7 Compelling Consumer Sales Promotion Examples Every Brand Should Try

Consumer sales promotions are short-term marketing tactics designed to boost sales, increase engagement, and strengthen customer loyalty. In 2025, the most compelling examples include coupons, rebates, instant-win contests, social media contests, sweepstakes, digital punch cards, and loyalty member promotions. Each of these tactics works because they combine familiarity with innovation - whether it’s LEGO’s digital coupons driving retail sales, Perrigo’s rebate program encouraging trial among new moms, Activia’s instant-win contest offering daily prizes, or Nestlé DiGiorno’s social media contest generating buzz and engagement. The key for brands is not just to copy these strategies but to adapt them creatively to their own audiences, making promotions both rewarding and memorable. 

Experts tell us we live in the age of authenticity. With sustainability and social responsibility taking center stage, consumers favor brands that are open, transparent, and genuine. But there’s one other thing they crave, innovation.

According to research by Nielsen, 94% of global consumers are not afraid to try something new. While 40% are innovation-seekers who are always on the lookout for the next big thing. 

Innovation comes in many forms – from the type of products and services brands create to the consumer promotions they run to promote them and the customer experiences they provide. Here are seven consumer sales promotion examples that offer a unique spin on tried and tested promotional tactics.

7 Sales Promotion Examples

1. Digital Coupons and Offers

Coupons are among the most recognizable consumer promotions. Coca-Cola invented the coupon in 1887, and countless brands have benefitted from this simple, yet effective, formula in the decades since.

Everyone is familiar with the concept. A brand or retailer issues a coupon to a customer which offers money off certain products or a percentage off their total basket spend. Digital technology enables brands to get a bit more creative with the humble coupon. And, by taking advantage of multiple in-store and online channels, they can reach a wider audience.

Demand Sage reports that the global digital coupon market is valued at $10.6 billion in 2025, with nearly 90% of U.S. consumers using coupons and 62% actively searching for promo codes online, highlighting their continued relevance and effectiveness. 

Use coupons to:

• Win new customers
• Encourage repeat purchases
• Reward loyal customers

Sales Promotion Example #1: LEGO F1 Series

LEGO used digital coupons to drive sales of their F1 race car series at major retailers. Consumers could register online, verify their eligibility, and choose a discount of $2.50, $5, or $10 off their LEGO F1 purchase. They then received a digital barcode to scan at checkout, providing a seamless redemption experience. This coupon-based approach helped increase sales, engagement, and make the promotion easy to track and measure.

2. Rebates / Cashback

Research shows that rebates are among the most effective consumer promotions you can run. According to the Promotion Marketing Association, consumers are 75% more likely to buy a product if it includes a rebate option.  In today’s economic environment, where consumers are more price-conscious and deliberate with their spending, rebates have become even more powerful. They not only offer tangible savings but also give customers a sense of value and control, making them a strong driver of purchase decisions and brand loyalty. 

Rebates offer customers a post-purchase discount on the products they buy. Traditionally, customers would claim their rebate by completing a physical form. But today, brands harness end-to-end digital rebate platforms to simplify the process, while capturing valuable first-party data they can use to inform future sales promotions.

Use rebates to:

• Incentivize new and repeat customers
• Increase product sales
• Grow market share

Consumer Promotion Example #2: Perrigo Infant Formula

Perrigo used rebates to drive trial and encourage long-term adoption of their Store Brand Infant Formula. Consumers who purchased qualifying formula could register online, upload a photo of their receipt, and receive up to a $20 rebate. This rebate-based promotion incentivized first-time buyers to try the product while increasing engagement and loyalty among those who found it worked well for their child.

3. Instant Win Contests

As the name implies, instant win contests are a type of prize draw that reveals the winner and issues the prize at point of entry. Easy to enter and providing the kind of instant gratification people crave, instant win contests are a staple of consumer sales promotions in every industry.

Use instant win contests to:

• Entice customers to try new products
• Boost customer engagement and retention
• Build brand loyalty

Consumer Sales Promotion Example #3: Activia Instant Win

Activia boosted engagement in its gift-with-purchase promotion by adding an instant win element that delivered both excitement and instant gratification. Shoppers who bought eligible products could upload their receipts for a daily chance to win $500 or one of 12 prizes of free Activia for an entire year. The mix of immediate rewards and bigger prizes kept the promotion exciting and encouraged repeat participation. 

4. Social Media Contests

If you want to grow your online following, raise brand awareness, or generate a buzz around your latest product, look no further than a social media contest.

Social media contests ask followers to complete specific actions, such as liking or sharing a post from your brand account, for the chance to win a prize. Like many of the consumer promotions examples on this list, versatility and simplicity are key to a successful social media contest.

Use social media contests to:

• Create excitement for your brand or products
• Raise brand awareness and affinity
• Strengthen customer relationships

Consumer Sales Promotion Example #4: Nestlé DiGiorno Social Media Contest

Nestlé DiGiorno launched a promotion with a strong social media component to spark engagement and encourage trials of its Classic Crust line at Walmart. Shoppers who purchased participating products received a $5 Walmart eGift Card and an entry into a sweepstakes for football-themed prizes tied to the Big Game. They could also earn additional entries by sharing the promotion on social, referring friends, opting into CRM, or visiting the campaign microsite. By tying rewards to social activity, DiGiorno turned the promotion into a shareable experience that amplified reach, drove repeat participation, and built awareness for the new product. 

5. Sweepstakes

Sweepstakes and contests are two sides of the same coin. They both offer participants the chance to win desirable relevant, typically high-value prizes – like a new car or an all-expenses-paid holiday. The key difference is that contests have specific entry requirements and determine the winner based on skill. In a sweepstakes, everyone has an equal chance of winning and the winner is selected at random.

The simple format, low stakes, and ease of entry make sweepstakes a popular choice among consumers.

Use sweepstakes to:

• Win new and lapsed customers
• Engage and excite customers
• Raise brand awareness

Consumer Promotion Example #5: Bauer Sweepstakes

Bauer ran a sweepstakes to engage fans and build excitement around its Mystery Mini products and NHL partnership. Consumers who purchased specially marked packs could enter online by submitting a promotion PIN, with prizes including hockey gear, autographed merchandise, and gaming codes. The sweepstakes campaign boosted brand interaction and rewarded loyal customers while highlighting Bauer’s connection to the sport. 

6. Digital Punch Cards

Punch cards are an integral part of many brand loyalty programs. Every time a customer purchases a product, online or in-store, they earn a stamp. Once they’ve collected a certain number of stamps, they can exchange them for increasingly valuable rewards. McDonald’s, Starbucks, Subway, Nando’s, and countless others have used this tactic to great effect over the years.

Digital punch cards work on the same principle, only they let customers access their punch card directly through their smartphone. This spares them the hassle of leafing through their wallet to find the right card and show it to the cashier every time they make a purchase.

Use digital punch cards to:

• Drive repeat/multiple purchases
• Raise brand loyalty
• Gather valuable customer data

Consumer Promotion Example #6: BlueTriton Digital Punch Card

BlueTriton ran a digital punch card promotion to drive sales and incentivize cross-purchases across their portfolio. Consumers who spent $15 in a single or multiple shopping trips could submit their receipt online to earn a $5 reward. Purchases from key retailers also earned automatic retailer-specific gift cards. This digital punch card approach encouraged repeat buying, increased engagement, and made it easy for consumers to track and redeem rewards.

7. Loyalty Member Promotions

Although it isn’t a sales promotion per se, customer loyalty programs are one of the most effective ways to attract and retain customers. Loyalty programs give your best customers access to exclusive rewards that encourage them to shop with you, rather than switching to other brands. This could be early access to new products or services, cash discounts, or something as simple as free shipping on online orders.

Some brands offer subscription-based, tiered loyalty programs that reserve the most valuable rewards for your most loyal customers. Far from being a turn-off, 85% of UK consumers say they’re more loyal to brands that offer a subscription service.

Use loyalty programs to:

• Boost average cart value
• Increase customer engagement
• Reduce customer churn

Consumer Sales Promotion Example #7: NutriAsia Philippines Loyalty Program

NutriAsia is running a points-based loyalty program to increase brand visibility, boost member transactions, and drive revenue. Members earned points for purchases, registering, engaging with content, and referrals, which could be redeemed for gift cards and digital credits. This loyalty approach encouraged repeat buying, strengthened customer engagement, and rewarded long-term brand loyalty. 

Don't Be Afraid to Think Outside the Box

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to sales promotions. Many of the brands featured on this list succeeded because they weren’t afraid to update or reimagine traditional promotional tactics – from unlikely partnerships, like Swarovski, to layered promotions, like Boost.

The key is to find the approach that works for your brand and your customers.

FAQs

Q: Which platforms work best for running consumer promotions? 
A: It depends on the promotion type. Social platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are unbeatable for contests and buzz, where visibility and sharing drive reach. Email and brand apps are stronger for coupons, rebates, and punch cards, since they allow easy redemption and first-party data capture. Microsites or landing pages work best for sweepstakes and instant wins, ensuring compliance and scale. Most successful brands combine them: promote on social for awareness, then funnel entries to owned channels for conversion and data. 

Q: How do I decide which type of promotion is right for my brand? 
A: Match the promotion to your goal. For acquisition, use coupons or rebates. For retention, focus on punch cards or loyalty programs. For awareness and engagement, run sweepstakes or contests. Combining short-term offers with longer-term loyalty hooks creates the best balance. 

Q: How can brands make promotions stand out in 2025? 
A: Keep them fresh with layered tactics and personalization. For example, pair an instant reward with a sweepstakes for added inventive or tailor offers to past purchases and behaviors. Relevance and simplicity matter more than volume in making promotions memorable. 

Q: How can promotions boost personalization and retargeting? 
A: Promotions capture valuable first-party data from purchases, registrations, and engagement. Brands can use these insights to tailor personalized offers, recommend relevant products, run smarter retargeting campaigns, and ultimately increase customer loyalty and lifetime value. 

Contact us today to discover how our modular shopper marketing platform helps you create compelling consumer promotions your customers, and your bottom line will love.