Triple Your Sales with a Monthly 10% Off Day

About

Jennifer Bosma, Harvest Market IGA
Fort Bragg, CA
Promotion

Department Size: 40,000 SQ FT

Annual Sales: $25m

Strategy

During the height of the recession, our shoppers were traveling more than 35 miles to the nearest town where they could shop at big discounters like Costco. To regain that business and do our part to help out during a tough time, once a month we started hosting 10 Percent Day, where everything in the store is 10 percent off. If someone wanted to buy a case of something, they would get an additional 10 percent off. 10 years later, we still draw in 1,000 additional shoppers to the store and consistently triple our sales on 10 Percent Day. 

On the face of it, a 10 percent off discount means you’re losing money during your promo, but when you add in the benefit of attracting new shoppers to the brand, encouraging shoppers to experiment with products they wouldn’t normally buy, and rewarding shopper loyalty in a way they won't see anywhere else, the long term effects far outweigh the initial loss. 

Obviously you can’t do this every day, but if you think about the discount like a marketing expense where shoppers tell their friends and family--and it becomes a local, newsworthy event--this promotion is actually more affordable than many we could do. 

Why it Works

For Our Shoppers

Value

Our shoppers can come fill their pantries or even stock up on shelf stable products.

Consistent

We have our 10 Percent Day on the same day every month so our shoppers can plan and depend on shopping the sale.

Convenience

Shoppers don't have to look at a sales sheet or watch for tags around the store. Everything is 10 percent off. And if a shopper wants to buy a case, we take their order and call them when it's in.

For Our Store

Increased Sales

The sales the day before and after might be a little light, but the big spike in sales on the day of more than compensates.

Increase Customer Count

Not only did we get our customers back, but we started drawing in new shoppers who were there to take advantage of our case sales. Our biggest seller is probably cases of wine.

Drive New Business

Our additional discount on cases has allowed us to reclaim sales we've been losing to big box stores for a while, like paper products.

Tactics

Select a day of the month to host your 10 Percent Day.

Take a look at the calendar and pick a day of the month that works based on when your shipments arrive, when most holidays fall, etc. For Fort Bragg, that day is the second Wednesday of the month.

Get your staff prepped and ready.

On average, we see an additional 1,000 customers come through our store, so we can staff up, ask our associates to park in the back lot, and provide them with free lunch to show our thanks and keep spirits up. Additionally, we allow them to have their own 10 percent off separate from the general public.

Setup your POS

We worked with Scanmaster to automatically take 10 percent off the sales from each department so when a customer comes through the checkout lane they will see the discount applied. It's easy for our cashiers and it's fun for shoppers.

Advertise your 10 Percent Day in ads, online, and in-store

The weekend before our 10 Percent Day, we dedicate the entire ad to promoting the event. We also send out email blasts and post on our social media accounts. On the actual day of, we use balloons throughout the store and place a banner outside to draw in passersby.

Pro Tips

• Keep your 10 percent off day the same month-to-month so customers can plan. 
• If a customer returns something, train your employees to look for the 10 percent discount so they don’t give too much cash back.
• Keep it simple by making everything 10 percent off—even if an item is already discounted.

Have a best practice of your own? We want to hear it!