Field Notes
Reading promotion calendars for margin, not footfall
A busy weekend on the sales app can still shrink gross margin if the offer design is wrong.
Promotion calendars look successful when traffic rises. Profitability asks a colder question: did the offer leave enough margin after markdowns, free gifts, and staff discounts?
Start with the offer math
List the selling price, cost, and any bundled free item. Apps often report units sold under the parent SKU while the free item’s cost sits elsewhere. Pull both.
Watch stacking rules
Weekend vouchers stacked on already-discounted racks create prices nobody approved on paper. Export the discount reason codes and count how often two reductions appear on one receipt.
Compare outlets
The same campaign can be keyed differently across branches. One outlet’s “manager special” may be another’s regular price override. Outlet-level app analytics paired with invoice samples expose that drift quickly.
Retailers preparing for festive peaks often pair this reading with our Margin Leak Assessment before the calendar locks.