Most e-commerce brands think they have a customer problem. They don’t. They have a discount addiction.
They’re chasing conversions and calling it loyalty. Running sale after sale and wondering why nobody buys at full price. They think they’re driving revenue – but what they’re really doing is eroding trust.
Kristen LaFrance, former Head of Resilient Retail at Shopify, said it best:
“Retention is what happens when you stop marketing and people still come back.”
Let’s talk about why most brands get retention completely wrong – and what the best ones are doing instead.
Discounts teach customers to wait, not to return.
You think you’re giving customers a reason to buy. You’re actually teaching them to pause. To wait. To expect a lower price next week. And once they start waiting, they rarely stop.
Full-price starts to feel overpriced – even if your product is still great. Even if your brand is strong.
Because once the cycle begins, it becomes the brand. You’re not a premium experience. You’re a permanent markdown.
Retention doesn’t start with urgency – it starts with trust.
Your best customers want meaning, not markdowns.
People don’t come back for discounts. They come back for something they believe in.
Your top 5% of customers don’t care about 15% off. They care about values. Aesthetics. Consistency. Feeling like they’re part of something.
They want to support brands that speak to who they are – not just reward them for clicking “Apply Promo Code.”
Loyalty comes from alignment. Not bribery.
The post-purchase moment is your most underused asset.
Most brands go quiet after checkout. That silence is a missed opportunity.
This is the moment when emotion is highest. When the customer is leaning in. They’ve spent money. They’re expecting magic.
And all they get is a shipping confirmation.
Smart brands use that moment. They send a thoughtful message. A behind-the-scenes video. A personalized thank-you. An unexpected surprise.
Kristen LaFrance calls this “the momentum moment.” It’s where buyers become believers. And it’s too powerful to ignore.
BONUS: High-LTV brands focus on experience, not urgency.
Urgency sells fast. Experience sells forever.
The best brands don’t chase conversions. They craft rituals. They obsess over packaging, language, story, tone, and timing.
They make you feel something – so you keep coming back to feel it again.
Because in a sea of discounts, experience is rare.
Discounts Don’t Build Loyalty. Relationships Do.
You can bribe someone to buy once. But you can’t bribe them to care.
Retention isn’t about gaming the system. It’s about earning your place in someone’s life.
If your brand disappeared tomorrow, would anyone notice?
If the answer is no, you know what needs to change.
If this resonated, here’s what to do next:
→ If you’re tired of content that fills space instead of driving sales, let’s talk. Schedule a quick demo.
→ If you’re ready to turn product pages, email flows, landing copy, and more into silent salespeople for your brand, subscribe to either our Unlimited Standard Plan or Unlimited Professional Plan to get started.
Your story deserves better than generic copy.
We make it unforgettable.