The Discounting of Discounts and Promotion Thresholds

Abstract
This study examines consumers' response to retailers' price promotions. It shows that consumers discount the price discounts. It also suggests that the discounting of discounts and changes in purchase intention depend on the discount level, store image, and whether the product advertised is a name brand or a store brand. The study goes one step further to investigate the existence of promotion thresholds. We use experimental data and an econometric methodology to gather empirical evidence that consumers do not change their intentions to buy unless the promotional discount is above a threshold level. This threshold point differs for name brands and store brands. Specifically, we find that the threshold for a name brand is lower than that for a store brand. In other words, stores can attract consumers by offering a small discount on name brands while a larger discount is needed for a similar effect for a store brand. The study also indicates the existence of a promotion saturation point above which the effect of discounts on changes in consumers' purchase intention is minimal. These results confirm consumers' S-shaped response to promotions.