EOFY is coming, and we all have excess stock that needs to move. June is your window to do so.
Almost every major retailer is doing it, why not you too?
Key Takeaways
- EOFY is Australia's second-largest retail season, generating $8.8 billion in sales, 11× more than Mother's Day.
- Moving dead stock now beats counting it during your July stocktake.
- Bundling slow-moving items with popular ones protects your margin while clearing volume.
- Your existing customers are your fastest path to a profitable sale.
- Your POS System pinpoints exactly which lines need discounting, no guesswork required.
What Should You Actually Discount?
Run a slow-moving stock report from your POS terminal before you do anything else. You want items that haven't sold in 90 days or more. Those are your prime clearance candidates. For example, seasonal gift lines that missed their window, discontinued colourways, or last year's dated products.
Resist the urge to discount your bestsellers. Deep discounts on fast-moving stock destroy the margin you don't need to sacrifice. Target the dead weight and leave your strong performers at full price.
How Do You Move Stock Fast?
Bundle It
Pair a slow-moving item with something popular at a flat promotional price. The customer perceives great value, and you clear two lines at once. For example, a slow-moving scented candle bundled with a popular greeting card for $15 moves both.
Set Up a Clearance Zone
A clearly marked dump bin or clearance table near the entrance immediately captures impulse buyers. Keep it tidy, clearly priced, and refreshed regularly so it looks intentional rather than neglected.
Spend Thresholds
For your clearance bin, it often works to offer a discount when customers reach a spending threshold. It lifts your average transaction value without requiring heavy markdowns across the board, for example, 10% off for all items, 20% at a $30 spend, 35% off at a $60 spend.
How Do You Capture EOFY Foot Traffic?
Shoppers are already in a buying mindset during June. Your job is to intercept them. Bold, clear window signage with specific dollar savings outperforms vague "sale" messaging every time. For example, "Books from $5" beats "Big EOFY Sale" because it sets a concrete expectation.
If your store sits near an anchor tenant like a supermarket, position your most eye-catching clearance offers where their exit foot traffic naturally passes your storefront.
What Role Does Your POS System Play?
A modern POS system in Australia does the heavy lifting for an EOFY sale. It tells you exactly what to discount, lets you apply bulk pricing changes across entire categories in seconds, and tracks your recovery in real-time throughout June.
Without it, you're guessing. With it, every decision is backed by actual sales data. For example, applying a 50% discount to an entire "Winter Clearance" category takes one click rather than manually repricing 200 individual items.
Our clients are very lucky as they can go to register reports > stock titled "Old Stock on hand by Date last received" and get an instant list.
This will give you a list of your stock by when you received it. Unfortunately, this stock will not improve with age, and it costs you to hold it.
Here are a few thoughts to help you prepare for your EOFY deal.
- What about bundling some of this with something that sells?
- Make a bargain bin.
- Collect some business products together.
Now put them out and put a sign marking them in your shop.
Let me know how it goes. I doubt you will be sorry if you try, but I am sure you will be if you do not try!
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Ok, so I'm going to get straight to the point about our upcoming EOFY offer from POS Solutions. We have excess stock that we would much prefer to sell than count on. If you need some technology, why not stock up while we are keen to move it?
Written by:
Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director of POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience, now retired and seeking new opportunities. He consults with various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.
