Strikethrough pricing: displaying a credible discount on a landing page

The strikethrough price is probably the densest persuasion device on the web: two numbers, no text, and the visitor infers a "normal" value, a deal to grab, and a reason to act now. That effectiveness has a documented dark side: the mechanism works even when the reference price is fictional, which made it such a common ground for abuse that the law strictly regulates its use. For a landing page, the question is therefore not just "how do I display my promo" but "how do I display it in a way that's effective, credible, and legal" — three requirements that, properly understood, converge.

Why strikethrough pricing works: the reference anchor

Strikethrough pricing exploits the fact that consumers rarely evaluate a price in the absolute: they compare it to a reference, and a seller who displays that reference supplies it ready-made. The classic study here is Urbany, Bearden, and Weilbaker (1988), "The Effect of Plausible and Exaggerated Reference Prices on Consumer Perceptions and Price Search", published in the Journal of Consumer Research. Its results are doubly instructive: a plausible reference price does increase the perceived value of the offer and reduces the intention to shop around; but crucially, even an exaggerated, barely credible reference price kept shifting perceptions in the seller's favor — participants discounted it without ignoring it entirely. In other words, the lie works, partially. That's exactly what makes the practice dangerous: it's tempting, common, and therefore watched — by regulators and by consumers who have grown wary.

What the law requires

In France and across the European Union, price reduction announcements are regulated: since the Omnibus Directive was transposed (2022), any discount announcement must state the prior price, defined as the lowest price the seller charged during the thirty days before the promotion. Inflating the price one day to cross it out the next, or striking through a "recommended price" you never charged while presenting it as your former price, qualifies as a misleading commercial practice — with real penalties attached. The detailed rules have special cases (recommended-price comparisons clearly labeled as such, perishable goods…): if your business relies on promotions, check an official source such as the DGCCRF in France or your local consumer authority. For a landing page, the practical rule is simple: only cross out prices you actually charged, recently.

The display rules that make the difference

1. Visual hierarchy serves the new price — the crossed-out price goes small and muted, the promotional price large and contrasted. The eye should read the offer, not the history.
2. One discount, one reason — "-40%" with no explanation raises suspicion; "-40% launch offer" or "back-to-school deal" gives the discount a finite, credible cause. The reason also justifies the offer's end, which keeps the urgency honest.
3. Percentage or amount, depending on magnitude — the so-called "rule of 100": under €100, the percentage looks bigger ("-30%" beats "-€24"); above it, the absolute amount impresses more ("-€300" beats "-20%").
4. A real deadline — a promo that never ends is a price, not a promo. Returning visitors who find the same countdown running again file your brand with the rug merchants — it's one of the fastest-spotted dark patterns.
5. Consistency across touchpoints — the strikethrough price on the landing page must match the ad, the email, and the checkout. Any divergence costs more trust than the discount buys.

Strikethrough, anchoring, and the alternatives

The crossed-out price is only one way to install a reference. If you can't (or can't honestly) display a former price, other legitimate anchors exist: the cost of the alternative ("an agency charges 10× more"), the higher tier of your own grid (the premium plan anchors the standard one — see the compromise effect in a pricing table), or the itemized value of what's included. The psychology behind these anchors is covered in our article on the anchoring effect. And for the seasonal campaigns where strikethrough pricing is king, our guide to the Black Friday landing page covers the full mechanics of a promotion page.

Special case: low prices and single products

On a low-priced single product — a template, an ebook, a short course — a permanent strikethrough is counterproductive: the amount is already in impulse-buy territory, and the fake promo that drags on damages credibility more than it adds appeal. The most effective reference there is a value comparison, not a price history: LanderKit templates are shown at €89 with no strikethrough, compared against what they replace — weeks of development or a perpetual monthly subscription to a page builder. If your offer lends itself to a real, dated discount (launch, volume), the mechanism works; if you'd have to invent one, value anchoring lasts longer. See also charm pricing and the 9 ending for the final tuning of the amount itself.