Your Shopify discounts are costing more than your ads, and nobody is watching them.
Kurt and Paul answer the discount questions merchants are actually posting: the Combines With checkbox that erased $2,000 of margin in one morning, influencer codes on Honey, welcome codes reused by fresh Gmail accounts, and whether free shipping beats 20% off. Then the Black Friday half: the September fix list before code freeze, and what three consecutive Black Fridays of gift-with-purchase data say about thresholds, gift size, and who takes the gift.
SPONSORS
Swym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more: getswym.com/kurt
Cleverific - Smart order editing for Shopify: cleverific.com
Zipify - Build high-converting sales funnels: zipify.com/KURT
In this episode:
1. Discounts as a cost center: why they deserve the attention you give ROAS
2. The $2K Combines With loss, and the checkbox that tried to warn him
3. Influencer codes on coupon sites: caps, gifts, and 12-month expiries
4. Welcome code abuse: "I raised my price $10 and my welcome discount is $10. Solved."
5. Free shipping vs discount codes, and the number you need before you can answer
6. September prep: SEO metadata, alt text, accessibility, Core Web Vitals, discount audit
7. Three Black Fridays, one $50 threshold, $100 carts
8. Gifts skew to returning customers, free shipping to new ones
9. The split strategy: free shipping code for first-timers, gift for everyone else
10. Threshold and gift-size math
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:31 ChatGPT referrals: the parts and bedsheet exceptions
2:32 Black Friday is coming
3:33 Mailbag: the $2K Combines With checkbox
6:24 Discounts are a cost center nobody budgets
6:49 Influencer codes on Honey
10:27 Always set an expiry
10:58 Welcome code abuse and the $10 fix
13:19 Free shipping vs discount codes
16:20 Contribution margin
16:34 The free shipping code trick
17:14 Black Friday prep: the September checklist
19:44 Core Web Vitals
21:09 Audit your discount codes
21:40 Three Black Fridays of gift data
23:33 Gifts go to returning customers
24:18 Free shipping for new, gifts for returning
24:58 Threshold and gift-size rules
26:42 Where to get the reports
GUEST LINKS
All three research reports: https://ethercycle.com/report
Q4 gift-with-purchase report: https://promoparty.app/bfcm-gift-with-purchase/
Promo Party Pro: [EDITOR: App Store URL]
WORK WITH KURT
Apply for Shopify Help: ethercycle.com/apply
See Our Results: ethercycle.com/work
Free Newsletter: kurtelster.com
The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.
