Home / Guides / Running your small business

Plan a Holiday or Seasonal Sale With AI

A sale should bring customers without wiping out your profit. Plan it backwards from the date.

Step by step

  1. Know your margins. Which items can take a discount.
  2. Choose an offer. Percentage, bundle or free gift.
  3. Set dates. Start and end clearly.
  4. Draft the messages. Email, social and signs.
  5. Review results. What sold and what did not.

What to expect

Expect a timeline, suggested offers and ready-to-edit messages for email, social media and signs.

Mistakes to avoid

Do not discount without knowing your margins. Avoid last-minute announcements. Do not forget to staff and stock for a busy weekend.

A good next step

Record sales each day and compare to last year.

A prompt you can copy

Type this into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini

Plan a 5 day pre-holiday sale for my [business]. Our margin is about [x] percent. Suggest an offer, a schedule for emails and posts, and a way to measure success.

Good to know. Avoid discounting everything. Use sales to move slow items and bring in new customers.

Want help using AI in your business?

Join a free live class on Zoom. Small group, no experience needed, no sign-up fee.

Reserve a free seat

Common questions

How deep should the discount be?

Check your margin first.

Where to promote?

Your email list and local social groups.

More guides