Discount email templates

Well-executed discount campaigns attract new customers, increase the loyalty of existing customers, and grow business profits. There is hardly any business, either in the B2C or B2B sector, that doesn’t offer discounts on their products or services every once in a while. Most businesses offer discounts because it can help them sell off-season stock, raise profits, and improve customer satisfaction at the same time. I mean, who doesn’t love it when they snag something they’ve been after for a lower price?

However, sometimes there are no discounts available, and that’s where it can get tricky. Dealing with discount negotiations is challenging for both consumers who request discounts and sales/customer service teams that need to satisfy their customers’ expectations without destroying their business’s profit margins. 

In this article, we’re going to discuss:

1. What businesses need to take into account before offering discounts.
2. What is a discount offer email and why is it important.
3. How to write your own discount offer email.
4. Discount offer email templates.
5. Tips for consumers that want to ask for a discount.
6. Discount request email templates.
7. Tips for businesses that need to respond to discount requests.
8. Discount request-response email templates.

Things to consider before giving out discounts

Based on the stage your business is in, the number of customers you have, the types of products you offer,  and your pricing strategy– discounts can be a massive source of ROI or alternatively, create losses that will eventually impact your bottom line negatively. Here are some of the most critical things you need to keep in mind before launching any discount offers. 

Evaluate your profit margins

While offering 50% off certain items may seem attractive, you need to be sure you always have a profitable margin, otherwise, you may end up losing money with your discount offer strategy. Crunch the numbers before launching any type of discount campaign to determine what you can comfortably afford to offer your customers while still making a profit from each sale. A solid product launch template can help streamline the process during a new product introduction, ensuring that all key points are covered.

Take higher customer acquisition costs into account 

Offering discounts can be a surefire way to attract new customers, however, it will also affect your typical customer acquisition costs. To get the maximum value from your discount campaigns, make sure to convert new customers into loyal buyers by nurturing your relationship with them. Doing so will increase their lifetime value and justify the higher customer acquisition cost.

Make sure your discounts will attract your target audience

Before running any sales campaign in an effort to gain new customers, consider whether your discounts will actually attract the type of customers you really want. Remember that big discounts are likely to attract deal shoppers, meaning your newly attracted buyers aren’t going to convert into long-term customers in the future.

Beware of the possible negative impact on your brand

While sales discounts can be an effective means of generating quick revenue, make sure you’ve carefully considered all the risks and potentially disastrous pitfalls. Consumers can get used to price reductions quickly and many won’t stick around when your prices go back to normal or increase. Besides, discounts may project your own lack of confidence in your brand and establish a lower perceived value for your products.

Consider offering discounts to specific customer groups

Offering discounts to everyone can be a huge risk to your overall profit margin. Consider offering exclusive discounts to specific customer groups instead (like students, healthcare workers, military, etc.). In this manner, you can leverage discounts and grow your customer base without hurting your margins or diminishing your brand value.

Think about how you’ll demonstrate product value once the discount ends

Even though your marketing efforts strive to convince customers and prospects that your product is helpful and will improve their life – discounts can often undermine your product’s value. That is why you need to think about how you will demonstrate your product’s value and retain your customers once the discount is over. 

“Apple is a brand built on newness and urgency, so while their products never go on sale, you can get a discount for trade-ins or upgrades which keeps customers loyal.”

 Erin Sykes, a retail and sales strategist

What is a discount offer email? Why is it important for your business?

As the name suggests, a discount offer email is used to inform your customers about a special discount. It can be a general discount for all items in your store, as well as a coupon or a discount code that’s available to use at checkout. Offering discounts is a common practice that’s used by all businesses because it brings in real results. Here’s a handful of statistics that support this statement:

• The vast majority of customers (93%) use discount codes throughout the year.
• When asked about the previous week, 60% of consumers claim that they’ve used a discount code during that time.
• Three-quarters of all customers claim that they deliberately look through their inbox in search of discount codes. 

Interestingly enough, there is neuropsychological research to prove that coupons make customers happier. A study from the Claremont Graduate University has shown that receiving a 10% voucher can increase oxytocin levels by up to 38%, and participants who have received coupons were also 11% happier and felt more relaxed. 

So, how can you implement discount codes into your marketing strategy? The easiest way is through email campaigns. 

Tips for writing effective discount offer emails

Starting from a blank page can be daunting and frustrating. To help you out, we’ve created a list of tips to keep in mind when writing discount offer emails. If you still don’t feel like writing your own discount emails, scroll down and copy and paste our ready-to-use discount offer email templates.

• Choose the right tone: Be sure to keep a consistent tone in all of your emails. If all your messaging has a formal tone, your customers might be surprised (if not offended!) when they receive a more laid-back message out of the blue. 
• Be concise: Get to the point quickly. Your customers have limited attention spans and their time is precious. An effective email should be easy to scan and make it easy to find the main information (the discount offer/code).
• Focus on the value:  Keep your email focused on the value you’re providing for the user – which is the discount code.
• Leverage urgency: Include the end date for your offer. This will evoke the feeling of urgency and encourage your customers to act fast.

Discount offer email templates

Formal discount offer email 

Subject line ideas:

1. X% off – find your discount code inside
2. Special offer: X% off 

Casual discount offer email

Subject line ideas:

1. Don’t miss your X% off!
2. X% off – discount code inside!

Industry-specific discount offer email templates

eCommerce discount email

Subject line ideas:

1. X% off on all items!
2. Today only: X% off on all items!
3. X% off your favorite [products]

SaaS (software as a service) discount email

Subject line ideas:

1. X% off all subscriptions!
2. Get X% off on all plans!

Different types of discount offer email templates

General discount code email

Subject line ideas:

1. X% off everything!
2. X% off – get your discount code
3. Special discount code: X% off!

Discount code after signing up for a newsletter

Subject line ideas:

1. Welcome! Here’s your discount code:
2. Welcome to our newsletter + bonus…
3. Newsletter + a special discount!

Limited time offer email

Subject line ideas:

1. X% off – limited time offer!
2. X% off, this week only!
3. Limited time offer: get X% off!

How to ask for a discount: 10 tips for consumers

There can be a variety of reasons why you might need or desire to get a lower price than proposed. Besides, everyone loves the potential savings and the feel-good factor of bargaining your way to a sweeter deal. More often than not, you can ask for a special price for just about anything and get it if you know how and when to ask. Let’s go over some tips that might help you get discounted prices from retailers, vendors, and service providers.

1. Do your research: Doing a little online research is always a helpful thing to do before you start bargaining. It will give you a better understanding of what you want, what competitors are currently offering, what a reasonable price would be and what you can leverage to persuade a seller/vendor to give you a discounted price.

2. Know when to ask: Remember that there are certain times – like the end of the day, the end of the month, the end of the financial year, or after the holidays – when you have a higher chance of getting a discount since salespeople are keen to strike last-minute deals to meet their sales targets. 

3. Ask the right questions: When negotiating discounts, certain phrases, and questions can help you achieve the desired outcome. Some good examples are: “All I have in my budget is X”, and ‘I’ll give you X if we can close this deal now”, or “Is that the best you can do?”

4. Talk to the right person: There is no point in trying to negotiate with someone who simply cannot authorize a discount. If you find out the person you’re speaking to cannot offer you a discounted price, reach out to the decision-maker such as a manager, that has the power to authorize a discount.

5. Give them a solid reason: This one works particularly well in the case of B2B and SaaS businesses. Instead of simply demanding a discount, you can offer something valuable in return, such as writing a review, providing a referral, or being willing to showcase your business as a case study.

6. Take advantage of early payment discounts: In many industries providing early payment discounts is standard practice. Vendors can get paid sooner which accelerates cash flow and reduces the risk of late payment or nonpayment. That is why offering to pay early can be a great way to get discounts. 

7. Mention a competitor’s lower price: Don’t be afraid to point out a competitor’s lower rate. Lots of companies are actually willing to provide discounts if you can prove their competitors are offering cheaper prices. A little research beforehand will tell you whether the retailer’s prices are reasonable. 

8. Go for extras: If you can’t get a desirable discount, think about what sort of extras would be relatively painless for the seller to offer you instead – free delivery, free installation, a free upgrade, etc. Very often businesses are already prepared to offer these perks since they are cheaper than lowering the price but still make the customer happy.

9. Keep a polite tone: Try to have a polite, respectful, and positive approach during the bargaining process. Nobody wants to help a rude and pushy person, but most vendors will want to help out a nice, friendly person in any way they can. 

10. Be ready to walk away: Don’t be afraid to simply walk away if you are not getting the price you want. While it’s usually more expensive to attract new customers, companies may be willing to go the extra mile to retain existing customers, especially when they realize they are about to churn. 

Discount request email templates for consumers

When it comes to asking for a discount from a business either as a prospect or as a loyal customer, there are two critical things to remember: have a polite, positive, and professional tone, and providing a good explanation as to why you cannot afford the quoted price (or why you believe accepting your discount request would be beneficial for both parties). Here are some examples of discount request templates that you can use: 

Common discount inquiry email

General discount request 

Specific discount request 

Tips for responding to customer discount requests 

No matter what products or services you offer, you’re likely to come across prospects or existing customers asking for discounts that you haven’t planned to provide. However, simply agreeing to provide a discount demonstrates that your product/ service isn’t worth your asking price and starts your customer relationship off on the wrong foot. Here are some tips on how you can effectively negotiate discount requests towards a win-win outcome and respond in a professional way:

• Ask the prospect why paying the stated price is an issue for them to find out whether asking for a discount is a part of their standard negotiation strategy, or if they really cannot afford your product at the quoted price.
• Acknowledge the request but move the conversation away from price by explaining how your product/ service offers more value than those of your competitors and by emphasizing your product’s benefits.
• Deny the discount request but increase the value of the deal by providing some extra perks for the proposed price (e.g. free add-ons, extended warranty, free training, etc.)
• Agree to a discount while altering the terms of the deal (such as increasing the order size, changing the scope of the order, lengthening the contract, etc.)
• Agree to provide a discount only if you are receiving an obvious benefit in return (longer contract, large down payment, case study, referral, review, etc.)
• If you are prepared to offer a discount, ask what they feel would be an appropriate discount and see if their request is reasonable and acceptable to your business.
• If you cannot satisfy a customer’s request and cannot offer a discount, make sure to explain why your pricing is justified and why that’s your company’s policy.

Discount request-response email templates

Use the following email templates as guides whenever you need to reply to customers asking for a discount.

Negotiating a discount request #1

Negotiating a discount request #2

Rejecting a discount request #1

Rejecting a discount request #2

Accepting a discount request #1

Accepting a discount request #2

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