The Unofficial Shopify Podcast What Discounts Actually Make People Buy (Study)
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Nov 25, 2025 Cara Marin, an e-commerce product expert at Seguno, shares groundbreaking insights from analyzing 162,000 discount code sets. She reveals that successful brands discount more intelligently with unique codes and segmentation, preserving their value while boosting sales. Surprisingly, a 10% discount can be almost as effective as 20%. Cara also discusses strategies like gift-with-purchase offers, avoiding public discounts, and the power of unique codes for tracking affiliate success. Her data-driven approach turns traditional discount strategies on their head, making this a must-listen for retailers.
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20% Is The Sweet Spot (10% Close Second)
- The single most popular percent-off was 20% and the second most popular was 10% across 162,000 discount code sets.
- Cara Marin highlights that 20% feels like the sweet spot while 10% is commonly used and less offensive to customers.
Big Brands Discount More, Smarter
- Larger brands issue unique discount codes more frequently than smaller brands and use them to avoid devaluing their storefront.
- Unique codes let brands target offers by segment and preserve perceived brand value while still driving conversions.
Make Welcome Offers Unique
- Replace a blanket welcome code with a unique one to force email/SMS opt-ins and enable nurturing.
- Generate one-time unique welcome codes so subscribers exchange contact info for the discount.