With a permanent sale season on the high street and online sites such as MyVoucherCodes.co.uk and MoneySavingExpert.com, the recession has driven consumers to become sale savvy and expect a discount whenever they spend money.

MoneysSavingExpert.com had only a 1,000 recipient mailing list back in 2003 and now it receives 15 million visits per month, with a 3 million person weekly e-mail list.

www.quantcast.com reported that MyVoucherCodes.co.uk receives approx 60,000 visitors per month, which is 4% up in the last 3 months according to Alexa – www.alexa.com

As consumers hold companies to ransom, unwilling to shop without the hint of a discount, how can companies distance themselves from the permanent sale but remain on the ever successful money saving bandwagon?

From a business point of view the danger of the constant sale trend, is the possible deflation of the brand’s value, as the consumer starts to view the sale price as the norm. There is no doubt that sales help in the short-term but they can ultimately be damaging to a brand’s image.

Many businesses have come to realise that offering discounts through loyalty and membership programmes is a more long-term solution that is actually beneficial to the brand’s image; yet still wholeheartedly jumps on the money saving bandwagon. And that is why the popularity of membership and loyalty programmes has soared.

The Rocket Marketing Group has seen membership numbers of its range of loyalty and membership programmes increase dramatically to 120,000 people over the last few years. The benefits for businesses include free marketing through member websites and brochures that reach a huge customer base. All they have to do is give the consumer what they ultimately desire – a discount. By offering consumers a discount in this particular way the offer remains ‘special’, as it’s only offered to a closed group of people; the brand’s image and values remain intact and the customer gets they want.