New research from the University of Miami School of Business Administration’s marketing department shows that retailers can substantially increase sales and profits by increasing the price of a sale item to its original cost in gradual steps rather than in one swift move. In fact, a 30-week field study showed a 200 percent increase in sales and a 55 percent increase in profits with use of this strategy, coined Steadily Decreasing Discounting (SDD) by the researchers.

SDD was tested against two commonly used pricing strategies, Everyday Low Pricing (EDLP) and Hi-Lo Pricing. EDLP, used by discount stores such as Wal-Mart, consistently features items at low prices and seldom on sale. Hi-Lo pricing occurs when stores offer significant discounts on selected items for a limited period.

“SDD starts like Hi-Lo pricing in that you have a big sale, but the main difference comes after the initial sale, when you progressively increase the price back to its regular level,” says the study’s lead author, Michael Tsiros, an associate professor and chair of marketing. “SDD avoids the big dive in sales at the end of a promotion that results from people having stocked up on the item during the promotion, or no longer buying it because they perceive the price to now be too high,” added Tsiros, who conducted the research with David M. Hardesty of the University of Kentucky.

The research found that SDD is more effective than EDLP and Hi-Lo pricing for two primary reasons. First, consumers not only consider past prices; they also forecast what prices will be in the future. So when buyers see a trend of increasing prices, they forecast higher future prices and are more apt to make a purchase today. Second, buyers have been shown to anticipate feeling regret after they miss a sale. So if they expect prices to increase, they are more likely to make a purchase to avoid the feeling of regret in the future. If they fail to make that purchase during a sale and see a large price increase—from $50 to $100 for example—consumers might delay their purchase. With the incremental approach of SDD—from $50 to $60 to $70, and so on—the price increase is comparatively less significant, and the consumer is more likely to buy immediately, even after having missed the initial sale.

The research included both lab and field studies. One field study took place in an upscale kitchen appliance store that sold wine bottle stoppers for $24.95. The store alternated between SDD and Hi-Lo pricing every week for 30 weeks, with the average price held constant between the two approaches.

SDD pricing was 30 percent off the first day, 20 percent off the second day, and 10 percent off the third day. Hi-Lo pricing was implemented in two ways. The first was the “same depth” as the SDD approach: 30 percent off for two days. The second was the “same frequency” as SDD: three days at 20 percent off.

The result? When compared to the results of selling the wine stoppers at the regular price, same-depth Hi-Lo pricing increased sales by 63 percent and same-frequency Hi-Lo increased sales by 75 percent. But SDD boosted sales by 200 percent. When it came to margins, same-depth Hi-Lo increased profits by 5 percent, while same-frequency Hi-Lo actually decreased profits by 12 percent. SDD drove a 55 percent profit increase.

“SDD could be particularly effective in the current economic downturn,” says Tsiros.  “Many retailers have been offering discounts of 60 to 80 percent, and stores can’t offer those prices forever. But if they bring prices back up in increments, consumers will have time to adjust. Likewise, SDD could have implications in the weeks following the holiday shopping season because American consumers expect big sales after Christmas and often delay purchases after the sales end. But with SDD, buyers may decide to purchase now, while the price is still relatively low. That’s a prospect that could please consumers and retailers alike.”