There’s a pervasive myth in e-commerce that you should hide your cheapest products, tucking them away in obscure corners of your website like embarrassing relatives at a wedding. The thinking goes that prominently displaying low-priced items makes your brand look cheap, drives down your average order value, and trains customers to expect bargain-basement prices. But this conventional wisdom is not just wrong—it’s actively hurting your business.
The reality is that affordable products can be some of your most powerful marketing tools, and there’s absolutely no reason to be ashamed of them as long as they deliver genuine value. In fact, strategically promoting quality budget items can strengthen your brand, build customer loyalty, and ultimately drive more revenue than burying them ever would.
The Psychology of the Entry Point
Every customer relationship has to start somewhere, and for many people, that somewhere is a small, low-risk purchase. When someone discovers your brand for the first time, they’re not necessarily ready to drop two hundred dollars on your premium offering. They don’t know you yet. They haven’t experienced your quality, your customer service, or your values. Asking them to make a significant financial commitment at this stage is like proposing marriage on the first date.
Your affordable products serve as an entry point, a low-stakes way for curious customers to test the waters. Maybe it’s a fifteen-dollar accessory, a twenty-dollar starter kit, or a budget version of your main product. When customers have a positive experience with these items, they develop trust in your brand. They’ve now invested not just money but also time and attention. They’ve opened your package, used your product, and formed an opinion. If that opinion is positive, they’re infinitely more likely to return for bigger purchases.
Quality Doesn’t Require a Premium Price Tag
Here’s the crucial distinction that many business owners miss: cheap doesn’t mean shoddy. You can offer products at accessible price points while maintaining excellent quality standards. The key is managing your costs through smart sourcing, efficient operations, or simply accepting smaller margins on these items because of their strategic value.
When you promote a genuinely good product that happens to be inexpensive, you’re not cheapening your brand—you’re demonstrating that you understand value. You’re showing customers that you care about accessibility and aren’t just trying to maximize profit on every transaction. This builds goodwill that extends across your entire product range.
Consider how some of the world’s most respected brands handle this. IKEA built an empire on affordable, quality basics. Apple sells twenty-dollar cables alongside thousand-dollar laptops. These companies understand that different products serve different purposes in your catalog, and price diversity is a strength, not a weakness.
The Halo Effect of Positive Experiences
When customers have a surprisingly good experience with an inexpensive product, something magical happens. They start to wonder what else you’re selling. That twelve-dollar item that exceeded their expectations becomes a curiosity gateway to your entire inventory. They browse your site with newfound interest, viewing your higher-priced items through the lens of their positive experience with the budget option.
This halo effect is incredibly powerful. Customers begin to trust your curation and judgment. If you can deliver quality at that price point, they reason, imagine what your premium products must be like. Rather than training them to expect cheap prices, you’ve actually increased their willingness to spend more because you’ve proven you’re not cutting corners.
Conversion Rates and the Power of Yes
There’s also a practical conversion argument for featuring affordable items. Many website visitors arrive in browsing mode with no immediate intent to purchase. They’re researching, comparing, or just killing time. When they encounter products that require significant consideration and budget allocation, they bookmark your site and leave—maybe they’ll return, maybe they won’t.But when they see an attractive, low-priced item that genuinely interests them, the purchase decision becomes immediate. The barrier to saying yes is minimal. They don’t need to check their bank account, discuss it with a partner, or sleep on it. They simply buy it. Now you’ve converted a browser into a customer, captured their email address, and established a relationship. You’re no longer just another website they might remember to revisit.
Addressing the Average Order Value Concern
The worry about dragging down average order value is understandable but misguided. Yes, some customers will buy only your cheapest item and leave. But many others will add the affordable item to a cart that was going to be empty otherwise, then continue shopping and add more expensive products alongside it. Some will buy the budget item first, love it, and return days or weeks later for a major purchase.
The metric that matters isn’t average order value in isolation—it’s customer lifetime value. A customer who starts with a ten-dollar purchase but returns three times over the following year is infinitely more valuable than a visitor who bounces because nothing felt accessible enough to try.
Strategic Placement and Presentation
None of this means you should feature only your cheapest products or make price your primary selling point. The key is integrating affordable items naturally into your overall presentation. Show them alongside premium options. Highlight what makes them great rather than just that they’re inexpensive. Use phrases like “accessible,” “entry-level,” or “perfect starter” rather than “cheap” or “budget.”You might feature an affordable bestseller on your homepage, create a “New Customer Favorites Under Twenty-Five Dollars” collection, or include budget-friendly options in relevant category pages. The goal is making these products easy to discover for people who want them without making your entire brand identity about low prices.
Building a Complete Product Ecosystem
A healthy product catalog has range. It should include entry-level options, mid-tier workhorse products, and premium offerings for enthusiasts. Each tier serves a purpose and appeals to customers at different stages of their journey with your brand or in different life circumstances.
Your affordable products aren’t competing with your expensive ones—they’re complementing them. They’re bringing new customers into your ecosystem, serving budget-conscious segments of your audience, and rounding out your inventory so you have something for everyone. A customer who can only afford your fifteen-dollar item today might be able to afford your hundred-dollar item next year, but only if you gave them a reason to stay connected to your brand.
The businesses that thrive long-term aren’t those that cater exclusively to one price-sensitive segment. They’re the ones that build trust across their entire range by consistently delivering value at every price point. So stop hiding your affordable products like they’re something to be ashamed of. If they’re good, promote them proudly. Your customers—and your bottom line—will thank you for it.