A limited-time sale is a **[sales promotion strategy]** for quickly boosting sales or efficiently clearing inventory over a short period. Shopify lets you run limited-time sales in the following three ways:
- Shopify's built-in discount feature (free, runs automatically)
- Manual updates in product management (free, but requires manual updates)
- Using a Shopify app (paid, feature-rich, and can be automated)
Each option has different pros and cons, so you can choose the best method for your store's size and operations. This article compares the features of all three methods and walks through the specific implementation steps. We'll also introduce advanced sale strategies using the RuffRuff Pre Order app, so you can find the best sale method for your store.
What Is a Limited-Time Sale?
A limited-time sale is a strategy in which products are sold at a lower price than usual for a specific, short period. It's especially effective in situations such as:
- Clearing seasonal inventory (e.g., an end-of-season summer sale)
- Promoting new products (e.g., special launch pricing)
- Campaign periods (e.g., Black Friday, holiday sales)
Because it can drive short-term demand and improve inventory efficiency at the same time, this approach is used by many online stores.
Three Ways to Run a Limited-Time Sale
Using the Discount Feature
This method uses Shopify's built-in discount feature. It's a good fit for stores that want to minimize cost or try things out on a trial basis first. It requires almost no ongoing effort and is unlikely to result in human error.
Pros
- Free to set up
- Stable, since it's a core Shopify feature
- Runs automatically once set up, requiring almost no ongoing effort
Cons
- The discounted price is not shown on the product page
- Customers may not notice that a sale is running
- The discount is only shown after the item is added to the cart (or when moving to the checkout page)
Manually Updating the Price and Compare-at Price in Product Management
This method involves manually updating the selling price and the price-before-discount (compare-at price) for the target products in Shopify's product management. It's only suitable in limited cases — when there are just a few products (around 1-2) and the sale period is short. However, it's the method with the highest operational effort and risk of error.
Pros
- Free to set up
- The discounted price can be clearly shown on the product page
- Because the original price is also shown, customers can intuitively see the discount rate
Cons
- Prices must be updated manually every time, which creates a very high operational burden
- Human error, such as forgetting to update prices, occurs frequently
- Prices must be manually reverted once the sale ends (forgetting this critical step causes major problems)
- When running a sale across multiple products, the risk of missed updates increases sharply
- The period cannot be managed automatically (manual action is required at both the start and end of the sale)
* As of April 2026, Shopify Flow does not provide an action to automatically update product prices, so it's difficult to automate this process with Flow. In other words, the manual method has an inherent limit to how much it can be automated. This may improve with future Shopify feature updates.
Using a Shopify App
This method uses a Shopify app.
This is a good fit for stores that want to automate operations or run large-scale sales across multiple products. Initial setup takes some effort, but ongoing operational burden and risk of error are kept to a minimum afterward.
Pros
- The discounted price can be shown automatically on the product page
- Rich features are available to let customers know a sale is running
- Depending on the app, advanced sale strategies are possible, such as:
- Member-only sales
- VIP customer-only sales
- Early-access discounts
- Purchase quantity limits
- Runs automatically once set up
Cons
- A monthly or annual usage fee applies
- Initial app setup takes some effort
Comparing the Three Implementation Methods
The table below lets you compare the features of the three methods at a glance. Choose the best method based on your store's scale of operations and the features you need.
| Implementation method | Cost | Operational effort | Risk of error | Product page display | User awareness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discount feature | Free | Minimal (setup only) | Low (applied automatically) | Stays at regular price | Low (shown in cart) |
| Manual setup | Free | High (manual update every time) | High (e.g., forgetting updates) | Shows discounted price | Low (manual handling) |
| Dedicated app | Paid | Minimal (setup only) | Low (runs automatically) | Shows discounted price | High (automatic display & notice) |
Recommended Shopify App for Limited-Time Sales
RuffRuff Pre Order
RuffRuff Pre Order is a Shopify app that makes it easy to run pre-orders on your online store. It's known as the only pre-order app from Japan to be officially certified by Shopify as a top-quality app.
Features you can implement
- Limited-time sales ← covered in this article
- Limited-time selling periods
- VIP member-only sales
- Early-access discounts
- Deferred payment
- Purchase and quantity limits
How to Set Up a Limited-Time Sale Using the Discount Feature
Here are the specific steps to run a “10% off sale, available only from December 1-31, 2025.”
Behavior after setup is complete
- From December 1-31, 2025: A 10% discount is automatically applied when the item is added to the cart
- Outside the sale period: Stays at the regular price
Step 1: Create a product discount
(1) Click Discounts from the menu in the Shopify admin
(2) Click Create discount
(3) Select Amount off products from the discount type
* This is because we're running a limited-time sale on specific products.
(4) Select Automatic discount from the method
Selecting an automatic discount means the discount is applied automatically as soon as the conditions are met, without the customer needing to enter a coupon code.
(5) Enter any discount name you like in the title
The name you enter here is shown to customers on the cart page and checkout page once the discount is applied.
(6) For the discount value, select Percentage and enter 10%
(7) Enter “2025-12-01 0:00” for the active dates start date
(8) Enter “2025-12-31 23:59” for the active dates end date
(9) Click Save
Step 2: Check that it works
Let's confirm that the setup was completed correctly.
How to check
- Test by changing the discount start date to a date in the past
- Add the product to the cart and check whether the discount is applied
- Set a date after the sale's end date and check that the discount no longer applies
How to Set Up a Limited-Time Sale Using a Shopify App
Here are the steps to run a “10% off sale, available only from April 1 to May 31, 2025” using the RuffRuff Pre Order app.
Behavior after setup is complete
| Period | What customers see |
|---|---|
| Through March 31, 2025 | Regular sale |
| April 1-May 31, 2025 | 10% discount and “on sale” message shown |
| From June 1, 2025 onward | Returns to regular sale |
The link below is a demo product with the sale implemented using RuffRuff Pre Order. You can see what it looks like after implementation.
Preparation: Install the app and enable the app embed
* If you've already completed this preparation for RuffRuff Pre Order, skip ahead to Step 1.
(1) Install RuffRuff Pre Order from the Shopify App Store
Search for “ruffruff” in the Shopify App Store and install “RuffRuff Pre Order.”
(2) Open the app and select Plans from the left menu
(3) Review the terms of service and check I agree to the Terms of Service
(4) Click Change Plan for the plan you want to subscribe to
(5) Review the plan details and click Approve
(6) From the Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes
(7) Click Customize on the Shopify theme where you want to add the app
(8) Select App embeds on the left side of the screen
(9) Enable the app embed named RuffRuff Pre Order
(10) Click Save
Step 1: Create a pre-order rule
First, create a pre-order rule. This step defines “what period” and “how much of a discount” to run.
(1) Click Pre-order rules in the left menu
(2) From the Pre-order rules page, click Create rule
(3) Select Pre order with purchase options from the pre-order rule type
Since we're using RuffRuff Pre Order's discount feature this time, be sure to select Pre order with purchase options, not the other option.
(3) Set any name you like for the rule name
(4) Enter “2025-04-01 0:00” for the start date
(5) Enter “2025-05-31 23:59” for the end date
* With this setting, the end date becomes “2025-05-31 23:59:00.” If you want the limited-time sale to run right up until the day changes, enter “2025-06-01 00:00” as the end date.
(6) Set the actions for the sale period in the “Pre-order” actions tab
In this example, the following settings are used:
- Cart button text: “Discounted sale from April 1 to May 31”
- Product message: “This item is on sale at a discount from April 1, 2025 to May 31, 2025”
(7) Set the discount rate and other options in Purchase options
In this example, the following settings are used:
- Enable purchase options: Checked
- Pre-order plan name: “10% Off Sale”
- Discount: Select Percentage and enter 10%
(8) Optional: Enable checkout validation
Turning this on prevents an item added to the cart at the discounted price during the sale from being ordered at checkout after the sale has ended.
(9) Click Save
Step 2: Apply the pre-order rule to a product
Apply the pre-order rule you created to the products you want to run the limited-time sale on.
(1) Click Products in the left menu
(2) From the products page, select the products you want to apply the pre-order rule to
(3) Click Apply rule, which appears at the bottom of the screen
(4) From the pop-up that appears, select the pre-order rule you created
(5) Click Apply rule
Step 3: Check that it works
Visit the product page during the sale period and check that the following are correctly implemented:
- ☑ The cart button text has changed
- ☑ The “on sale” message is displayed
- ☑ The discount is applied correctly
By adjusting the period — for example, changing the pre-order rule's start date to a date in the past — you can check that everything works before it goes live.
Once you've confirmed there are no issues, you can start running it live.
Summary: Running an Effective Limited-Time Sale
Limited-time sales are a highly effective strategy for boosting sales and acquiring customers on your online store. With Shopify, you can choose the method that best matches your store's operations from among these three options.
Guide to choosing a method
- Want to try it for free → Choose Shopify's built-in discount feature
- Want to clearly display the discount to customers (a handful of products) → Choose manual setup (simple, but high operational burden and risk of error)
- Need automation and advanced features → Choose a Shopify app (such as RuffRuff Pre Order)
Essential checks when implementing
- Period settings: Are the start and end dates correct?
- Discount rate: Does the discount rate match what you intended for the sale?
- Test implementation: Have you checked that it works in a demo or test environment before going live?
Especially when introducing an app, we recommend thoroughly testing it in a demo environment before starting live operations.
