Afterpay Day sales – when, what, how, plus shipping tips to optimise your sale strategy

Afterpay Day is one of the big events on the retail sales calendar.

It can be the perfect opportunity to engage with your loyal customer base, as well as attract new shoppers to your online shop. But it doesn’t stop with the sales – it’s important to uncover shipping strategies to enhance your customers’ satisfaction.

It’s time to explore Afterpay Day 2024 like never before.

What is Afterpay Day?

Afterpay Day is a four-day bonanza of big deals from household names and smaller eCommerce retailers alike.

While shoppers don’t need to use Afterpay as their payment method at checkout to take advantage of the great deals on offer, the sale is a great way to promote that your business offers Afterpay as a payment option.

Buy now pay later options are used by 40% of Australian shoppers¹.

When is Afterpay Day 2024?

Afterpay Day comes around twice a year in March and August, with the exact dates announced just before each event.

Over the last few years this has become an important date on the eCommerce sales calendar, with more than 4 million households shopping the August sale last year².

What types of products are on sale during Afterpay Day?

Anything goes, but the top five categories purchased at Afterpay Day sales in 2023 were women’s fashion, athleisure, general clothing, footwear and beauty products².

How can you attract more shoppers during the Afterpay Day sales?

After analysing shopper behaviour during last year’s sales, Afterpay has shared some handy advice for enticing more shoppers to your offers this year, including³:

• A fixed price discount (ideally 30% off) gets the best results
• A ‘buy one, get 50% off a second product’ offer is the second most popular with shoppers
• Shoppers are most active on the Thursday of Afterpay Day sales, from 10am onwards
• The highest spenders are Millennials, Gen X and Gen Z, although all generations shop the Afterpay Day sales
• Most traffic for the Afterpay Day sales came from Snapchat, followed by Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

Those are great general insights, and can help inspire you to tighten your sales strategy or try new things – but don’t forget to use your own insights to inform your approach. Consider what has worked for your business in the past and what suits your customers and products.

How can you participate in the Afterpay Day sales?

You’ll need to submit your deals to the Afterpay Day website to take part in the sales. Submissions typically open about two months before the sale date.

Afterpay advise beginning promotional activity two weeks ahead of the sale.

Shipping strategies to optimise your Afterpay Day sale

Creating a great delivery experience during the sales will help encourage new and existing customers to come back again. Here are some ideas for impressing shoppers at this final touchpoint:

Offer next day delivery. Shoppers expect their deliveries faster than ever – and many will switch retailers for speedier shipping⁴. Australia Post Metro and Express Post are two ways to offer next day delivery to meet this shifting demand and give you an edge.

Include shipping in your sales offer. Free shipping or a free upgrade to Express Post may help convert bargain hunters and last-minute shoppers into customers.

Implement a free shipping threshold. More and more businesses are utilising free shipping thresholds, in the hope that shoppers will add more to their cart in order to qualify for free shipping.

Offer delivery to a Collection Point. Collection Points, including Parcel Lockers, are a great option for customers who may not be able to receive their delivery at home.

Communicate shipping times clearly. Your customers want to know an accurate estimate of when to expect their delivery. Encouraging them to download the AusPost app means they can track their own order in the most secure and accurate method.

Offer a seamless returns process. When returns are simple, your customers can gain greater confidence in shopping with you.