What does that discount actually cost you?
A 20% discount usually needs nearly double the customers just to stand still
Price Change Simulator calculator
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Profit per sale as price moves
Disclaimer: Results are estimates provided for informational purposes only. They do not guarantee revenue, profit or growth and do not constitute financial, investment or legal advice. Results depend on assumptions and available inputs, and you remain responsible for your business decisions.
Why owners get this backwards
Discounts feel small and price rises feel dangerous. The arithmetic says the opposite — and this is the most immediately profitable calculation in the set.
Profit per sale
Price minus cost to deliver. Discounts come out of this number, not out of revenue — which is why they bite so hard.
Volume needed
Old profit ÷ new profit. If a discount halves your profit per sale, you need twice the customers to earn the same money.
What you can afford to lose
On a price rise, this is the share of customers you could lose and still make the same money. It is usually far higher than owners expect.
Below cost
If the new price is under your delivery cost, every extra sale loses money. No amount of volume can fix a negative margin.
The discount trap
Discounting to win volume works only if the volume actually arrives — and it rarely arrives in the multiples the maths demands.
The quiet upside
Most businesses can raise prices by 10–15% and lose almost nobody, because switching costs and inertia are real.