. Given the nature of the current crisis, essential supplies are still selling well and bundling items would make it a success.

Giving out ‘At-Home’ reward coupons or gift vouchers is another unique way of sales promotion during this pandemic. Now that everybody is at home, brands should switch to rewards that can be redeemed at home, online. For example, they can give away reward coupons for online streaming channels, food delivery apps, online learning platforms, fitness apps, e-commerce websites and so on.

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