Discount is a business means of attracting customers and enhancing their desire of purchasing．But now discount is losing its appeal after years’ craze about it．
There have baan several reasons for this．For one thing,customers are more mature and sensible．They are more careful about their money and have a more reasonable budget．So it is not so easy for sellers to persuade them to purchase some useless things for the sake of discount．For another,customers begin to suspect what is behind the attractive appearance of discount．As We can see,most stores claim they are offering a discount almost every day．How much are the items on sale really worth? And how much money may the sellers earn if they sell at original prices? Therefore discount seems to them more like deception than a good bargain．
In my view,discount is not a cure-all for sellers．As customers and the market become increasingly mature,the sellers have to adapt themselves to the change from a customer—oriented point of view．
As a crucial part of pricing strategy,discount must be managed from a strategic view. However,according to a survey, less than a quarter of financial executives keep track with the total amount of negotiated discount given;almost none measure how these discount are distributed accross various coutomer segments and over time.
To cultivate discount awareness and discipline,managers shoule start by asking themselves the following questions:
1.Are discount being invested in customer segments or product categories with greatest strategic value?
2.Do discount levels associated with a particular customer segments or product categories vary widely, beyond what can be attributed to the differences in deal size?
3.Are discount levels fairly consistent over time,or do they rise sharply at the end of the quarter?
4.Is excessive discount