A campaign put together the night before a season is always the expensive one: you discount harder because you're late, and you make more mistakes because you're rushed. The irony is that none of these dates are a surprise.
The seasons that repeat every year
- Ramadan and the two Eids — demand starts two weeks before the month and changes shape inside it: provisions early, clothing and gifts at the end.
- Back to school — August into early September; short and sharp.
- National Day — a very brief peak where the competition is for visibility more than for price.
- White Friday — the fiercest week of the year, and the one where discounts are compared side by side.
- Year end — clearing stock before the count.
Prepare before, not during
A good campaign is built at least two weeks ahead: pick the products, set the percentages, fix the start and end dates, then leave it alone. The day of the season should be spent watching orders, not editing prices.
Don't discount what will sell anyway
At peak season some products sell themselves. Discounting those is a donation, not marketing. A discount is for moving what isn't moving and pulling in people who weren't going to visit — not for rewarding customers who had already decided to buy.
Separate two lists before every season: what sells on its own, and what needs a push. The first keeps its price; the second gets the campaign.
And plan for the lull
Every season is followed by a quiet stretch, because everyone who wanted to buy has bought. Don't open it with another campaign — that's discounting the same customer twice. Let it pass, review what actually sold, and build the next season on that.
