Offers and discounts without weakening the brand

A discount is the fastest road to sales and the fastest way to teach customers not to buy at full price. The question is not whether to discount but when and how.

What a discount does to your profit

An illustrative example: the piece sells at 60 and all its costs are 28, so the profit is 32. A 20% discount cuts the price to 48 and leaves only 20 of profit, which means you need about 60% more sales (32 ÷ 20 = 1.6) to earn the same profit.

Smarter alternatives

• A bundle: Two pieces together at a slightly better price, which raises the average order.
• A gift with the order: A small gift that costs you less than a discount.
• Free shipping above an amount: Encourages adding a piece.
• Early access: For list subscribers, before the public launch.
• A real season: An end of season offer to clear what is left, announced as exactly that.

Honesty in offers

Do not show an inflated old price to make the discount look big, and do not announce scarcity that is not real. Consumer protection law in many countries forbids it, and customers notice quickly.

Exercise

Open the discount effect sheet in the metrics calculator and try two different discounts on your most important piece. Write the offer you will make at your next launch and why you chose it.