The Most Effective Discount Percentage for Shopify

There is no single most effective discount percentage, but about two thirds of percentage campaigns in Discounty use between 10% and 30%, and 20% is the most common choice. Across percentage campaigns Shopify stores have run through Discounty, the median is 20% and the average is about 28%, pulled up by the 16% of campaigns at 50% off or more. The right number for you depends on your margin, your goal and your customer.

Which discount percentages do stores actually use?

Across percentage campaigns in Discounty:

In Discounty, about two thirds of percentage campaigns sit between 10% and 30%. Deeper cuts are less common and usually kept for clearance and big sale weeks.

Is 10% off a good deal?

For a small nudge, yes. It works for a first order, a newsletter signup, or a product that already sells. 13% of percentage campaigns use exactly 10%. It is less likely to move a shopper who was not already interested.

Is 15% off a good deal?

Yes. It reads as a real offer and costs less margin than 20%. 11% of percentage campaigns use exactly 15%, and it is often used for welcome codes.

Is 20% off a good deal?

Usually. 20% is the most common value, used by 19% of percentage campaigns, and the median. It is only too much when your margin is thin: on a product with a 40% margin, 20% off gives away half the profit on that sale.

Is 30% off or more a good deal?

For a seasonal sale or clearance, yes. 12% of percentage campaigns use exactly 30%, and 26% go above it. Past 30%, check the margin first, and keep deep cuts rare. Eric Anderson and Duncan Simester found in field experiments with a mail-order retailer that deeper discounts led established customers to buy less later, while new customers bought more (Marketing Science, 2004).

Does a percentage or a dollar amount work better?

It depends on the price. Jonah Berger's Rule of 100 (Contagious, 2013): under $100, a percentage looks bigger; over $100, a dollar amount does. 25% off a $20 shirt reads bigger than $5 off; $500 off a $2,000 laptop reads bigger than 25% off. See fixed amount vs percentage discounts.

Show the original price next to the sale price, too. The first price a shopper sees sets the scale for the next one, which Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman called anchoring (Science, 1974). See price anchoring.

How do you choose the right discount percentage?

1. Start from your margin. Work out the profit left at each depth. At a 50% margin, 20% off needs about 67% more units to make the same profit.
2. Match it to the goal. A first order or a signup: 10% to 15%. A seasonal sale: 20% to 30%. Clearing old stock: deeper, on those products only.
3. Look at what your market is used to. If competitors run 30% every month, 10% may not register.
4. Consider a different offer. In the Baymard Institute's cart abandonment research, extra costs such as shipping are the most common reason shoppers abandon a checkout. Free shipping over a threshold can do more than a few more points off.
5. Test two depths. Run 15% on one group of products and 25% on a similar group, with a third at full price, and compare profit. This is also how you find which percentage converts best for your store. Our guide to testing a discount strategy has the steps.

What else changes how a percentage performs?

• Tiers. "10% off two, 15% off three" asks for a bigger order in return. 19% of all campaigns in Discounty are quantity or cart goal discounts.
• A deadline. 12% of all Discounty campaigns show a countdown timer. Use one only when the end date is real.
• No code. An automatic discount or a sale price applies without the shopper typing anything.

To undo a Discounty campaign, deactivate it. It shows as Reverting while Discounty removes the discount; for a Bulk price editor campaign, that puts the prices back.

How we counted

The percentage shares, median and average are taken across percentage campaigns that Shopify stores created in Discounty, read from our own records in September and October 2026. The tier and countdown shares are taken across all Discounty campaigns, read on 9 October 2026. They are shares across campaigns; no single store can be identified from them. The margin examples are arithmetic. The research and the Rule of 100 come from the sources named in the text.

Questions

What is the most effective discount percentage?

There is no single number. In Discounty, about two thirds of percentage campaigns use 10% to 30%, and 20% is both the most common choice and the median.

Is 20 percent off a good deal?

Usually. It is the most common percentage stores choose, and big enough to notice. Check your margin first.

Is 15 percent off a good deal?

Yes. It reads as a real offer and costs less margin than 20%.

Which discount percentage drives the highest conversion rate?

It depends on the product and the shopper, so test it. Run two depths at the same time on similar products, with a group at full price, and compare profit, not only sales.

What discount works for a first-time buyer?

10% to 15% is a common choice. It is enough to earn the first order without teaching new customers to expect deep cuts.