In e-commerce, campaign planning usually starts and ends with the question "what percentage off should we give?" Yet with the same budget you can build very different campaigns that increase sales while protecting margin. A flat discount on every product is the easiest setup; it also means giving a discount to customers who would have bought anyway. In this article we explain the basic principles of campaigns that don't erode your margin, the campaign types you can use and what to look at once the campaign is over.
Do the math first: how does a discount affect margin?
Before starting a campaign, you need to know the contribution margin of each product. Contribution margin is what remains of the selling price after deducting the product cost and the costs that vary per order, such as payment fees, shipping and packaging.
Let's take a simple example (the figures are for illustration only): if a product sells for TRY 1,000 and TRY 250 remains after all variable costs, a 10% discount takes TRY 100 of that TRY 250. To earn the same profit, you now need to sell noticeably more units than before. A discount given without doing this math can mean working flat out through the campaign and earning less.
To see contribution margin per product, cost and expense data has to be pulled regularly from your ERP; for reports like these, see our ERP reporting page.
Targeted campaigns instead of flat discounts
The core idea behind protecting margin is to give the discount not to everyone, but to the customers and products whose behavior you want to change. Campaign types we use often:
- Cart value threshold. "Free shipping on orders over X" or "Y off orders over X." It raises the average order value and offsets the shipping cost of small orders.
- Bundle offer. Offering products used together at a bundle price. It increases total sales without lowering the price of a single product.
- Tiered discount. A discount on the second item, an extra benefit when buying three, and so on. Especially effective for consumables.
- Clearance. Discounts only on slow-moving or end-of-season products. It turns money sitting in the warehouse into cash.
- Free gift. Giving away a product with high perceived value and low cost often takes less margin than a discount of the same value.
- Segment-specific codes. A special code for customers who haven't bought in a long time is more efficient than discounting for customers who already buy regularly.
Write down the campaign rules
The most common problem during a campaign is rules stacking on top of each other: a coupon code, a cart discount and a product discount all apply together, and the product ends up sold at a loss. Before launching the campaign, answer these questions in writing:
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Which products are included, which are excluded? | Products that already have low margins are protected |
| Does it combine with other discounts? | Stacked discounts create sales at a loss |
| How many times can a coupon be used per person? | Guards against the code spreading on coupon-sharing sites |
| What are the start and end times? | So the price reverts automatically when the campaign ends |
| Which channels does it apply to? | So your own site and marketplace prices don't get mixed up |
| Is there a stock limit? | What happens when the campaign product sells out? |
If you also sell on marketplaces, which channel the campaign applies to is especially important; we covered channel pricing in our article on marketplace sync.
Watch the regulations on price and discount announcements
In Türkiye, how the previous price is shown in discounted-sale announcements is governed by price labeling and commercial advertising regulations based on Consumer Protection Law No. 6502. The amount shown as the "price before discount" must be a price that was actually applied. Because the details of these rules change from time to time, we recommend checking the current text of the relevant regulations before each campaign.
After the campaign: look at profit, not revenue
Measuring campaign success by revenue growth alone is misleading. Once the campaign is over, look for answers to these questions:
- Did total contribution margin during the campaign increase compared with a normal period?
- Did sales actually increase, or did sales from the weeks before and after simply shift into the campaign?
- Were new customers acquired, or did existing customers make the same purchases at a discount?
- Is the return rate on campaign orders higher than normal?
How we do it at Globya
On the IMFLEXI platform, cart thresholds, bundle offers, tiered discounts, customer-group pricing and single-use coupon rules are defined per channel; the campaign start and end are scheduled, and prices revert automatically when it ends. Campaign pages are built with the visual page editor, without writing code. We suggest working out the margin math together during planning and reading the results in terms of profit afterward. For the overall process, see our e-commerce service page.
Frequently asked questions
What does a store that is always on sale lose?
Customers learn to wait for the discount, and selling at full price gets harder. Tying campaigns to specific periods and targeted setups prevents this habit.
How should I set the free shipping threshold?
A threshold slightly above your current average order value is usually a good start. After setting it, you need to monitor the change in average order value and adjust.
What happens if coupon codes spread on social media?
Per-person usage limits, single-use codes and an overall usage cap reduce this risk considerably.
How do I know whether a campaign was profitable?
Compare the total contribution margin during the campaign with a normal period of similar length. For this, product costs and per-order costs need to be reportable.
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