When sales get slow, most small businesses reach for the same tool: a discount. It works, sort of, for a while. Then customers figure out that if they wait a couple of weeks, there'll be another one. Congratulations, you've trained them to never pay full price again.
The good news is that discounts are just one lever. There are many other tools in the toolbox to build excitement among your customers, and most of them protect your margins better than a straight-up price cut.
Pricing tricks
- Odd pricing. $19.99 still reads as "less than $20" to most brains. $24 reads as clean and premium. Odd pricing can work in the clearance section too: $17.49 can feel like more of a deal than $17.99. Pick the one that fits your brand (or your product) and use it on purpose.
- Good, better, best. Offer three versions at three price points. Most people pick the middle one, and the top option makes it look like a smart buy.
- Bundling. Put three things together that people already buy together and price them a little below the separate total. You raise the average order and move slower products along for the ride.
- Volume pricing. Buy two, save a little. Buy five, save a little more. Great for consumables, B2B products and anything that's frequently gifted.
- Subscribe and save. For anything people run out of, a small ongoing discount in exchange for automatic reorders turns one-time buyers into regulars.
- Members-only pricing. Special prices for loyalty members. It gives people a reason to sign up and rewards your regulars for staying engaged with your brand.
- Early access pricing. Let your list buy new products or sale items a day early. It costs you nothing and makes your emails worth opening.
Ways to add value instead of cutting price
- Loyalty programs. Similar to members-only pricing, but with a rewards points or cash-back system. The more a customer spends with your brand or shop, the more reason they have to come back and spend again.
- Gift with purchase. Spend $75, get a free tote, sample or sticker pack. A $4 gift often beats a $15 discount because it feels limited and exclusive, and it keeps your list prices intact. Depending on your brand, a good GWP can drum up a lot of excitement.
- Free shipping thresholds. Set it a bit above your average order. People will happily add one more small item to their cart to avoid paying for shipping.
- Buy X, get Y. Buy two, get the third free. Or buy the main product, get another half off. It feels generous and can move more units across different categories or products.
- Cross-selling and checkout offers. Sometimes a soft sell like "Goes great with..." on product pages and in the cart is enough. Other times, an offer helps. If someone is buying a rod, show them a reel bundled at a better price at checkout.
- Referral rewards. Give $10, get $10. Your happiest customers become your sales team, and you only pay out when it works.
- Bounce-back offers. Put a "next order" reward in the box or the shipping email, good for 30 days. It gives a first-time buyer a reason to become a second-time buyer.
- Gift cards. Easy holiday money, and many people spend more than the card is worth when they redeem it. Promote them hard in December.
Promotions that give people a reason to act now
- Flash sales. Short, rare and genuinely limited. A 24- or 48-hour sale creates urgency without being too short to be worth the setup.
- Limited drops and pre-orders. Small runs, seasonal colors and "only 50 made" create urgency without touching your price. Pre-orders let you gauge demand before you buy inventory.
- Back-in-stock waitlists. When something sells out, collect emails for a restock alert. It turns "sold out" into a list of people ready to buy.
- Clearance or bargain bin section. If you don't have one on your website featuring your C and D rated inventory, you should. A permanent spot for last season's stuff means bargain hunters go straight there, and everyone else pays full price.
- Mystery items. A mystery box or grab bag at a set price. Great for clearing old stock, and people love the surprise. This one is brand dependent and works better for lower-priced products.
- Signup discount. A small first-order offer for joining your email list. This is the one discount that's almost always worth it, because you keep the subscriber, who could be a customer for life.
- Sweepstakes and giveaways. Run them to grow your email list, not just your follower count.
Use the calendar (and make up your own)
- Holiday periods. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Mother's Day and the December gift rush are when people are already in a buying mood. Plan these early. Late planning is how you end up with a rushed discount.
- Made-up holidays. Slow in February? Invent something. Your shop's birthday, National Whatever Day, or a "we survived January" sale. If it's fun and fits your brand, people will play along.
Use plain discounts sparingly
Discounts aren't evil. They just work best when they're rare, have a reason ("our anniversary," "end of season") and have a real end date. If you run the same 20% off every month, it stops being a promotion and becomes your actual price.
Before your next sale, try asking: could this be a bundle, a gift, a threshold or early access instead? Usually the answer is yes, and your margins will thank you.
Need help planning promotions, building the landing pages or setting them up in Shopify and Klaviyo? That's a big part of what I do, or send me a note.