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Stop Discounting Everyone the Same Way: Expert Strategies for Profitable eCommerce Growth
By Chidinma Itsuokor
Every eCommerce brand wants the same thing in 2026: more revenue and healthier margins. But too many are still chasing growth with blanket discounts and reactive campaigns that quietly eat into profits. The brands pulling ahead are the ones getting strategic about how they use promotions, where they invest in conversion optimization, and which channels they lean into for growth versus profitability.
Have a Clear Promotions Strategy (Before You Need One)
One of Dan's strongest points was about clarity. Too many brands don't have a stated position on discounting. He shared two contrasting examples: one was Radley, the premium handbag brand, which came to RevLifter knowing they were over-discounting and needed to pull back strategically without tanking conversion rates. The other was a successful brand that had never run a single promotion but recognised that with ambitious growth targets, they'd eventually need to start.
Both positions are valid. What doesn't work is having no position at all. Whether you're a premium brand that rarely discounts or a value-driven retailer that leans into promotions, the key is to be intentional about when and to whom you offer incentives. Dan's advice: Going cold turkey on discounts usually crashes your conversion rate. Pulling back gradually while getting smarter about targeting is the path that protects both brand and revenue.
Chloe reinforced this with a reference to a recent conversation with Gymshark's former CMO, who emphasised that scaling from eight figures upwards demands clarity on your approach to promotions, markets, channels, and products. If you're not making those strategic decisions, you're leaving growth on the table.
Separate Demand Capture from Demand Creation
Jamie delivered one of the session's most actionable insights for marketing teams. Her advice: make sure you're separating demand capture from demand creation in your marketing spend. Too many brands assume that scaling ad spend automatically equals more revenue, without examining where that money is actually going.
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