We stopped giving launch discounts. Here's what we do instead.

The easiest way to launch a new product is to put a percentage off on it. It's also one of the fastest ways to teach people that your full price isn't real.

At Rimore, our linen clothing label, we've moved away from launch discounts. Here's why, and what we do instead.

What a launch discount really says

A discount on day one sends three messages you didn't mean to send:

• "This isn't worth the price." If it were, why cut it before anyone's tried it?
• "Wait and you'll get a deal." The next launch, people hold off for the code.
• "We're like every other brand." Everyone runs a launch sale. It's forgettable.

For a small brand trying to look trusted and premium, that's a lot to give away for one busy weekend.

What we do instead: reward being early

The thing to reward isn't price-sensitivity. It's loyalty and speed. So instead of making the product cheaper, we make being early feel special.

1. Insiders hear first

New pieces go to our closest followers before the public. They get first access, and the public hears later. Nobody's price changes. What they get is to be first.

2. A small gift, not a smaller price

For our next launch, instead of a discount, a limited number of linen tote bags go to the earliest buyers: some to insiders who order before the public launch, the rest to anyone who orders in the first hours after it. The gift fits the brand, people use it and remember it, and the price of the product stays the price.

3. Calm words, no countdown

We don't use "hurry!", fake timers or exclamation marks. If something is limited, we say so once, plainly. People can tell the difference between real scarcity and a marketing trick.

"But don't discounts drive sales?"

In the short term, often yes. The question is what they cost you later. We still have a clearance section for pieces that won't come back, and that's an honest reason to sell for less. What we avoid is discounting new things just to make a launch look busy.

How to try this on your own launch

1. Pick an insider group. Your WhatsApp list, a broadcast channel, past buyers. People who chose to hear from you.
2. Give them a head start. A day early is enough.
3. Choose a small, useful gift that fits your brand, and cap how many you give.
4. Say it once, calmly. What's new, who gets it first, what early buyers get.
5. Keep the price where it belongs.

The short version

Don't make new things cheaper. Make being early feel good. Your first fans get a head start and a small thank-you, and your price keeps meaning something.

Read the full Rimore story for what else worked.