8 flash sale ideas with templates and examples

A successful flash sale can be incredibly profitable, but it requires careful planning.

You’ll need to:

• Consider which segments to send to
• Determine a cadence to follow
• Make design decisions that optimize your messaging

During my 7 years progressing from copywriter to client services director at ebusiness pros, I’ve organized flash sales months in advance, and many spontaneously—some launching in less than 3 hours.

When you give yourself sufficient time to plan a promotion, you benefit from having a strong offer with clear positioning. Presenting that to your list is easy when you know it’s a deal so good they can’t resist, with the added incentive of limited-time availability.

A smart flash sale gives the appearance of spontaneity, but you’ve done your prep beforehand.

1. Send to specific customer segments

Segmenting your audience so that only specific groups get the flash sale announcement is fundamental to its success. Even when you have an exciting offer, sending it to all your engaged people can be risky.

If a customer just bought something two days ago, for example, they may contact customer service asking for a retroactive discount in the form of a refund.

This will frustrate your subscribers and your customer service team. A good baseline is to exclude anyone who placed an order within the last 7 days.

On top of that baseline, here are 3 segments to send your flash sales to:

1. SMS subscribers

Because people tend to open their text messages right away, flash sales are one of your best opportunities to differentiate SMS from email.

Getting access to a flash sale via SMS is a strong incentive to sign up for text messages—and getting early access to a flash sale before anyone else sweetens the deal.

Let email subscribers know this is a perk of subscribing to texts—“Join the SMS list for early, exclusive access to our best promotions.”

You could also launch your SMS list with a flash sale.

Early access to great deals is a sufficient reason for people to opt in, and it comes with the expectation that those texts will be rare. This gives you a sustainable SMS strategy to start.

2. VIP customers

Several successful brands I work with reward loyal, engaged VIP customers with first dibs on flash sales, especially when inventory’s limited.

Sometimes, VIP customers don’t need an extra incentive to buy. That said, the exclusivity of earning early access to your sales is a meaningful perk, especially if you rarely offer discounts.

Flash sale tip: Test sending your flash sale announcements early to VIP segments vs. holding off, and see if early VIP sends drive higher revenue.

3. Engaged subscribers who haven’t bought yet

A well-priced flash sale may be enough to convert a subscriber into a buyer. I pay special attention to two groups of prospects with a flash sale:

• Abandoned carts that have gone cold: anyone who’s started check-out or added to cart within the last 90 days, with 0 orders
• New subscribers with “launch” failure: anyone who’s subscribed to your emails for more than 30 days, with 0 orders

2. Spark urgency with limited-time offers

Urgency is the foundation of flash sales. You want subscribers to be motivated to buy your products quickly.

Meat delivery subscription company ButcherBox sends this flash sale announcement with the time left to save marked clearly in the pre-header, a.k.a. the eyebrow.

Subject line: The free steak flash sale is on!

Preview text: 5 days only

Image source: ButcherBox

Countdown timers can be an advanced tactic, depending on your marketing platform. If you’re working with a lean team or a tight timeline, indicating time left in a preheader instead of a countdown timer is a savvy move.

Here are 4 tips for sending an urgency-driven email promoting your flash sale:

1. Optimize your subject line. Announce the flash sale with excitement in your subject line and preview text.
2. Be crystal clear about what subscribers have to gain. Communicate clearly and specifically exactly what your subscribers have to gain if they shop at your flash sale. ButcherBox highlights that readers could get “FREE ribeyes” and includes the exact dollar amount that they could save: $384.
3. Show and tell. Invest in high-quality imagery to accompany your copy.
4. Tell subscribers how much time is left. ButcherBox makes the most of the preview header that reads, “5 days only.”

3. Reiterate urgency with “reminder” + “last chance” emails

Of course, with any flash sale, you’ll send more than one email. A typical cadence for flash sales includes:

• An announcement
• A reminder
• A “last chance” email

Depending on how big your list is and how you’ve segmented, you might send more than one reminder email. Or, that second reminder may be an SMS message if time is of the essence.

Vintage apparel brand HOMAGE sends this “last chance” flash sale reminder.

Subject line: LAST CALL! 20% OFF!

Image source: HOMAGE

Here’s what we can learn from HOMAGE’s strategy:

1. Don’t be shy in the subject line. While all caps and multiple exclamation points often go against best practices, the brand uses them both here. It’s likely to get attention in the inbox, though it is a risky move. Use with caution.
2. Use bold contrasts in the email design. With an all-black background and thick white lettering, subscribers don’t have to work hard to understand what’s at stake.
3. Use a single CTA above the fold. HOMAGE’s single, well-placed CTA makes an intuitive user experience.
4. Include payment options. If applicable, include alternative payment options: buy now, pay later, payment plans, etc. Your subscribers may appreciate a cushion while shopping your flash sale.

4. Put your products in the spotlight with imagery

Brands that focus more on imagery than text strike a balance that resonates with subscribers who might be sick of the urgency tactic.

Apparel brand Everlane takes that approach in this flash sale email, by:

1. Featuring the products in high-quality photography. The subscriber’s eye should be naturally drawn to the products, which we can see both on a model and off.
2. Minimizing the copy. There’s barely any body copy to distract from the product imagery.
3. Retaining the urgency but subverting the expected tone. The minimalist copy in this email doesn’t exactly skip over urgency altogether, but it does leave out the traditional markers of it: all caps, exclamation points, and countdown clocks. Instead, the brand takes a playful tone—“Don’t forget your closet needs these. Do remember the sale ends tonight.”

Subject line: Flash Sale: Up to $50 Off Dresses Ends Tonight

Image source: Everlane

5. Improve deliverability with a plain text email

Sending a plain text flash sale promotion is a great way to support your deliverability, since emails with no images (or only a few) have an easier time getting into the inbox. Flash sale emails tend to get especially high engagement, given their time-sensitive nature.

So, if you need to repair your sender reputation, sending a plain text email to promote a flash sale can help you take a giant step in that direction.

Skincare brand Blume sends this plain text email to promote a flash sale, with plenty to admire:

1. The subject line makes the most of the space. Despite the email’s understated and non-traditional approach, the subject line communicates urgency, the exact discount available, and that there are free gifts up for grabs.
2. An intimate tone. It uses first names, forecasts they’ll be divulging “secrets,” and brilliantly uses playful language—“spilling the tea”.
3. A clear call to action (CTA). The CTA may not be a colorful button, but the link is easy to find.
4. Clear benefits for shoppers. There are no images or countdown clocks, but the text includes the discount, the fact it’s the deepest discount in the brand’s history, and that there will be exclusive access to an unreleased product.

Subject line: LIVE NOW 50% off, free gifts, & more!

Image source: Blume

6. Connect your flash sale to a live event on social

One way to increase the power of your flash sale is to tie it to an Instagram Live event. Consider making the discount as deep as 50%—but only available for the duration of the Instagram Live. That’s what Blume offers in the example above.

The brand didn’t send any teasers, reminders, or even “last chance” emails.

This is a true “flash” sale, where only the most active, loyal “super users” who are paying the most attention can take advantage of your opportunity.

Most brands don’t do these often, which is perhaps why they can offer such deep discounts.

Here are 3 tips for tying your flash sale to an Instagram Live event:

• Feature a brand ambassador, perhaps with a limited-edition collection they helped design.
• Prepare to answer people’s questions about how to apply or style the featured products so they can get personal recommendations virtually, rather than in person.
• Align the flash sale with the premiere of editorial content like a short film. Boost engagement by launching a series of emails for the sale as a surprise following the content release.

7. A/B test your flash sale emails

Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to flash sale promotions. That’s why it’s so important to A/B test everything, including:

• Which segments you send to
• Subject lines
• Headers
• Imagery
• Copy
• Tone (i.e., inspire urgency or be more playful about the timeline)
• CTA placement, design, and copy

ButcherBox sends at least 5 different variations of their flash sale emails, which gives them plenty of data to analyze once metrics come in. Below are 3 with different headers, imagery, copy, and CTA copy.

Image source: ButcherBox

8. Enhance flash sale subject lines with Klaviyo AI

Strategizing a flash sale is no small task, and a key factor in its success is motivating people to open emails. Klaviyo’s subject line assistant saves you time brainstorming compelling subject lines.

Simply describe your email content, and Klaviyo AI generates as many subject lines as you’d like.

Image source: Klaviyo

Launch a successful flash sale email campaign with Klaviyo

Klaviyo is the platform my team at ebusiness pros uses to power impactful, revenue-driving flash sales. We segment our clients’ lists with confidence, thanks to:

• Deep integrations that give insight into browsing and purchase behavior alongside marketing engagement
• Smart Opt-in forms that create a painless experience for customers to subscribe to SMS for early access
• A/B testing to find the messaging that performs best in the announcement email and inform the final template designs for the flash sale reminders
• Smart Send Time test results that help you confidently launch the sale at the best time for your list, based on your unique demographics

Related content

• Creative email segmentation strategies and ideas, with examples
• How email segmentation tools have changed
• Email pop-up best practices, with examples