🍯 Discount Shoppers Are Your Secret Weapon – If You Keep Them

Hello DTC Savage,

Sale buyers are a lot like bandwagon fans - they show up when there’s a deal, then disappear when things go back to normal. But if you play it right, they don’t have to be one-and-done customers.

Most brands assume sale buyers aren’t valuable, but that’s dead wrong. They’re actually some of your best repeat customers - if you know how to keep them engaged.

Here’s how to turn sale buyers into long-term, high-LTV customers.

Why Sale Buyers Are the Best Customers

Your best customers will always come running back for a sale - they can’t resist. Instead of ignoring them after the discount, build a retention strategy that plays to their buying habits.

• 60% of sale buyers will return for another purchase if they receive a well-timed promotional offer.

• The top 10% of customers in most ecommerce brands are repeat sale buyers who shop strategically throughout the year.

• Retaining a sale buyer is 5x cheaper than acquiring a new customer.

Instead of treating sale buyers as low-value, use their behavior to your advantage and get them into a long-term buying cycle.

How to Keep Sale Buyers Engaged

Step 1: Segment Smarter

Sale buyers don’t all behave the same way. The key is to segment them correctly and send relevant messages that keep them engaged.

Break them into two groups:

• Holiday/seasonal sale shoppers - those who only buy during major discount events (Black Friday, Memorial Day, etc.).

• Year-round sale hunters - customers who buy whenever there’s a deal, not just during big sale periods.

Within these segments, go deeper:

• What have they purchased in the past?

• When do they typically buy?

• What type of sale converted them (BOGO, percentage off, free gift, etc.)?

Once you know this, you can personalize campaigns that align with their buying patterns.

Step 2: Use Email & SMS to Pull Them Back In

It’s never too late to bring sale buyers back into your funnel. But you need to do it strategically.

Here’s what actually works:

• Limited-time reactivation offers: Sale buyers respond best to urgency. A “48-hour exclusive deal” email or SMS can reactivate 20-30% of lapsed buyers.

• Loyalty-based discounts: Instead of generic promotions, offer VIP-tier discounts to sale buyers who return multiple times.

• Personalized win-back sequences: Set up automated email/SMS flows triggered when a sale buyer goes inactive for 60-90 days. These can recover 10-15% of churned sale customers.

Step 3: Make Future Sales an Exclusive Club

Your goal isn’t just to get them back for another deal - it’s to keep them in your ecosystem.

• Exclusive access to sales - “VIP early access” emails convert 30% better than standard sale promotions.

• Gamified discounts - Offer tiered incentives like “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” to increase AOV.

• Post-purchase incentives - Offer a discount on their next purchase immediately after checkout. Brands that do this see repeat purchase rates increase by 20%.

The Takeaway

Sale buyers aren’t just deal hunters - they’re an untapped goldmine for retention. If you:

• Segment them properly

• Use targeted email/SMS re-engagement

• Make future offers feel exclusive

You can turn them into repeat customers who drive consistent revenue throughout the year.

P.S. Need help dialing in your retention program? Let’s talk.

Also, I would love to connect with you on LinkedIn.

Talk soon,
Feras