This week my YouTube stream is overflown with Sephora spring sale recommendations, so discounts, sales and offers are on my mind. I know that most of my readers slowed down in their quest for new perfumes, especially when it comes to full bottles acquisitions. But let’s talk in general of what seems interesting or significant enough to consider a purchase.
Saturday Question #210:
What Percentage Off Would Motivate You to Make a Purchase?
Let’s not talk about one-of-a-kind bargains, eBay finds or insanely discounted blind buys. But when it comes to regular stores, specialized online perfume boutiques or brands’ sites, what would incentivize you enough to buy perfume that you had on your wish list for some time?
Bonus – the same question but about skincare, beauty and makeup.
My Answer
As I said, Sephora was on my mind. My friend was supposed to share with me her Rouge status, and I was contemplating (strictly necessary!) purchases with her great 20% off discount… when we discovered that her status had elapsed before that sale. That was a disappointment! But after some considerations, I realized that 15% that I could get with my own status wasn’t that much worse, and I would end up spending probably just $5-7 dollars more. Still, before settling for “mere” 15%, I looked around to make sure that I couldn’t do better somewhere else. And while many brands offer the same 15% and sometimes even 20% for the first purchase, usually one has to spend $50+ to get a free shipping. And since each of the items that I planned to buy was under that threshold, placing separate orders at brands’ sites would end up costing more then buying everything at Sephora, which I did. None of the few items I bought was perfume-related (if not to count a free sample that I chose but might not get if they run out of those), but it made me think about discounts when it comes to getting perfumes.
I realized that my expectations and valuation of offers and discounts heavily depend on what I think is possible. I remember hunting 6 months for free shipping from the brand that usually didn’t offer either discounts or free shipping and being ecstatic when I managed to get it. On the other hand, if I know that some sites do 20% off once in a while, I would be patiently waiting to get that discount not being tempted by anything less. And for sites and brands that never do site-wide sales, I would be checking for some bundle or extra samples offer because it feels wrong to pay the full price and not to get anything “extra” – even if I don’t need it.
So, both for perfumes and beauty items that I plan to buy anyway, any discount is good and enough to push my decision – as long as I think that it’s the best I can do before I need to use it (if I’m running out of some beauty items) or have to buy it (if perfume is getting harder to get or being discontinued).
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
Niche Essence in Canada used to do 35% off around Thanksgiving, and that always motivated me to buy some pricey scents I couldn’t normally afford. That’s how I got one of my Dusita’s and an Amouage. But they haven’t done it the last couple of years. I need 20% to motivate me, and in fact, the only thing that will make me buy without a 20% or at least 15% discount is if they are offering a nice gift. My status on Sephora is down to 10%, so I’m not very motivated by their sale, for perfume anyway. What were you wanting to buy there?
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I don’t buy perfumes from Sephora. My basket these days is mostly filled with hair products (I’m trying to figure out the best leave-in conditioner and repair products for my hair). And sometimes I buy makeup. And 15% isn’t too bad for those items since I can’t buy them all in one place.
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Hey Undina,
Just this week I was pushed over the edge into a purchase because an Aussie brand had a 40% off sale due to an overorderwng mix up.
YAY!
So you might know money is tight this year because I’m paying for and OFF stuff. This was too good to bypass though so I grabbed some 10mls and a sample set to give to my goddaughter.
Without that discount I’d never have bought any of it this year.
Portia x
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Do you mind saying what brand? I’m here in Aus for a few more days!
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Oh yes Cynthia,
no problem
Who Is Elijah.
https://whoiselijah.com.au/collections/scents
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ah, ok, thanks!
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40% off is a good incentive: I would have been tempted too.
I’m currently testing
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(hit Reply by mistake)
… the brand that you mentioned: they had a promotion on IG, and I jumped.
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Like you, my threshold is a bit relative to what I think is possible. Usually 20%, but around Black Friday, for example, I might expect a bigger discount. Sometimes this can come in the form of a higher than usual percentage cash back from a widget like Rakuten. Then again, if it’s something that doesn’t normally go on sale and I really want it, a smaller discount will work too.
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I forgot about Rakuten! I got some great deals with them on Black Fridays. Sometimes combined with store discounts I was getting 40% off. But has anyone else ever had trouble with not being credited their Rakuten cash back? I had trouble with Saks Fifth Avenue and Tatcha.
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I’m using 3 different cash back sites, and I had issues with each of them one time or the other. I follow up if it’s worth fighting for, and usually I can get what I expected.
TopCashback is the most accurate for me so far, and it gives me the best % for those sites that I use (if you don’t use it, let me know if you can’t find a better deal, and I’ll send you a link and benefit from you signing up ;) ).
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We’re so rational! :)
I also use cash back sites, but I never make any purchases based on the promised cash back because 1) it’s not guaranteed and 2) it’ll happen in 3+ months.
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20 to 25% off is often the best possible discount offer for perfumes, so that motivates me when I see it. BeautyHabit has 20% off sales a few times during the year so I usually wait for the sale to buy perfumes and candles they sell, like Parfums de Nicolai and Diptyque. I also get some good offers from brands when I sign up to receive emails from them. Armani had a great offer before Christmas. If you spent $150 on perfume you got another regular sized bottle completely free. I got the Armani Prive The Yulong I wanted and sold the Armani Si I received as my free bottle.
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I’m tempted by brands’ sales only if I qualify for a free shipping. I realize that someone has to pay for it, I just don’t want to be that someone :)
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Unless I think I can’t do better or I’m desperate/in a hurry, 20-25% off is my threshold.
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Sounds reasonable. But I wonder: how often does it happen that you ARE in a hurry? :)
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I say 20% but of course higher is better! I also used to be motivated when there’s a nice gift; however, these days, I prefer cash savings.
Last year, I was flabbergasted to discover that I did not make Sephora Rouge and I went to the store to see what’s what. As it turned out, I was a few dollars off and they adjusted it so my status was reinstated.
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I don’t think this year I would have made Rouge anyway, but not having those extra 5% off during the two main sales make me buy from Sephora even less. Vicious cycle! :)
When buying perfumes, % off is a much better motivator for me too. But whatever it comes to skincare, a good GWP might still persuade me.
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I’ve been seeing a lot of the Sephora sale, too, and kind of wanted a small jar of La Mer. But at ten percent off here in Canada there’s still a 15 percent tax on everything. God, this government is rapacious when it comes to tax. So I think 25 percent is nice. This is not based on science or rational thought-just what I’d like to have happen lol. I was going to try and not buy any perfume this year but there were a couple of Hermes colognes getting discontinued, and my brother wanted a bottle of L’artisan Parfumeur For d’Absinthe. L’artisan seems to be leaving the Canadian market place so I bought him the Fou, and bought Histories d’Oranger for me. I had an offer for buy one get one 20 % off . It has to be pretty special for me to add to my collection cause I know I have enough to get me through two lifetimes. Colognes I can make a case for-they’re just part of good grooming, like toothpaste :)
I did luck into a really good sale at a bicycle store yesterday and bought a few things-my favourite was a light for the back of my bike. Not only does it light up to make me more visible to traffic-it also projects two parallel lines that extend 0.5 m on either side of me, to make me even more visible and give some drivers an idea of how much space we’re allowed on the road. We’re supposed to be given 1.0 M clearance, but that’s rare. I do find drivers here are considerate, especially if you’re visible. Sorry-I know this is about fragrance-I was excited about my find :)
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I don’t bike – and still I got excited about your find! :)
I noticed that some brands were leaving the US market (or seriously limiting their presence). Annick Goutal is hard to find these days. And Atelier Cologne is no more in the US.
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Ever since Covid 19 times the Black Friday discounts are not interesting anymore. Recenty they only give free shipping or offer 100 ml bottles at a 10% discount. I dislike 100 ml bottles except for the few perfumes I want to have in my collection forever so usually that means nothing to me. I buy online when there is at least a 25% discount.
Sometimes there are items I can live without and they stay on my wish list forever and then suddenly I get reminded with a mail that they are on discount. Then I mostly go for it.
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10% off is almost nothing :( Still, better than nothing since it offsets the local sales tax (which is almost 10% these days), but it wouldn’t entice me – unless I planned to pay full price anyway.
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I would agree with many here, Undina. 20% is a great starting point, but I’ve seem more at times.
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When it comes to discounts, more is more. Always. :)
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