Sales promotions include a variety of marketing tools where a sale is sought to be induced by offering some kind of incentives, such as a price discount, a discount coupon redeemable on the next purchase, a free gift, etc. Sales promotions may be directed at the end-consumers or at the distribution channel members, such as wholesalers and retailers. This article discusses the various types of consumer-focused sales promotions and their impact on consumer behavior.

Sales promotion is a marketing tool used especially in the con- sumer goods and retail sectors. It is adopted to in diverse contexts and to meet various objectives, such as to build loyalty and retain one's customers, to shift consumers' loyalty from competing brands towards one's own brand, to induce trials when launching new products, and to reduce inventory during the lean season, as a supplement to advertising.

Promotions are also, at times, resorted to independently by retailers to hold and sustain their customer base and improve their own brand loyalty. Each day, we get to see new sales promotions from various marketers, such as a free toy in a pack of potato chips or the offer of a loyalty card by a retail outlet. The right promotional strategy at the right time can bring in rich dividends for the marketer. A lot of research and study is put into understanding what type of promotion suits a product best, at what time/season, and for how long. Any wrong move could hurt the brand image; so, all the care must be taken to adopt the right strategy and implement it in the right context.

Sales promotion campaigns are aimed at making psychological and emotional impact on the target consumers. The main aim is to encourage purchase, increase the quantity of purchase or the purchase frequency. Creatively designed sales promotions strike the right cord in the customer's mind and drive her to accept the offer (such as a price discount, a gift, or extra quantity for the same price), without losing the opportunity.

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