It’s Not All About Deals: Examples of Companies That Don’t Do Email Discounts
Discounts and email marketing have become synonymous. It’s hard to imagine one without the other. Yet some companies refuse to offer email discounts. Many luxury brands eschew discounts in any marketing channel.
Yet these companies haven’t gone belly-up. Quite the opposite. They are marketing,… making sales… and making money. Let’s take a look at a few of these email marketing anomalies.
Apple
According to CFO magazine, Apple allows for little to no discounting. CEO Tim Cook was quoted as saying, “It’s up to us to convince people to maybe spend a little more for a materially better experience of product. And we think that people will do that if the product is great and if it’s messaged appropriately.”
In the following email, Apple is unapologetic about its pricing. While a $1499 price tag may be off-putting to some (and that’s the starting price), Apple’s attitude is basically take it or leave it. And more and more people are taking it, as Apple leads in the U.S. smartphone market and has about 25 percent market share in computers.
Cartier
While other companies are tripping over each other to offer holiday discounts, Cartier goes for the emotional sell. This email touts “everlasting memories” and “gifts worth treasuring.” Note that the footer refers to “newsletter” subscription as opposed to email” subscription – as do most companies that don’t discount.
Dior
According to an article on LuxuryDaily.com, brands such as Dior don’t focus on selling actual product in their emails (hard to believe, isn’t it?). Instead, as with Cartier, Dior offers a “newsletter” – devoted to branding:
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton also refers to its email communications as a newsletter. Whereas most companies entice you to register with promises of discounts and special offers, such incentives are conspicuously absent from Vuitton’s messaging.
Skin Food
Korean beauty company Skin Food does not offer discount prices on its products. Instead, it rewards its customers with promotions such as its loyalty program, like the one touted on its Malaysian Facebook page:
Tom Ford
Fashion house Tom Ford also is known for its no-discount policy. While other companies greet you with a pop-up for email signup on the home page, Tom Ford’s attitude toward email is reflected in its signup, buried in the footer:
Also missing is any navigation to sale/clearance/discount items… because they don’t exist.
Zappos
Zappos puts the zap on discounts, and states this on its website:
Zappos does not apologize for the dearth of discounts. Instead, it focuses on the positive aspects of its marketing program: free shipping , its return policy and 24/7 customer service.
Companies that avoid discounts in their emails rely on branding. They deliver more than just great products and service. They deliver a brand experience to their subscribers. And those subscribers are a loyal bunch. The rest of us can learn a few lessons from these companies, even though discounts are our bread and butter. If we don’t take time for brand building, we could become toast.