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E-commerce tool

Discount vs Profit Calculator

Measure how a price discount changes unit profit, margin and the sales-volume increase needed to preserve gross profit.

See how discounting changes profit

Enter your current price and cost, then test a discount before running a promotion.

Discounted price—
Current unit profit—
Discounted unit profit—
New gross margin—
Volume increase needed—

How the calculation works

The discounted price is current price × (1 − discount rate). Unit gross profit is price minus unit cost. When both old and new unit profit are positive, required volume uplift = old unit profit ÷ new unit profit − 1.

How to use the result

Use the volume figure as a break-even benchmark for a promotion. For example, if unit profit falls sharply, the promotion must generate enough incremental orders just to preserve the same total gross profit.

Assumptions and limitations

This model assumes unit cost does not change with volume and treats all sold units as equivalent. It does not estimate demand response, advertising cost, returns, fulfilment limits or customer lifetime value.

Example

A discount can look small as a percentage of selling price but consume a much larger percentage of unit profit when margins are already thin.

Frequently asked questions

What does volume increase needed mean?
It is the percentage increase in unit sales required to generate the same gross profit as before the discount, assuming constant unit cost.
Why can the required volume jump so quickly?
Discounts reduce revenue dollar-for-dollar while cost may stay unchanged, so they can cut unit profit disproportionately.
What if discounted unit profit is negative?
The tool marks the old gross profit as not recoverable through more units because each additional discounted unit loses gross profit.
Does this predict sales uplift?
No. It calculates the uplift required, not the uplift customers will actually produce.