# Promotions and Discount Decisions

> A discount can increase order volume while reducing margin, changing customer expectations or attracting buyers who will not return at full price. Define the goal before choosing the discount type and amount.

- Type: Merchant guide
- Level: Intermediate
- Reading time: About 4 minutes
- Audience: Written for store owners, builders, and designers refining high-performance ecommerce stores.
- Last updated: 2026-11-04
- Canonical page: https://academy.getzenbasket.com/merchant-questions/promotions-and-discount-decisions/
- Part of: [Merchant Questions](https://academy.getzenbasket.com/merchant-questions/) on ZenBasket Academy

---

## What you need to know

### Why might a discount fail?

A discount does not fix a product page that fails to explain the product, a checkout with a broken payment method, or a price that is already competitive. Investigate the actual cause of low conversion before applying a price reduction.

### How should the offer be displayed?

State the discount amount or percentage, the qualifying conditions and the expiry date. A vague or incomplete offer creates confusion at checkout and may increase abandonment rather than reduce it.

### How often should a sale run?

Frequent or permanent sales train shoppers to wait rather than buy at full price. A promotion with a genuine occasion and clear end date is more effective than one that appears continuous.

### What to check in your store

Define the goal of the promotion in one sentence before publishing it. Record the order count, average order value and returning customer rate during and after the period.

---

## Frequently asked questions

### Percent or fixed amount?

A fixed amount is often clearer for small totals; a percentage can be clearer for higher-value items. Use whichever communicates the saving most simply for your price range.

### Where do I create promotions?

Use the verified ZenBasket promotions settings and test each discount type — percentage, fixed, free shipping — with a real order before publishing.

## Related articles

- **Honest Urgency and Stock Messages**
- **Ecommerce Prices and Total Cost**
- [ZenBasket Build Guide](https://help.getzenbasket.com/zenbasket-builder/)