Discounts are lazy marketing – and they’re training your customers to leave.
Every time you run a sale, you reinforce the idea that your product is only worth buying when it’s cheaper. You’re not building loyalty – you’re bribing attention. And attention earned through bribery always fades the moment someone offers a better deal.
The brands that thrive long-term don’t sell with discounts. They sell with something deeper: Narrative Retention – the art of making your customer stay for the story, not the savings.
Here’s how the best brands turn storytelling into customer loyalty.
1. Tell a Story Bigger Than the Product
The most enduring brands sell more than a product – they sell a purpose.
Apple doesn’t market “phones.” It sells the idea of challenging the status quo. When you tap into an emotional narrative, customers want to belong – not just buy.
Donald Miller, bestselling author of Building a StoryBrand, teaches that the brand is the guide, not the hero. Your job is to help the customer succeed in their own story, not boast about yours.
People don’t buy products – they buy a version of themselves. And if they see themselves in your story, they’ll come back to hear how it ends.
2. Use Email Like a Journal, Not a Promotion Tab
Most eCommerce brands treat email like a coupon dispenser.
Instead, treat it like a journal. Write about founder moments, behind-the-scenes decisions, and customer transformations. This builds emotional equity – far more valuable than one-time clicks.
Joanna Wiebe, the founder of Copyhackers and one of the sharpest minds in conversion copywriting, teaches that effective emails are felt before they’re clicked.
Empathy leads. Sales follow.
Because when people connect with your words, they stick around for your message.
If your emails make people feel seen, they won’t care if there’s a discount – they’ll care that it’s you writing.
3. How Three Ships Beauty Boosted Retention by Dropping Discounts
Three Ships Beauty used to run flash sales nearly every other week. Like many early-stage DTC brands, they believed discounts were the fastest way to get repeat purchases.
Then they stopped – and took a risk.
They launched an email series titled, “Things We Never Told You About Your Skin.” Each email was a founder-written story about ingredient sourcing, childhood acne, and why they refused to sell through Amazon.
It wasn’t polished. It was real.
Open rates jumped. Replies poured in. Return customers increased by 28%. Why? Because people don’t remember coupons. They remember characters. They remember honesty.
They came for the serum. They stayed for the story.
So the question is: What story are you telling between purchases?
4. Stop Selling Products. Start Selling Identity.
Products are forgettable – identity isn’t.
Customers buy things that affirm who they believe they are (or want to be). Nike sells grit. Patagonia sells integrity. Your brand should sell something bigger.
Seth Godin, who introduced the idea of “tribes” in marketing, explains that people buy based on values and belonging. This is the core of Narrative Retention: your customer isn’t buying what you offer – they’re buying who it helps them become.
When your brand becomes part of someone’s identity, they don’t just buy from you. They advocate for you.
And not a single discount was needed.
If you want loyal customers, stop giving them reasons to wait for your next sale. Start giving them a story they want to be part of.
Because it’s not the price that keeps them – it’s the meaning, the message, and the way your brand makes them feel.
Discounts fade. Stories stick.
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.