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I have watched this pattern repeat. Sales feel slow. Panic kicks in. An organiser blasts out 20% off to the entire list.
The bump comes, but next time fewer people buy without waiting for the same deal. Discounts shape perception, and perception is everything when building your brand.
Research backs this up. A study from Cotinga shows that “sale proneness” develops when discounts are used too broadly. Customers anchor to the lower price and lose willingness to pay full value. Sciative reports that 76% of consumers believe too many discounts damage brand reputation. McKinsey found excessive promotions can slash margins by 30%. That is not sustainable.
From my perspective, universal discounts kill flexibility. Once buyers expect the lowest available price, you become stuck. You lose the ability to raise prices without churn. Worse, price-sensitive attendees rarely stick around to become repeat community members. You want loyalty built on value, not on discounts that signal desperation.
Key takeaways for organisers:
The events I see thrive are the ones using discounts as a precise tool, not a blunt instrument.
Discounts should be treated like a scalpel, not a hammer. When organisers use precise incentives tied to clear goals, the results are stronger revenue and stronger brand perception. Blanket discounts erode trust. Surgical discounting builds loyalty. The benefit is simple. You protect your value while still driving the behaviours that matter.
From my experience, the best organisers issue codes only when they want to reward specific actions. That could be early commitment, VIP loyalty, or group bookings. Targeted strategies increase sales without devaluing the core ticket.
When everyone receives the same deal, perception shifts to cheapness. With surgical discounting you avoid that trap. You retain control over both workflow and brand experience. Discounting then becomes a tool to reward loyalty instead of a signal of desperation.
The lesson is clear. Targeted incentives align with growing loyalty and long term reputation. They give organisers flexibility across ticket types, membership offers, and hybrid events. You should own that control, not let discounts own you.
Cotinga’s research shows that frequent discounting reshapes how people perceive value. Buyers assume lower prices reflect lower quality. They experience cognitive dissonance when they realise timing or loyalty does not matter because everyone gets the same deal. That undermines trust and trains audiences to sit back and wait instead of committing early.
I see this constantly. Organisers blast promotions, fill the room, then find customers reluctant to return unless another discount appears. At that point the audience is made of bargain hunters, not loyal fans.
Sciative reports that 76% of consumers believe too many discounts damage a brand’s reputation. That aligns perfectly with what I have observed across ticketing platforms over the last decade.
Blanket discounts may boost volume today, but they silently eat away at brand equity tomorrow. I have always believed it is better to nurture true fans who value the experience, even at slightly lower capacity, rather than chase short-term full houses filled with discount-driven churn.
From my own journey building Eventcube, I’ve seen first-hand how blanket discounts erode value. The fix is not more short-term sales. It is regaining control through tools that let organisers shape their brand on their own terms.
That is why we built Eventcube to deliver branded ticketing that keeps your identity front and centre, direct payouts that protect cash flow, complete data ownership, flexible workflows to adapt on the fly, and attendee experiences that feel consistent whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid.
These are not nice-to-haves. They are the framework for sustainable growth.
I say this not just as a technologist, but as someone who has dedicated years to helping creators protect their revenue and reputation.
Stop training your audience to wait for discounts. Start building habits that protect your value while rewarding loyalty. The shift takes commitment, but the longer you wait, the harder it is to reset expectations.
Take control of your brand and revenue today. Explore how Eventcube can help.
