Promotions & Discounts in Retail: Profitable Strategies in e:corg ERP & PayDesk

In this session, Cristina Mazilu explains how retail promotions can be strategically planned and implemented to drive real sales growth without eroding long-term margins. The webinar combines strategic guidance (objectives, risks, KPIs) with live demonstrations in e:corg ERP and automatic discount synchronization in PayDesk at the point of sale.

Participants see how to create complex, conditional, and fully automated discounts that are applied directly on the receipt, without manual intervention by the cashier.

The session covered:

• The role of promotions in short-term sales growth and their impact on profitability

• The difference between effective promotions and discounts that damage brand value

• Common retail promotion types (percentage discounts, buy X get Y free, special pricing, vouchers, loyalty points)

• How promotion frequency affects customer behavior

• Practical promotional scenarios for brick-and-mortar retail

During the live demo, the following were analyzed and configured:

• Percentage discounts (e.g. -10%, -15%, -50%)

• Fixed amount discounts

• “Buy X, get Y free” promotions

• Discounts conditioned by receipt value

• Permanent special prices for selected products

• Promotions for loyalty card holders

• Time-limited discounts (weekend or seasonal campaigns)

The live demonstration included:

• The CRM & Marketing → Prices & Discounts module

• Creating and grouping discounts

• Defining validity periods (permanent or time-limited)

• Store and warehouse restrictions

• Application conditions (products, minimum receipt value, loyalty cards)

• Quick activation and deactivation of promotions

• Centralized control and discount history

The webinar clearly demonstrated how:

• Discounts configured in e:corg are automatically synchronized with PayDesk

• Promotions are applied directly on the receipt, without manual input

• Cashiers clearly see applied discounts per product line

• Both discount value and percentage are displayed

• Complex promotions (buy X get Y, value-based conditions) are calculated automatically

Best practices discussed included:

• Clear shelf labels and simple messages (“2+1 free”, “this weekend only”)

• Eye-level placement of promotional products

• Bundling with complementary products

• Time-limited campaigns to create urgency

• Thematic bundles to increase average basket value

• In-store activations (tastings, visual materials, dedicated displays)

Key metrics covered in the webinar:

• Conversion rate increase

• Profit per order after discount

• Total sales volume

• Post-promotion customer retention rate

• Campaign return on investment (ROI)

• Differentiating discount hunters from valuable recurring customers

Demonstrated campaign:

“Buy 2, Get 1 Free” – Natural Juices

• Objective: +40% sales on the selected range

• Duration: 3 weeks

• Automatic application at POS

• Clear in-store signage

• Results:

• +30–50% gross sales increase

• +10% store traffic

• +19% total profit

• Improved customer return rate

✔ Controlled, strategic promotions instead of ad-hoc discounts

✔ Fully automated discount application at POS

✔ Reduced human error at checkout

✔ Full visibility into financial impact

✔ Higher sales volume without losing margin control

✔ Stronger customer loyalty through measurable mechanisms

• Analyze margins before launching promotions

• Define the optimal duration for each discount type

• Test campaigns with clear objectives

• Measure results and adjust strategies

• Fully automate retail promotions with e:corg ERP & PayDesk