To run an end of financial year sale on your online store, decide your offer and dates about six weeks before 30 June, check stock, build a sale collection or landing page, schedule a banner, emails and ads, test discounts and checkout, show shipping cut-offs and automate the sale ending. EOFY suits business buyers making purchases before tax time and shoppers looking for mid-year deals.
Plan your offer
Choose an offer that suits your margins: a sitewide discount, category sale, spend thresholds, bundles or free shipping. Clearing old stock before 30 June can also help with stocktake.
Business buyers
If you sell to businesses, highlight tax-time purchasing, make sure tax invoices with your ABN and GST are easy to get, and consider bulk pricing.
Build the sale
Create a sale collection or category, a banner scheduled to appear and disappear on time, and if you are advertising, a focused landing page.
Emails and ads
Schedule a teaser, launch email, reminder and last-chance email. Get ads approved before the sale starts.
Test before launch
Test discount codes, automatic discounts, GST, shipping and checkout on mobile. Make sure delivery cut-offs are clear.
After the sale
Review revenue, best sellers, margins and which channels worked. Use what you learn for Black Friday and Boxing Day.
Avoid these mistakes
- Starting planning in June, when there is no time to test
- Discounts that stack unexpectedly and wipe out margins
- Forgetting to end the sale, so prices stay low into July
- No stock check, leading to oversold products
- Sale banners that slow the home page
Protect your margins
Before setting discounts, check the margin on your best sellers after shipping, payment fees and GST. Exclude products with thin margins, set minimum spends for free shipping, and test that discount codes cannot be combined in ways you did not intend.
Prepare your website
Sales bring more traffic than usual. Make sure your hosting can cope, your site is fast on mobile and your checkout has been tested. A quick health check a few weeks before the sale catches problems while there is still time to fix them.
Want your store sale-ready?
The Black Friday Ready Package prepares stores for any major sale, including EOFY: sale collection, banners, discounts and testing.
Frequently asked questions
When is the end of financial year in Australia?
30 June.
When should I start planning an EOFY sale?
About six weeks before, so there is time to build, test and promote it.
What makes a good EOFY offer?
One that suits your margins and customers, such as a category discount, bundle or free shipping.
Do business customers shop EOFY sales?
Many businesses make purchases before 30 June, so clear tax invoices help.
How do I schedule a sale on Shopify or WooCommerce?
Use scheduled discounts or sale prices with start and end dates, and schedule banners.
How long should an EOFY sale run?
Often one to two weeks, finishing on or before 30 June.