Brand Partnerships vs Discounts: How Fashion and Beauty Brands Can Grow Without Reducing Prices

Close to 70% of ecommerce baskets are abandoned. In fashion and beauty, the rate spikes higher, so right now, your checkout needs to be more than a page, it needs to be persuasion.

Most brands reach for the same fix: drop in a discount code. It’s quick, it’s familiar, but it’s also the reason so many customers have learned to wait for a sale instead of buying now. The problem isn’t that they don’t want your product, it’s that nothing at checkout makes them feel like now is the moment to buy.

Some brands are breaking that pattern. Instead of cutting prices, they’re adding value through partnerships that give customers an extra reason to complete the purchase. 

The right offer can tip someone from “maybe later” to “let’s do this” without touching the price tag.

In this blog we will explore:

• Why constant discounting conditions customers to wait for sales and damages brand equity
• How checkout partnerships reduce 70% basket abandonment without price cuts
• Real results: 10-66% improvements in conversions and basket completion rates
• Why customers value gifts more than equivalent discounts
• How to test partnership offers with zero setup costs

Why Discounting Hurts Fashion and Beauty Brands in the Long Run

The constant sale model has conditioned customers to expect discounts. Many now wait for promotions rather than paying full price and over time this reduces the perceived value of your products.

In beauty, we’ve seen major names struggle. Revlon’s bankruptcy in 2022, along with challenges faced by brands like Body Shop, highlighted the risks of over-relying on promotions.

For premium brands constant discounting erodes brand equity, making products feel less exclusive and more like commodities.

How Checkout Partnerships Reduce Basket Abandonment and Boost Conversions

Basket abandonment is one of the biggest leaks in ecommerce revenue. In fashion and beauty, the rate is even higher than the global average, with most shoppers leaving their basket before completing checkout.

A gift with purchase can change that. Instead of lowering the price, you add something of value at the exact decision point. This could be a subscription to a popular app or a free case of wine.

Secret Sales increased basket completion by 66% by offering well-timed, relevant rewards. Customers felt they were getting more for the same spend, not just a reduced price on the same item.

Because partnerships are targeted and easy to adjust, they avoid the brand-wide devaluation that comes with blanket sales.

Data From Other Brands: Why Partnerships Outperform Discounts

Several brands have already put partnership-driven checkout incentives to the test, replacing or reducing discounting to see how customers respond. From premium fashion brands to beauty brands the pattern is consistent: relevant, well-timed rewards close more sales than a blanket percentage-off. And the lift isn’t just in conversions, average order values and repeat purchase rates often rise too.

• Wild achieved a 10% conversion uplift.
• Secret Sales increased their average order value by 14%
• Fussy achieved a 103% increase in basket uplift when a gilt was selected

Unlike discounts, partnership rewards remain effective over time when offers are refreshed. They avoid the plateau effect that comes when customers come to expect permanent price reductions.

Lessons From Vivo Barefoot: Using Partnerships to Speed Up Decisions Without Losing Premium Positioning

When Vivo Barefoot added partnerships to their checkout process, the benefits went beyond conversions. Their audience values sustainability and quality, so pairing offers with compatible brands made sense. A meditation app for mindful living resonated far more than a simple discount code.

The result was faster purchase decisions without sacrificing premium positioning. The incentive supported the brand story rather than undermining it.

For other fashion and beauty brands, the message is clear: your customers connect with your values as much as your products. Partnerships can reinforce that connection.

Why Customers Value Perks and Gifts More Than Price Reductions

A gift worth £50 often feels more valuable than a £50 discount, even though the financial impact is the same. A gift feels like an addition, not a concession.

If you’re buying skincare and see “Buy now and get three months of Headspace free”, you think about the wider benefit, not just the saving. The offer feels relevant and considered, rather than a sign the brand is trying to shift stock.

For the brand hosting the offer, there’s no cost at all the advertiser covers the reward, so you keep every penny of the sale. This low barrier to testing, combined with zero hosting cost, means you can experiment, measure, and adapt quickly. For many brands, once they see the results, partnerships become a permanent part of their conversion strategy.

This is why partnership incentives regularly outperform discounts in controlled tests. They position the brand as aligned with customer needs rather than simply chasing sales volume.

How to Test Checkout Partnerships Without Heavy Development or High Risk

Many teams avoid new tactics because they expect a complex setup. In reality, partnership-driven checkout offers can be launched in days. Vivobarefoot went live through a simple tracking tag, with no lengthy development cycles or complex integrations.

For the brand hosting the offer, there’s no cost at all. The advertiser covers the reward, so you keep every penny of the sale. This low barrier to testing, combined with zero hosting cost, means you can experiment, measure, and adapt quickly. For many brands, once they see the results, partnerships become a permanent part of their conversion strategy.

This low barrier to testing means you can experiment, measure, and adapt quickly. For many brands, once they see the results, partnerships become a permanent part of their conversion strategy.

The Bottom Line: How to Prove Partnerships Work for Your Brand

The best way to know if partnerships can replace some of your discounting is to test them. Run an A/B trial: show a discount to half your checkout traffic and a relevant partnership offer to the other half. Measure conversion rate, average order value, repeat purchase behaviour, and customer feedback.

The results will tell you whether it’s a viable alternative. Brands already using this approach are finding that it protects margins, strengthens brand perception, and drives repeat business.

Stop giving away your margin to make a sale. Start turning abandoned baskets into completed purchases without spending a penny on discounts.

Book a quick call with Tyviso to see how partnerships could work for your checkout.