How to Run an Employee Discounts Program Effectively: The 101

According to a survey conducted by the SHRM, 55% of HR professionals reported that their employees highly or somewhat valued employee discounts and 77% of organizations offer employee discounts or perks for their employees.

Additionally, a Glassdoor survey found that 79% of employees would prefer new or additional benefits over a pay increase. These statistics highlight the importance of employee discount programs in today's job market and how they can be a valuable tool for attracting and retaining top talent.

Employee discounts have become increasingly popular in the modern workplace and for good reason. They provide a win-win situation for both employers and employees. Employers can enhance their employee benefits package, increase employee engagement and loyalty, and even boost their bottom line, while employees can enjoy special offers and discounts on products and services they use every day.

However, running an effective employee discounts program requires careful planning, execution, and management. In this blog, we will delve into the world of employee discounts, exploring their benefits, and various types, and how to create and manage an effective employee discounts program.

We'll also take a look at some of the most unique and creative employee discount programs of top companies out there. This blog will provide you with valuable insights and inspiration on how to make the most out of employee discounts.

What are employee discount programs?

Employee discount programs give your team access to special deals on a range of products and services—sometimes from your own brand, sometimes through outside partners. These perks let employees save money on everyday expenses or big purchases, just for being part of the company.

Think of it like this: your team gets offers they wouldn’t get elsewhere—lower prices on things like travel, fitness memberships, tech gadgets, or even food delivery. It’s a simple way to add extra value to their job without changing their paycheck.

Companies roll these out to keep employees happy, show appreciation, and make working there feel even more rewarding.

Types of employee discount programs

Employee discount programs can come in various forms, depending on the nature of the business and the interests of the employees. Below are some common types of employee discount programs:

1. Product discount programs

One of the most common types of employee discount programs is a product discount program. This type of program offers employees discounts on products and services that are sold by the employer or its partners. For example, an employee working for a retail store might receive a discount on items sold by the store, while an employee working for a restaurant might receive a discount on meals.

2. Service discount programs

Service discounts are similar to product discounts, but instead of discounts on physical items, employees receive discounts on services offered by the employer or its partners. For example, an employee working for a car dealership might receive a discount on car maintenance services, while an employee working for a gym might receive a discount on gym membership fees.

3. Travel discount programs

Travel discount are discount on travel-related expenses such as flights, hotels, rental cars, and vacation packages. These discount can be offered by the employer or through partnerships with travel companies. Travel discount can be especially attractive to employees who enjoy traveling or who have to travel frequently for work.

4. Entertainment discount programs

Entertainment discounts are discounts on entertainment-related expenses such as movie tickets, amusement park admissions, and concert tickets. These discounts can be offered by the employer or through partnerships with entertainment companies. Entertainment discounts can be a great way to help employees save money on leisure activities and can also be used as a way to reward high-performing employees.

5. Other types of discount programs

There are many other types of discounts that can be included in an employee discount program, depending on the nature of the business and the interests of the employees. For example, an employer might offer discounts on pet care services, home cleaning services, or legal services.

Offering a variety of discounts, employers can ensure that their employees have access to savings on a wide range of goods and services, which can help to improve employee satisfaction and overall well-being.

How employee discount programs benefit employees

Employee discount programs offer numerous benefits to employers, including:

1. Boosting employee morale and satisfaction

Employee discount programs can help to improve employee morale and job satisfaction by providing employees with a sense of appreciation and recognition from their employer. When employees feel that their employer is invested in their well-being, they are more likely to be satisfied with their job and to feel a sense of loyalty to the company.

2. Attracting and retaining talent

Employee discount programs can also be used as a tool for attracting and retaining top talent. In a competitive job market, employers need to offer more than just a competitive salary to attract and retain the best employees. By offering an attractive employee benefits package that includes an employee discount program, employers can differentiate themselves from their competitors and attract top talent.

3. Improving employee engagement

Employee discount programs can also help to improve employee engagement by providing employees with a sense of ownership and pride in their workplace. When employees feel that their employer is invested in their well-being, they are more likely to be engaged in their work and to feel motivated to perform at their best.

4. Enhancing employer branding

Employer branding is an important aspect of attracting and retaining top talent. By offering an employee discount program, employers can improve their reputation as a company that cares about its employees' well-being. This can help to attract and retain top talent, as well as improve the company's overall image and reputation.

5. Increasing employee productivity and performance

When employees feel that their employer is invested in their well-being, they are more likely to be motivated to perform at their best. Additionally, by providing employees with discount on goods and services that they need, employers can help to reduce employee stress and financial burdens, which can also contribute to increased productivity and performance.

How employee discount programs benefit employees

Employee discount programs offer numerous benefits to employees, including:

1. Saving money

The most obvious benefit of employee discount programs is the ability to save money. By receiving discount on goods and services, employees can save money on their everyday expenses and enjoy a higher quality of life. This can be especially beneficial for employees who are struggling to make ends meet or who have a large family to support.

2. Increasing job satisfaction

Employee discount programs can also increase job satisfaction by providing employees with a sense of appreciation and recognition from their employer. When employees feel that their employer is invested in their well-being, they are more likely to be satisfied with their job and to feel a sense of loyalty to the company.

3. Encouraging health and wellness

Employee discount programs can also be used to encourage health and wellness among employees. For example, an employer might offer discount on gym memberships or healthy meal options. By providing employees with access to these resources, employers can help to promote a healthier lifestyle among their workforce.

4. Promoting work-life balance

Employee discount programs can also help to promote work-life balance by providing employees with discount on entertainment and leisure activities. By making it easier and more affordable for employees to enjoy their leisure time, employers can help to reduce employee stress and improve their overall well-being.

5. Boosting employee engagement

Employee discount programs can help to boost employee engagement by providing employees with a sense of ownership and pride in their workplace. When employees feel that their employer is invested in their well-being, they are more likely to be engaged in their work and to feel motivated to perform at their best.

What does a successful employee discount program look like?

A successful employee discount program is one that provides employees with valuable discounts and perks on products and services that they use and enjoy.

A successful discounts program should be relevant and offer a variety of employee perks and discounts that are valuable to employees. It should also be easy to use, provide real value, be well-promoted and communicated, and be regularly evaluated and improved based on feedback from employees and data on program usage and impact.

How to run an employee discounts program effectively using Empuls

An employee discount program is more than just a feel-good perk. When designed and executed thoughtfully, it can improve financial wellness, reinforce your employer brand, and even influence employee retention. Here’s how you can launch and run an impactful, data-driven discount program using Empuls:

1. Set clear objectives tied to business outcomes

Before you start curating perks, define what success looks like. Are you trying to increase retention, support employee financial well-being, differentiate your EVP (employee value proposition), or improve satisfaction scores?

For example, if your goal is to reduce voluntary attrition, offering long-term value perks like flexible fringe benefits, wellness allowances, or early wage access can help. If you're targeting younger demographics, discounts on electronics, subscriptions, and learning platforms could be more impactful.

Empuls allows you to tag these objectives right into the program setup. You can create discount campaigns for specific goals—like onboarding new hires, celebrating milestones, or supporting families with back-to-school offers—and track their contribution to overall HR metrics like eNPS, adoption, or engagement.

2. Curate diverse, meaningful perks based on employee personas

Generic discounts often fall flat because they don’t meet the real needs of employees. Instead, segment your workforce by generation, geography, job roles, or life stages, and create personalized offers. For example:

Young professionals may prefer gym discounts, gaming vouchers, or online learning.
Working parents may appreciate grocery offers, family vacation deals, or school fee discounts.
Remote workers may benefit from broadband reimbursements or home-office setup perks.

Empuls makes this easy by offering a marketplace with over 1 million curated offers across 50+ countries and 25+ categories. You can select discounts from 6,000+ local and global brands, covering everything from food delivery (like Zomato, Swiggy) and fashion (H&M, Levi’s) to education, health, and travel. Admins can even configure custom collections for different employee groups, ensuring that everyone finds something relevant.

3. Automate delivery and create a personalized experience

Manually managing a perks program across locations and time zones is not scalable. Automating key actions—like sending notifications, delivering discount codes, or pushing reminders—saves time and ensures consistency.

Empuls lets you automate the entire lifecycle. For example:

Send pre-scheduled discounts for birthdays, work anniversaries, or festivals.
Trigger targeted nudges based on employee behavior (e.g., inactivity or cart abandonment).
Offer limited-time flash deals and track real-time redemptions.
Enable employees to stack discounts with cashback and combine them with gift cards from their rewards balance.

Everything is mobile-friendly, so employees can browse, redeem, and share perks on the go—no need to log into multiple platforms or contact HR for codes.

4. Promote actively through internal communications

The best perks program won’t perform if employees don’t know it exists. Promotions should be frequent, fun, and multi-channel.

Here’s what you can do:

Use Empuls' social feed and community groups to announce new deals, limited-time offers, or flash sales.
Pin important promotions to the top of the feed, or schedule them in sync with company events or product launches.
Run interactive polls or quizzes to gauge interest in upcoming perks, or crowdsourcing ideas for the next big discount drop.
Enable social sharing features to let employees post about their purchases, indirectly promoting adoption.

This creates an internal buzz that builds habit and drives peer influence—two key ingredients for high engagement.

5. Track adoption, savings, and ROI with detailed analytics

To prove the value of your perks program, you need to track more than just redemption numbers. Focus on metrics that tie back to engagement, satisfaction, and financial impact:

What categories are most popular?
What’s the average savings per employee per quarter?
Are employees using the program regularly or only during seasonal campaigns?
Is there a correlation between perks usage and retention in specific teams?

Empuls provides detailed dashboards that break down adoption by department, region, or demographic group. You can also view real-time savings reports, see which brands are being used most, and even estimate the ROI of your investment based on total employee savings.

This not only helps you justify the spend to leadership, but also gives you the data you need to improve the offering month over month.

6. Incentivize referrals and employee advocacy

Employees who genuinely enjoy your discount program will likely talk about it—but you can nudge that behavior further by rewarding them for it.

Empuls lets you create campaigns where employees earn extra points or perks for:

Referring new employees or customers using a unique code.
Sharing product feedback or reviews on social media.
Participating in testimonials, surveys, or case studies about their experience.

You can tie rewards to engagement behaviors and even gamify it with leaderboards, turning your best advocates into brand influencers.

7. Keep it dynamic and relevant all year round

Static perks eventually lose attention. You need to keep refreshing the content and seasonalizing the experience:

Launch monthly themed collections (e.g., "New Year New You", "Back to School", "Summer Deals").
Add exclusive festival-based campaigns with hyperlocal relevance (e.g., Diwali offers in India, Thanksgiving in the US).
Run time-bound flash sales and push alerts using Empuls’ smart nudges.
Ask for employee feedback on the perks catalog and update it accordingly.

Empuls allows you to set all of this up with minimal manual effort—so you can keep things fresh without burning out your HR or admin teams.

Examples of companies with amazing employee discount programs

There are several examples of companies that have successfully launched employee discount programs that have resulted in higher engagement and employee satisfaction. Here are three examples:

1. Apple Inc.

Apple's employee discount program, called the "Employee Purchase Program," is available to all full-time and part-time employees. The program offers discount on Apple products, including Macs, iPads, and iPhones, as well as third-party accessories and software. The discount vary depending on the product, but they can be as high as 25% off.

Apple's program is effective because it offers significant discount on products that employees use and value. Additionally, the company has a user-friendly platform that employees can access to purchase products, track their orders, and manage their accounts. The program has also helped to foster a culture of loyalty and pride among employees, who can own the latest Apple products at a discounted rate.

2. PepsiCo

PepsiCo's employee discount program, called the "PepsiCo Employee Purchase Program," offers discount on a wide range of products and services, including cars, electronics, and travel. The program is available to all employees globally and is managed by a third-party provider.

The program is effective because it offers employees discount on products and services that they may not be able to access otherwise. It also helps to create a sense of community among employees who can share tips and advice on how to save money and get the most out of the program. PepsiCo also regularly promotes the program to its employees through various communication channels, including email, social media, and the company intranet.

3. Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide's employee discount program, called "Go Hilton," offers employees and their families discounted rates at Hilton hotels worldwide. The program is available to all full-time and part-time employees globally and includes discount on room rates, dining, and other services.

The program is effective because it offers employees and their families access to luxury hotel accommodations at a discounted rate. It also helps to create a sense of pride and loyalty among employees who can experience the Hilton brand firsthand. The program also includes a user-friendly platform that employees can access to book their accommodations and track their savings.

4. Warby Parker

Warby Parker, a small eyewear company that sells affordable and stylish glasses, launched an employee discount program to help its staff save money and increase engagement. The program offers discount on eyewear and accessories sold on the company's website.

The program is effective because it offers employees discount on products that they use and enjoy. It also helps to create a sense of community among the employees who can share their love for the brand and its products with others. The company also promotes the program on its internal communication platform, and it has helped to increase employee engagement and satisfaction.

5. Squarespace

Squarespace, a small website building and hosting company, launched an employee discount program to help its staff save money on its services. The program offers discount on website building, hosting, and other related services sold on the company's website.

The program is effective because it offers employees discount on products and services that they use regularly. It also helps to create a sense of community among employees who can share their experiences and successes with each other. The company promotes the program through its internal communication platform, and it has helped to increase employee engagement and retention.

6. Allbirds

Allbirds, a small sustainable shoe company that sells environmentally friendly footwear, launched an employee discount program to help its staff save money on its products. The program offers discount on shoes and accessories sold on the company's website.

The program is effective because it offers employees discount on products that they use and enjoy. It also helps to create a sense of community among employees who can share their love for the brand and its sustainable mission with others. The company promotes the program through its internal communication platform, and it has helped to increase employee engagement and satisfaction.

Supercharge your employee benefits with Empuls discounts

If you're looking to boost employee morale without inflating your payroll, Empuls is the game-changer your HR strategy needs. As part of its AI-powered engagement platform, Empuls delivers a world-class employee discount program that feels like a pay raise—without the budget squeeze.

With 1 million+ deals, cashbacks, and exclusive offers across 6,000+ brands in 50+ countries, Empuls helps your team save big on everyday spending—from groceries and gadgets to vacations and wellness.

Imagine giving your employees access to:

🔖 Discounted gift cards (up to 50% off) from their favorite global and local brands.
💰 Stackable savings: Combine brand discounts, cashback, and credit card rewards.
🛒 Corporate-only deals on appliances, insurance, fitness, and lifestyle essentials.
🏦 Early access to earned wages and tax-saving fringe benefits with zero overhead.

What sets Empuls apart? It’s not just about perks—it’s about impact. Companies using Empuls have reported $7,000+ in annual savings per employee household—equivalent to a 7.8% raise, with a 10x ROI.

For HR, the setup is effortless. No vendor negotiations. No spreadsheets. Just one powerful platform that auto-updates offers, tracks adoption, and showcases real-time savings data. You also get mobile access, white-labeled branding, and seamless integration with your HRMS or Slack/MS Teams stack.

In a world where talent is expensive and turnover is costly, Empuls gives you a competitive edge by offering tangible value your employees can feel every day.

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Start saving with Empuls today

Conclusion

From being just a nice to have to being a necessity, employee discount programs can be a valuable tool for companies to show appreciation for their employees and enhance their well-being. These programs can provide numerous benefits to both employees and employers, such as increased job satisfaction, promotion of work-life balance, encouragement of health and wellness, and improved employee engagement.

With the help of an effective employee discount program, companies can foster a more positive and fulfilling work experience for their employees, which can lead to increased productivity, decreased turnover, and improved overall company performance.

However, it's important for companies to understand their employees' needs, partner with relevant businesses, negotiate discount, communicate the program effectively, and regularly evaluate and adjust the program to ensure its success.

Employee discount programs are an important aspect of employee compensation and benefits, and companies that invest in these programs are likely to see positive outcomes for both their employees and their bottom line.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about employee discounts program.

Why do companies offer employee discount programs?

Companies offer employee discount programs as a way to enhance their benefits package, increase employee engagement and satisfaction, and help attract and retain top talent.

What types of discounts and perks are typically included in an employee discount program?

Discounts and perks included in an employee discount program can vary depending on the company and the industry, but may include discounts on products and services such as travel, entertainment, wellness, and more.

How do employees access and redeem discounts through an employee discount program?

Employees can typically access and redeem discounts through an online platform provided by the employer, which may include a website or mobile app.

Are employee discount programs taxable?

It depends on the specific discounts and perks offered through the program. Some discounts may be considered taxable income, while others may be considered non-taxable fringe benefits.

How can employers ensure the success of their employee discount program?

Employers can ensure the success of their employee discount program by offering relevant discounts and perks that provide real value to employees, promoting the program effectively, providing clear instructions and support for using the program, and regularly evaluating and improving the program based on feedback from employees and data on program usage and impact.