Discount Code Inspiration: 5 Ways to Use Discounts with Your Booking Software

A discount is only as good as the strategy behind it. Whether you want to shave off a fixed amount or apply a percentage-based reduction, you can create custom codes directly in your Sailia admin dashboard.

Here are five ways that discount codes can increase revenue and build lasting loyalty.

1. Secure the Second Booking 

The best time to secure a second booking is while the memory of the first is still fresh. By setting up an automated follow-up in Sailia, you can strike while the iron is hot.

For instance, a stand-up paddleboard club owner might trigger a "Thanks for paddling!" email 48 hours after a session ends. By offering a time-sensitive 20% discount on their next visit, you transform a one-off explorer into a regular customer before they’ve even dried off.

2. Incentivise Feedback

To gather the insights you need to keep improving your customer experience rating, consider an incentivised offer. At the end of every week, you can use Sailia to message every customer who booked in the last seven days with a short survey.

For example, an outdoor activity centre that offers a discount in exchange for feedback will find their response rates jumping higher than ever before.

3. Grow your Database 

Your mailing list is one of your most valuable assets, and a welcome discount is a great way to grow it. By promoting a sign-up incentive across your website and social media channels, you provide immediate value in exchange for a direct line to your customers.

For example, a tour operator offering a 15% discount to anyone who joins the list before the end of the month can rapidly scale their database and future bookings.

4. Refer a Friend 

Your most loyal and active customers are your best salespeople, so why not give them the tools to promote you? Using Sailia’s marketing and communication channels, you can launch a 'Refer a Friend' campaign targeted at your most active users.

As an example, an archery centre could give top customers a 20% discount code to share with their friends. When their friend signs up, the original referrer receives the same discount, creating a self-sustaining cycle of new business.

5. Influencer Partnerships

Partnering with a creator who aligns with your brand allows you to tap into potentially huge audiences. With the Winter Olympics and Paralympics just finished, a dry ski slope manager might collaborate with a winter sports influencer to offer the code MilanoCortina15, which gives followers a 15% discount and provides you with a direct, trackable way to measure the ROI and success of your partnership.

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Sailia Discount Codes – Feature Deep Dive

Sailia’s discount codes let you reduce the price of bookings and purchases, either by a fixed amount or a percentage from your admin dashboard.

What can a discount apply to?

When you create a discount code, you choose which product types it covers:

• Activities – calendar-based bookings like assault courses or tractor rides.

• Shop products – physical or digital items sold through the shop.

• Add-ons – extras attached to a booking.

• Activity passes – pass-based products.

• Memberships – membership plans.

Three types of discount

• Fixed – takes a set amount off the total.

• Percentage – takes a percentage off the remaining cost.

• Tiered – the discount scales based on how many bookings are in the basket; particularly useful for multi-hour hire deals.

Auto-apply or code entry

When 'Auto-apply' is enabled, the discount attaches itself without the customer entering anything. Conversely, code-based discounts require the customer to type a code at checkout.

Stacking

By default, only one non-stackable discount applies per item. You can mark a code as "stackable" to allow it to combine with others.

Limits

Codes can have limits to control how and when they are used. At a high level, you can restrict by:

• Date range

• Total uses

• Uses per family

• Minimum participants per booking

• Previous purchase requirements

• Surge periods (e.g. excluding bank holidays or peak weekends)

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Discounts are just one part of what Sailia offers. While a discount code can drive a booking today, our booking software is designed to help you build a sustainable business for the long haul. From seamless payments and automated communications to powerful marketing tools and OTA integrations, Sailia is here to handle the logistics so you can focus on the experience.