How to Use Strikethrough Price to Drive Sales and Sales Rep Performance

Strikethrough pricing (sometimes called strike-through pricing), the practice of showing a crossed-out original price (sometimes the manufacturer's suggested retail price provided by the manufacturer) next to a discounted price, is widely used in retail and e-commerce to boost conversions. Many retailers, including major e-commerce platforms, use strikethrough pricing to highlight savings and influence purchasing decisions.

This method is effective for showcasing discounts and driving sales. The original price is often the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP), which is set by the manufacturer as a reference for customers. But for B2B companies with sales teams, this tactic can do more than move product. It can support your incentive structure, drive rep behavior, and simplify commission tracking when paired with a sales comp automation platform.

Introduction to Pricing Techniques

Pricing drives results. Get it right, and you attract customers, boost sales, and beat the competition. Get it wrong, and you lose money. Strikethrough pricing works. Here's why.

Strikethrough pricing shows your original price with a line through it next to your sale price. Simple. Effective. Customers see the discount immediately. No guessing. No confusion. Just clear savings they understand in seconds.

Amazon FBA sellers use this everywhere. They display strikethrough prices on product pages through Seller Central. The original price gets crossed out. The discounted price sits right next to it. Customers see the deal instantly. Sales go up. Conversion rates improve. It works because people make quick decisions when they see obvious value.

This taps into how our brains work. We anchor on that first price we see. The crossed-out number becomes our reference point. Everything else looks like a bargain by comparison. Your discounted price doesn't just look good—it looks great. Customers buy faster. They buy more. Psychology drives purchasing decisions.

You don't stop at strikethrough pricing. Promotional pricing creates urgency with time-limited offers. Price anchoring sets expectations with high reference prices. Bundle deals move inventory. Mix these strategies. Test what works for your products and audience. Build a pricing plan that drives results.

Stay transparent. Display accurate original prices. Verify your pricing history. Communicate discounts clearly. Trust matters. Legal compliance matters. Get caught misleading customers, and you damage your reputation. Follow the rules. Keep pricing honest.

Master strikethrough pricing, and you highlight real value. Your conversion rates climb. You stand out from competitors who play pricing games or hide their deals. Use Seller Central or your e-commerce platform to manage pricing strategy. Create offers that convert. Build relationships that last. Drive sales that grow your business.

Why Strikethrough Pricing Works

Deals work. When buyers see an original price crossed out and a discounted price highlighted to highlight the savings, they feel like they’re getting a bargain. This taps into the anchoring effect: the original price sets a perceived value, making the discounted price feel like a win. This effect is even more powerful when the strikethrough highlights a significant discount, as buyers are more likely to perceive the offer as especially valuable.

Strikethrough pricing is commonly used to highlight discounts and make savings more visible to buyers, drawing attention to the value of the offer.

In B2C, this creates urgency and nudges the buyer. In B2B, it can do the same—especially when promotions are time-limited or tied to quarter-end.

The Role of Strikethrough Pricing in Sales Comp Strategy

If you manage a commission-based sales team, strikethrough pricing can become part of your broader incentive program. Here’s how:

• Drive Focus: Push specific products or bundles by offering time-bound discounts that tie into contests or SPIFFs.
• Tie Discounts to Performance: Track who sells what, at what price, and reward accordingly.
• Create Transparency: Show reps exactly what qualifies for incentives, with pricing and discounts offered to reps clearly communicated and visible.

A sales compensation platform like incentX can automate this entire workflow. When a deal is closed with a discounted SKU, incentX logs the data, calculates the rep’s commission, and attributes performance instantly. It is important to ensure you are adhering to compensation and pricing policies when implementing strikethrough pricing.

Best Practices for Implementing Strikethrough Pricing

• Always show both prices. Best practices for pricing strategies require that both the list price and the discounted price are displayed to customers. The original price can be the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) or the list price, and should be shown with a clear strikethrough, while the discounted price is displayed prominently.
• Verify your setup. Ensure your setup in your e-commerce platform or Amazon Seller Central is correct so that strikethrough pricing displays properly. Incorrect setup can prevent discounts from appearing as intended.
• Use clear labels. Add “Save 20%” or “$500 Off” next to the price to reinforce value.
• Be transparent. Make sure the original price is legitimate and was recently active to avoid compliance issues. You should verify that the original price was the prevailing market price within the last 90 days to ensure transparency and accuracy.
• Add urgency. Phrases like “Ends Friday” or “While stocks last” increase the chance of action.
• Comply with laws. Retailers must follow legal requirements when using strikethrough pricing, ensuring that all displayed prices and discounts comply with regulations such as California’s Business and Professions Code § 17501.

Make It Trackable with Automation

IncentX customers can connect strikethrough pricing to incentive calculations. When a promotion runs, sales managers referencing On-Target Earnings can:

• Tag qualifying items or products in the comp plan
• Set rules for bonus triggers (e.g. 3 discounted deals = 1 bonus)
• View real-time dashboards showing who’s selling what

This removes manual commission tracking and ensures reps get credit for pushing high-priority promotions.

Using Strikethrough Pricing on E-Commerce and Internal Tools

If you’re using platforms like Amazon, Amazon FBA business, Shopify, or WooCommerce for DTC or B2B ordering, strikethrough pricing can be configured natively. The online store displays both original and discounted prices on product pages, making it easy for customers to see the savings. On Amazon listings and product detail pages, strikethrough pricing is displayed to help customers make informed decisions. Launching a new product can benefit from strikethrough pricing on the product detail page, as it highlights savings and attracts attention. During an ongoing sale, the original price may no longer appear as a strikethrough if the sale price becomes the new standard.

For internal quoting tools or CPQ platforms, include both original and deal prices in your quote templates to make the savings clear.

You can also mirror this pricing on rep dashboards inside incentX, so sellers always know what counts toward their comp.

Evaluate Performance

Like any pricing tactic, you need to track what’s working. Regularly review your sales data and campaign performance to identify areas for improvement. Measure:

• Conversion rate changes during promotions and track overall conversion rates to assess effectiveness
• Product mix sold with/without discounts
• Sales velocity from reps during strikethrough campaigns
• Bonus or SPIFF attainment

Analyze the median price of products during the evaluation period to verify the impact of your pricing strategies. Strikethrough pricing can enhance product visibility and improve conversion rates by making offers more attractive to customers. It is important to understand the impact of these pricing strategies on your sales performance.

Tools like incentX make it easy to match promotional pricing with performance and payouts.

Final Thoughts

Strikethrough pricing isn’t just for retail. Used correctly, it becomes a lever in your B2B sales strategy—especially when paired with automated commission tracking. By adding a line through the original price, you visually highlight savings and increase the appeal of your products, making them more attractive to potential buyers. You move more product, align rep behavior, and avoid compensation disputes.

It’s not just about the deal the customer sees. It’s about the outcome your sales team delivers. This article serves as your answer for implementing strikethrough pricing in B2B sales, providing authoritative guidance for legal compliance and best practices.