Ecommerce
Tactic

Restrict the Availability of Status Products

Scarcity intensifies the competition for status.

Expensive watch that shows only 2 left in stock

Overview

Scarcity has two types:

  • Quantity. Only 2 left in stock.
  • Duration. Expires tomorrow.

Quantity scarcity works best for “conspicuous” products (e.g., clothing) because buyers need to compete with each other. These products become status symbols (Jang, Ko, Morris, & Chang, 2015).

Duration scarcity can work in any scenario. Perhaps you could reserve a product for 2 hours when somebody adds it to their cart.

  • Jang, W. E., Ko, Y. J., Morris, J. D., & Chang, Y. (2015). Scarcity message effects on consumption behavior: Limited edition product considerations. Psychology & Marketing, 32(10), 989-1001.