Automatic Discounts Made Easy

If you’re learning how to start a consignment store or figuring out how to price and discount consignment items effectively, you’re in the right place. One challenge in resale is keeping inventory fresh without constant manual repricing. We’ll show you how to set up automatic discounts using ConsignCloud’s Inventory Rules and Scheduling features. By leveraging these tools in one of the best consignment software for small businesses, you can keep your shop buzzing, increase sales, and even turn price tags into marketing allies. Let’s dive in!

Setting Up Discount Rules & Schedules in ConsignCloud

Follow these steps to configure inventory rules and schedules for discounts in ConsignCloud. We’ll go from enabling the feature to printing labels that flaunt your new pricing strategy.

1. Enable the ConsignCloud Register (POS): First things first – make sure you have ConsignCloud’s point-of-sale enabled, called ConsignCloud Register. Discounts are a feature of this POS add-on. Why? Because the register is built for consignment needs, standard cash registers don’t know about consignor splits or aging inventory sales. ConsignCloud’s built-in POS comes with consignment-specific features. To enable it, go to Settings > Apps in ConsignCloud and turn on ConsignCloud Register. (Once enabled, your “+Sale” button transforms into a link to the new POShelp.consigncloud.com.)
   
   

2. Create a New Discount: In your ConsignCloud settings, find the Discounts section. Click “Add Discount” and give it a name. You’ll choose a discount type:
   
   

• Store Discount – the discount comes entirely out of the store’s share (consignor still gets their full percentage). Use this if you want to run sales that don’t affect consignor payouts (great for store-wide promotions where you absorb the cost).

• Consignor Discount – The discount is taken from the consignor’s portion. This might be used for consignor-agreed markdowns (e.g. if an item hasn’t sold, the consignor is okay with reducing their take to get it sold).

• Shared Discount – the discount splits proportionally between store and. This is common for long-term markdown policies where both parties share the markdown impact.

• You can choose whether this discount will be a fixed amount or a percentage off. For automatic markdown schedules, a percentage is typical (e.g. “20% off”). If you plan an initial period with no discount, set the starting value to 0% – if you want to set up a schedule, but don’t want to modify inventory immediately, you can set the discount’s value to 0% .
  
  

3. Add a Rule or Schedule Discount: Discounts can be applied automatically in two ways: by rules or by a schedule. To add a rules discount, you’ll choose whether the discount automatically applies to a category or a tag. For example, you can have discounts to automatically be applied to the category of Footwear. 

Tags are a flexible way to add automatic discounts that don’t fit neatly into a category. If you already have tags applied to items, you can simply add an automatically applying discount to those tags. To bulk add new tags onto items that span across categories, check out this guide. 

Schedule discounts can be set up to have one or more phases. Each phase has two parts: days (a number of days) and a percentage (the discount or change after that many days). Essentially, you’re telling ConsignCloud when and how much to automatically discount the item as time passes For example:

• Phase 1: 30 days at 20% – means after 30 days, apply a 20% discount.

• Phase 2: 60 days at 50% – means after 60 days, the discount becomes 50% (usually replacing the previous 20%).
  
  

Once a schedule is attached to a discount, ConsignCloud will automatically add a “Schedule Start” field on each item’s record. By default, this is the date the item was created (entered into inventory). In most cases you can leave it as-is because it means the countdown for discount phases starts from the item’s arrival. However, you have the flexibility to adjust it. For instance, if you intake an item 10 days after the consignor brought it in, you might set the schedule start 10 days earlier so it follows your intended timeline. Schedule Start basically lets you “adjust where in the schedule your inventory should be”help.consigncloud.com for each item. You can edit an item’s Schedule Start date anytime to reset or postpone its markdown clock.

4. Print Discount Schedules on Labels: Your item labels will show the current price and can reflect the scheduled discount info automatically. Because ConsignCloud supports customizable item tags, you could design your labels to include the phases on the label. or an expected future price. This not only saves you from re-tagging items manually, but it also creates a sense of urgency and transparency with customers. (It’s almost like your tags can do marketing for you!)

That’s it – you’ve set up an automatic discount schedule! Your pricing will now adjust on autopilot according to the rules you defined. 

Creative Ways to Boost Sales & Profits with Rules and Schedules

Now that your automatic discounting is running, let’s explore some powerful ways to use it. ConsignCloud’s inventory rules and schedules aren’t just “set and forget” – they can be a strategic tool to increase profits, drive sales, and enhance your marketing. Here are some ideas and best practices:

Turn “Stale” Inventory into Quick Cash. Every store has items that linger a bit longer. Instead of letting them collect dust, use a schedule to progressively lower the price. This increases the chance of a sale before the consignment period ends. You’ll generate revenue more quickly and make room for new stock. For example, if shoes in the Accessories category typically sell slower, set a rule so that those items hit 50% off by day 45. This kind of automated clearance ensures you recoup something on items that might otherwise be returned to consignors unsold. As ConsignCloud’s philosophy suggests, it’s about having a “flexible framework for adjusting the price of items … after a certain period of time”help.consigncloud.com. Greater sell-through rates = more profit and happier consignors.

Plan Promotions and Sales Events: You can use schedules for marketing campaigns—this is an extremely appealing to shoppers and should’t be overlooked as a customer magnet. Suppose you want to run a “Month-End Clearance” sale every 30 days. By adjusting the Schedule Start date on batches of items, you could have a wave of discounts hit at month’s end without manually marking down each item. Alternatively, set up a special one-time Store Discount (type) for an “Extra 10% off this weekend” sale – because it’s a store discount, consignors still earn their full amount, and you (the store) take the 10% cut as a marketing expense. On the flip side, want to incentivize consignors to shop in your store? Create a Consignor Discount type that gives, say, 5% off to consignors using their account credit to purchase items (thus encouraging them to spend their earnings back into your store). ConsignCloud’s discount setup is flexible: you even have a BOGO (Buy-One-Get-One) option by using the BOGO Threshold fieldhelp.consigncloud.com – think “buy 2 get 1 free” type deals. These kinds of promotions, combined with automatic rules (like maybe only on certain categories or dates), can create buzz and boost sales volumes. Your software handles the calculation, so running a complex sale becomes easier and error-free.

Leverage Labels as a Marketing Tool: Those price tags hanging on your items can do more than show a number. Because scheduled discounts can print on labels, consider designing tags to show an upcoming price drop. This can create FOMO (fear of missing out): a customer sees an item is $50 today and notes “will be $35 on Oct 1” on the tag. Some might wait for the discount, but many will buy now rather than risk the item being gone later. It’s a subtle psychological push. Additionally, having the original price and the current discounted price both on the label (e.g. $50 ❌ now $40) shows the deal they’re getting, which shoppers love. ConsignCloud’s label customizationconsigncloud.commakes it possible to include such dynamic info. Use this to enhance your in-store marketing – your resale software is effectively helping with signage automatically!

Track and Optimize Your Policy: Finally, remember that setting up rules and schedules is not a “set it and forget it” forever scenario. ConsignCloud gives you reports and a detailed sales summary where discounts are listed individually. Take advantage of this data. For example, after a few months, review how much stock is selling at full price vs. at 20% off vs. at 50% off. You might discover that very few items ever reach the final 50% stage – meaning your 20% phase is doing the trick (great!). Or perhaps items still aren’t selling until they hit 50% off – which might mean your initial pricing is too high or the 20% cut isn’t enticing. Use these insights to tweak your strategy: maybe introduce a 30% phase, or adjust how you price items initially. This kind of continuous improvement is what turns a good store into a great store. ConsignCloud’s tools not only execute your policy but also help you evaluate it, so you can confidently refine your approach to maximize profits.

If you have not checked out how to optimize your store's data, check out Alexandria's story on how she used data to boost sales

By employing these tactics, you transform a simple discount schedule into a robust sales strategy. You’re using ConsignCloud not just as an inventory system, but as a full-fledged resale software for consignment stores that drives smarter business decisions. Whether it’s improving customer engagement with automatic markdowns or maintaining healthy profit margins through careful rule-setting, the possibilities are endless. Get creative and have fun with it – your store will benefit from the thoughtful pricing and your customers will appreciate the deals and consistency.

Conclusion: Your Next Step Towards a Smarter Consignment Business

Automatic discounts through inventory rules and schedules might sound technical at first, but as we’ve seen, it’s actually a friendly feature that any new store owner can harness. With a bit of initial setup, you’ve got a powerful helper working 24/7 to price items optimally, delight customers with deals, and keep consignors happy. It’s like having an extra team member who never sleeps (and never miscalculates a discount 😄).

As you get comfortable, you’ll likely agree that ConsignCloud is one of the best consignment software choices for small businesses. It combines ease-of-use with advanced capabilities that truly understand how to run a resale store. From built-in POS features to customization galore, it’s consignment and resale software designed with your success in mind.

Ready to take the next step? If you haven’t already, explore ConsignCloud for yourself. Set up your store policy, try out those discount schedules, and watch the magic happen. With ConsignCloud’s free trial, you can get started with no commitment – jump in and see how these features can transform your pricing strategy and save you time. We invite you to sign up for ConsignCloud and join a community of forward-thinking consignment store owners who are automating their way to higher profits and smoother operations.

Happy consigning, and happy discounting! Here’s to your thriving consignment store – powered by smart tools and a sprinkle of fun. 🎉