Guides / How to run a Diwali sale on MRP in Shopify

How to run a Diwali sale on MRP in Shopify

A simple plan for a festive "X% off MRP" sale on Shopify: the offer, the setup, the limits and a test before you go live.

Start with the number on your banner

Most Indian stores show two prices: the MRP (in Shopify, the compare-at price) and a lower everyday sale price. For Diwali, the offer customers remember is usually written as "X% off MRP". Decide that one number first. It will go on your banner, your ads, your WhatsApp message and your product pages, so it has to be the same everywhere.

Pick a percentage that is clearly better than your everyday price. If your products already sell at 20% below MRP, a "15% off MRP" offer is no offer at all.

Know what a normal Shopify code does

A normal Shopify percentage code takes its percentage from the price the customer is charged, which is your sale price, not the MRP. Here is an example with made-up prices:

• MRP ₹2,000, sale price ₹1,600, offer "30% off".
• Normal code: 30% of ₹1,600 is ₹480 off. The customer pays ₹1,120, which is 44% off MRP.
• Code worked out on the MRP: 30% of ₹2,000 is ₹600 off the MRP. The customer pays ₹1,400, which is the 30% off MRP your banner promised.

So with a normal code, every order gets a bigger discount than you planned. There is a longer worked example in MRP vs sale price discounts.

Three ways to set it up

1. Change prices for the sale. Set each product's price to the festive price with Shopify's bulk editor, then change it back after Diwali. No app needed, but you edit every product twice and it is easy to miss one.
2. Lower the code's percentage. Work out the percentage that gives the right price on the sale price. This only works if every product has the same gap between MRP and sale price.
3. Use a code that reads the MRP. An app such as MRP Discount makes a code that takes its percentage from the compare-at price. You make the code in the app, and it then shows in Shopify's Discounts page with your other codes. Here are the steps.

Set limits before you start

• Dates. Give the code a start and an end date, so the sale switches on and off by itself.
• Which products. Choose all products, some products or a collection. Leave out items you cannot discount.
• Minimum order. A minimum purchase amount pushes bigger baskets, for example on gift boxes.
• Usage limits. Limit private codes (WhatsApp, creators) to one use per customer, so they do not spread to coupon sites.

Plan the weeks before Diwali

1. Three to four weeks before: pick the offer, the products and the dates. Check stock on the products you will push.
2. Two weeks before: make the code, update banners and product photos, and write your WhatsApp and email messages.
3. One week before: run a test order (below). Tell your team the exact start and end time.
4. Sale days: watch stock and the checkout. Answer customer questions quickly.
5. After Diwali: make sure the code has ended, remove sale banners, and note what sold best for next year.

Test it in your own checkout

Add one product to the cart, apply the code and check the total. It should equal MRP × (1 − your percentage). Do this on your phone as well, because most festive orders come from phones. Also check what happens when a customer tries two codes, and whether your shipping charge still shows correctly.

A quick checklist

• One offer, written the same way everywhere.
• Start and end dates set on the code.
• Products and collections chosen.
• Limits set on private codes.
• A real test order checked against the MRP.
• The selling price never goes above the MRP printed on the product.