A recent The Wall St. Journal article shared some notable insights about Wayfair promotions. These facts should inspire more indie stores to run sales. 

Article excerpts:

• "Wayfair, which doesn’t tend to hold inventory, has suppliers cover nearly all of the costs tied to a promotion."
• "...of revenue generated during promotions, around 70% comes from non-promoted items."
• "Only about 30% of revenue during a promotion comes from items that are marked down, which Gulliver said “gives us some conviction around the importance of this as a marketing tool.” "
• "Currently—with where consumers are—that’s through promotions, which suppliers bear most of the cost of, Gulliver said. This means when shoppers see a couch or chair at 30% off, for instance, suppliers fund the reduction in their wholesale prices, which Wayfair then passes on through discounts and price adjustments. "

Read the full article:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/wayfair-ups-promotions-without-taking-a-big-financial-hit-heres-how-they-do-it-77304f05