9 Steps to a Winning Summer Sale Prep for Your Shopify Store

Shopify merchants sold over $69.7 billion in products in Q3 2024, a massive 24% jump from last year. What does that mean for you? More traffic, more buyers, and more competition!

A strategic summer sale prep might give you the edge. It isn’t just about slapping on a discount and calling it a day. Proper preparation is the key to making your sale smooth, stress-free, and profitable. It helps you avoid last-minute chaos, broken discounts, or missed promo windows.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to do before your Shopify summer sale goes live, from setting clear goals and choosing the right discount types to designing your store’s summer look and building promo assets that convert. Whether tagging products, testing checkout flow, or syncing your emails and ads, we’ve covered it. Step by step!

Step 1: Set Clear Goals & Metrics

Picture this: you wake up after your summer sale, and your dashboard is filled with orders. Let’s set that up.

The first thing you must do in your summer sale prep journey is to choose one clear goal. Do you want to boost revenue, increase average order value, or clear out extra summer stock?

Next, pick your scorecard. Use total sales, new email subscribers, or social media buzz — whatever shows you crushed it.

Then lock in your dates: a quick weekend sprint or a two-week summer blowout? A Shopify flash sale can be an attractive option! Drop those on your calendar and set deadlines for each prep task. Think banner design, email drafts, and inventory checks. 

Now you’ve got your target, your metrics, and your timeline. Ready? Let’s dive into choosing the right discounts!

Step 2: Choose the Right Discount Types

Alright, let’s break down how to pick your perfect discount for your Shopify summer sale:

1. Goal Alignment: What’s the primary win for you?Revenue lift, bigger carts, or clearing old stock?
2. Inventory Check: Do you have overstock that needs moving, or are you boosting your top sellers?
3. Margin Health: Calculate how much you can discount without eating all your profit.
4. Simplicity vs. Customization: Simple sitewide codes are easy to set up. Mix-and-match bundles need more work but offer personalized value.

Once you’ve gone through that checklist, choose your tactic. For example, the sitewide percentage off is good for broad appeal. Tiered discounts encourage higher spending. You can offer BOGO or product bundling for targeted inventory. Gifts/free shipping thresholds sweeten the deal without deep cuts. Membership-based discount, personalized discount can also be a great option.

Pro tip: Match discount depth to what you need to sell and the profit you must protect.

Step 3: Select & Segment Your Products

Spotlight your hero products, the best sellers that naturally draw attention. Set aside any overstock items you need to clear out during the sale. Having both premium picks and inventory movers in your sales mix keeps margins healthy while driving volume.

Organize everything in Shopify using tags and collections. A dedicated “Summer Sale” collection makes it easy for customers to browse all deals in one place. Tag items by discount type or theme so you can feature them in specific banners, email automations, or on-site sections without manual updates.

Segment your audience so each shopper gets a sensible offer. Loyalty members or repeat buyers can unlock deeper discounts or early-bird access, while first-time visitors see a welcome deal that introduces your brand without slashing margins too far. Use customer tags and automated flows to deliver the right message at the right time.

Step 4: Design Your Summer Sale Look

Your store should look like it’s running a summer sale. Don’t just rely on discounts to do the talking. Include updating your homepage banner with something bold and seasonal in your summer sale prep list. Highlight your offer clearly, and add product badges like “Summer Deal” or “Hot Pick” so shoppers know what’s part of the sale.

Next, build a dedicated “Summer Sale” landing page. This will keep all discounted items in one place and make your marketing links cleaner and more effective.

Don’t forget your cart and checkout. Add a splash of summery colors – soft yellows, ocean blues, or bright coral tones. A minor design tweak here helps carry the sale vibe through to purchase.

You can use Shopify’s built-in sections to do most of this without touching code. For visuals, grab free summer-themed graphics from design sites to give everything a fresh, sunny feel.

Step 5: Prep Your Store Backend

Before launch, make sure everything behind the scenes is solid. A little backend prep can prevent customer complaints (and lost revenue) later. Also, check your inventory levels so you don’t run out mid-sale and set restock alerts if needed.

Test every discount code, free shipping rule, and bundle logic to ensure they work exactly as planned. One broken code can quickly lose a sale.

Then, run through your store on mobile. Most shoppers will find you there, so your banners, buttons, and product pages must look sharp and load fast. Tap through the whole buying journey, from cart to checkout, to catch any weird layouts or missing info.

Step 6: Build Your Promotional Assets

Promotion drives your Shopify summer sales, so don’t wing it. Start with email. Draft a three-part email sequence: a teaser to build hype, a launch email when the sale goes live, and a last-chance reminder to create urgency. Schedule every email ahead of time during your summer sale prep phase. That way, even if things get hectic during the sale, your emails still go out on time. Add product links and a clear CTA in each one.

For social media, plan at least a week of posts across your main channels. Include product highlights, behind-the-scenes prep, and countdowns. Write quick stories, Reel scripts to show bundles in action, or share your team’s packing orders. Keep it real and engaging.

On your site, design pop-ups for new visitors and exit-intent offers (like 10% off if they try to leave). These help capture extra sales you’d otherwise lose.

Lastly, prep your SMS and push notifications. Keep these short and punchy. Think “🔥 24-Hour Flash Deal: 20% Off Sitewide! Ends Tonight.” Test timing and keep the tone friendly, not spammy.

Step 7: Line Up Your Channels & Schedule

Pull everything into one content calendar, including email sends, social post dates, SMS blasts, and ad launch times. This will help you stay on track and avoid overlaps.

Coordinate your messaging across all channels so your email, Instagram post, and SMS all speak the same language on the same day.

Block time for testing and double-checking everything before go-live. Also, set reminders for the launch day and a quick check-in mid-sale to see what’s working.

Planning it out now means fewer surprises later and more time to focus on serving customers once the sale starts.

Step 8: Set Up Tracking & Reporting

Once your sale is live, you’ll want real numbers, not just guesses, about its performance. During your summer sale prep, you must plan something for it. Start by setting up Google Analytics events to track discount usage. You will understand which offers are being used and where your traffic is converting. If you’re using UTM links in emails or ads, double-check that those are in place, too.

In Shopify, configure your key reports ahead of time. Track sales by discount code, average order value, and units sold per product. These will give you a clear view of what’s working and what’s not.

Set a reminder to check in mid-sale. If something’s underperforming, like a product not moving or a code barely used, you’ll have time to fix it. You might bump up a discount, switch featured products, or adjust messaging.

Step 9: Final Round of Testing

Before your summer sale prep officially wraps, do one last check to catch anything that slipped through. Start by clicking through the whole purchase flow on desktop and mobile. Ensure the homepage banner works, discounts apply correctly, and checkout is smooth from start to finish.

Test all your email links to ensure they lead to the right product pages or landing sections. Trigger your pop-ups and exit offers to confirm they show up at the correct times and don’t interfere with the buying experience.

If possible, ask a friend or teammate to go through the store with fresh eyes. They might spot minor issues you’ve overlooked, like a weird mobile layout or a confusing button.

One clean, dry run now saves you from messy surprises later. When everything works perfectly, you can confidently launch your summer sale.

Conclusion & Next Steps

Let’s recap your summer sale prep checklist:

Goals? Set.
Discounts? Picked.
Products? Tagged and ready.
Emails, pop-ups, reports? All good to go.

With everything prepped in advance, you’ll spend less time firefighting and more time watching the sales roll in.

Next up: Shopify summer sale launch day. In Part 2, we’ll cover how to time your promos, monitor performance in real time, and keep the momentum going with smart mid-sale adjustments. Prep is only half the game. Execution is where the results come in. Stay tuned!