How small businesses can increase sales using student discounts

In 60 seconds: 

• Small businesses have a huge advantage over larger brands: you don’t need big budgets, the latest equipment and viral influencers - that’s not what Gen Z wants.
• Capturing Gen Z early on in their purchasing lifespan will mean they’ll return for life: decisions now could affect their brand loyalty for years to come.
• When it comes to capturing the spend of Gen Z, one of the most powerful things small business owners can do is offer discounts and rewards programs.

Small businesses. They’re the lifeblood of the highstreet and the viral brands on TikTok. But in a world of Nikes, Apples, and Zaras, how can small businesses actually increase their sales? 

As a business with a tighter budget and smaller team, it might feel difficult to go up against big chains backed by even bigger bankrolls. Sales might feel challenging, and competition might seem high. 

But guess what: for Gen Zers, small businesses are right up their (high)street. 

In this blog, we explore what Gen Z loves about small businesses, dive into the world of gated offers, and share how Pion’s verification can help you boost your sales. 

Does Gen Z like shopping small businesses?

In 2020, Gen Z made up 40% of global consumers. Fast forward to 2024, and imagine the numbers now. Imagine the future.

If you’re asking yourself whether Gen Z likes shopping with small businesses, the answer is a resounding yes. This is a generation looking for authenticity, great customer service, and community. And as a small business, you can provide just that. 

You might have less cash and fewer resources than your larger competitors, but don’t let that stop you. You just need to show your value. 

In fact, small businesses have a huge advantage over larger corporations. Gen Z places value in authenticity, and with smaller teams and innovative attitudes, this is your time to shine. You don’t need big budgets, the latest equipment and viral influencers - that’s not what Gen Z wants. Often, it’s the content with the least spend behind it that goes viral (looking at you, Good Squish). 

Capturing Gen Z early on in their purchasing lifespan will mean they’ll return for life: decisions now could affect their brand loyalty for years to come. 

Why wouldn’t you want to target this generation? 

The power of gated offers for small businesses 

When it comes to capturing the spend of Gen Z, one of the most powerful things small business owners can do is offer discounts and rewards programs. There’s real power in gated offers. 

But…why? 

{{ctaDark}}

Gated offers are incentives for engaged customers 

A mighty 97% of Gen Z are struggling more with the cost-of-living crisis than people think, but they still want to spend. That means they’re looking for value, people. And if your small business can do that, shoppers be scrolling your site faster than you can say ‘brat summer’. 

Boost customer acquisition and increase repeat customers  

45% of Gen Z look for a discount every single time they make a purchase, so they’re on the lookout for brands offering the best deals. From free shipping to discounted products and services, it’s up to you to deliver the goods. 

Gated offers can help small businesses reach new audiences, build out that customer base and, ultimately, drive repeat purchases.  

Building brand loyalty 

83% of students say that if a retailer offers a discount, they’re more likely to shop there. So, in an overcrowded market, offering a sweet % will help you really stand out from the crowd (particularly if your competitors haven’t quite got to grips with the power of the student demographic (fools)). 

Brand image 

As we said, students are struggling with the cost-of-living, and armed with this knowledge, you can portray your brand as inclusive, understanding, and considerate by offering them a discount. 

Goodbye, financial constraints. Hello, shopping. 

How can Pion help small businesses boost sales?

So now you understand the power of offering gated offers and the power of Gen Z for small businesses, how can you actually get started? 

In this section, we’ll be sharing how Pion can help small businesses to boost sales. 

The key to running a successful gated offer program is planning and innovation - this will help you to grab the attention of your target audience and hit those sales targets. Sounds great, but perhaps a bit complicated?

Well, that’s where we come in. 

At Pion, we can help small businesses to boost sales through our verification technology, Beans iD. From attracting and converting to retaining customers, we’ve got you covered with our secure, gated offers (thanks to its exclusivity, Beans iD removes the threat of offer leakage). Oh, and an excellent customer experience, keeping shoppers engaged and ready to spend. 

Whether you’re online or in-store, we can help. From small start-ups with less than 50k monthly web traffic or scaling brands with up to 1m monthly web traffic and brands with less than 25 stores, we’re here to help. 

5 ways Pion can help

Have we piqued your interest? Ready to learn more about how we can help you? 

Here’s five ways Pion can help you to boost your brand awareness and increase sales with Beans iD. 

1. Attract and acquire any closed consumer group 

Gen Z, students, military, healthcare workers… you name it, we can help you target them. 

With Pion’s verification, you can target your customers by rewarding them with specific offers and deals. 

2. Instantly verify 1 billion potential customers

Yep, you read that right. One billion. 

Beans iD is instant and immediately recognizeable, making you a trusted merchant. 

And don’t just take our word for it - join over 3,500 who are currently working with Pion.

3. Establish emotional connection and activate word of mouth

Offering unique and exclusive rewards will help you to make a connection and tap into the communities that exist within your target consumer groups (remember earlier when we said how much Gen Z loves community?!). 

Once you’ve established an emotional connection and community (hello, brand advocates), just sit back and watch word spread and the sales come in. 

4. Secure verification you (and your customers) can trust

Offer leakage is the worst. It’s the thing that keeps marketers up at night. But with Beans iD, that’s a thing of the past. 

Beans iD ensures that only eligible members of the consumer groups you want to engage with can access your offers. No more sneaky sharing of discount codes. 

5. Expand your customer reach 

Once you have created your secure gated offer, your offer will be added to our Student Beans marketplace. It’s the number one website and app Gen Z students go to to check for discounts and offers before making a purchase (hello, discounted Crocs). Accessed by millions of verified users, it’s the place to be seen by students. 

{{ctaNeon}}

How to get started as a small business?

Our pricing plans for Beans iD are usage-based to give small businesses the best value and flexibility.

To get started, choose a plan that suits you - sign-up will only take a few minutes. Our Starter plan will cost you, quite literally, nothing (£0 license fee) -  perfect for small businesses wanting to test running gated offers with no upfront cost.

Key takeaways 

So, to recap: 

• 45% of Gen Z look for a discount every single time they make a purchase, so they’re on the lookout for brands offering the best deals. 
• The key to running a successful gated offer program is planning and innovation - this will help you to grab the attention of your target audience and hit those sales targets.
• At Pion, we can help small businesses to boost sales through our verification technology, Beans iD.

‍

Sounds like a bit of you? Ready to kickstart your small business discounts and [find] those loyal customers? Join our Starter plan and start running your own discount program with no upfront cost now. 

‍