Stop Training Customers To Hate Your Prices

Here’s what we discovered digging into eCommerce retention data.

62% of shoppers will delay purchases until they get a discount.

That’s not price sensitivity. That’s conditioning. Every time you send “20% off” emails, you’re teaching customers that your regular prices are inflated. 

You’re creating a market that waits for markdowns instead of perceiving full value.

The Real Cost of Discounting

We’re often asked at Qoob about ‘running promotions’ and ‘offering discounts’, and as such, we’ve been analysing retention strategies across dozens of Ecommerce brands. The pattern is consistent.

Brands that rely heavily on discounts face three critical problems:

Customer behaviour shifts. Once shoppers expect discounts, they stop buying at full price. Your margins compress while acquisition costs climb.

We’ve all been there… Genuine desire to buy, but googling “Discount codes for [Retailer]”, or searching frantically for a ‘subscribe’ button on the vague promise of 10% off delivered right to our inbox.

But if you get the sale, that’s fine, right?…. Wrong.

The real damage? Your brand perception erodes. Repetitive discounts signal that regular prices are artificial. Quality perception drops alongside price expectations.

And not only is your brand perception low.. You have not commanded a ‘value-based’ price for your product, and there is no loyalty earned… 

So, profit margins disappear. If you’re spending £100 to attract every new customer, who only spends £29 and never returns.. Well, the maths doesn’t work.

What Works Instead

The brands winning long-term retention aren’t discounting. They’re building value.

Amazon Prime generates over £25 billion in subscription fees annually. 

Not through price reductions. Through convenience and exclusive access.

The strategy is clear: reward loyalty without training customers to expect lower prices.

Three Alternatives That Protect Margins

Store credit instead of percentage discounts. Give customers £10 credit rather than 10% off. Same perceived value, but they must return to use it.

Private sales for existing customers. Create exclusivity without public price erosion. Your best customers feel special while new visitors see full prices.

Membership perks over markdowns. Early access, free shipping, exclusive products. Value that doesn’t require margin sacrifice.

The Implementation Reality

Start with your highest-value customers. Segment by predicted lifetime value and offer perks instead of discounts.

Test surprise rewards for repeat purchasers. Small, unexpected gifts build more loyalty than predictable percentage reductions.

Create urgency through scarcity, not price. Limited quantities or time-sensitive access work better than countdown timers on discounts.

The goal isn’t eliminating all promotional activity. It’s building sustainable retention that doesn’t erode your brand’s value perception.

Your customers will pay full price.

But only if you stop teaching them not to.

Contact us today to find out how we can help you.