What's the impact of discounts on brand perception?

As a direct-to-consumer fashion brand, I've wrestled with the double-edged sword of discounting for years. Initially, I thought slashing prices would drive sales, but I quickly realized it's far more nuanced. Every time we ran a blanket 'SALE' campaign, our conversion rates would spike momentarily, but our brand's perceived value seemed to erode. Customers started expecting discounts, waiting for the next promotional period instead of purchasing at full price. It felt like we were training our audience to devalue our products. I noticed our most loyal customers became discount hunters, and new customers seemed less impressed by our brand's quality. The constant discounting was creating a perception that our products weren't worth their original price. I needed a smarter approach—one that could create genuine urgency without cheapening our brand's reputation or turning our pricing strategy into a constant negotiation.