1.0Smart Tan Newshttps://news.smarttan.comrich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="y97h0JuAhx"><a href="https://news.smarttan.com/index.php/free-better-discount/">Is Free Better than a Discount?</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://news.smarttan.com/index.php/free-better-discount/embed/#?secret=y97h0JuAhx" width="600" height="338" title="“Is Free Better than a Discount?” — Smart Tan News" data-secret="y97h0JuAhx" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://news.smarttan.com/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js /* ]]> */ </script> https://news.smarttan.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Coupons-1-3-17.jpg13621000Of course free is better for the customer, but it may also make for a more effective promotion in the long-run than a discount, according to research. A study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that offering a discount devalues a product significantly in the minds of consumers, while offering something free as a promotion has little affect on the perceived value. Consumers that received free bread sticks as a promotion from a pizzeria said they would be willing to pay $5.06 for them once the promotion was over – just slightly less than their perceived value without the promotion. On the other hand, consumers who received the breadsticks at a discounted price of 50 cents were only willing to pay $2.76 post-promotion. So, keep in mind that offering steep discounts may boost sales in the short term, but could actually be a losing proposition if it decreases the perceived value of your services and products in the minds of your clients. Instead of offering discounts, try adding value by throwing in a freebie add-on. If the freebie is paired with a high-end product or service, it could actually increase the perceived value of the free product moving forward. Click here to read more about the study.