How to Drive Urgency in Your Black Friday Campaigns

What is scarcity?

Scarcity is an economic principle that refers to resources (such as time or physical objects) being limited. In human behaviour, scarcity refers to the consequences of limited resources on how we perceive the value of things in the world. When there is a low supply and a high demand for something, our perceived value of it tends to increase. Robert Cialdini popularises this in his book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, where he wrote, ‘Opportunities seem more valuable to us when their availability is limited’. 

Related the idea of scarcity are two human biases - fear of missing out (FOMO), which is the human tendency to not be excluded from opportunities or experiences, and the exclusivity bias, which is the human tendency to go for things that make us feel special. Combined, the motivation to be included and to feel special drives people to act quickly to not miss out on experiences or products, whether it’s getting a good deal on tickets to a show we’ve always wanted to watch or a different flavour of something we already own.

In the retail setting of Black Friday sales, scarcity can be viewed in terms of stock (whether the product can be bought), and time (whether there is an opportunity to buy the product). In the following sections, we will discuss scarcity through stock and time to create effective Black Friday campaigns.

Highlighting limited stock

A product that is fewer in stock drives more urgency to buy than a product that’s constantly on the shelf and available. In the context of Black Friday sales, products on offer that are low in stock drive more urgency. In the following example, Amazon uses scarcity by highlighting an item discount (-25% from RRP) and the limited number of stocks (‘Only 4 left in stock’) in red. Combining both the discount and the limited number of stock available drives urgency and the fear of missing out on a good Black Friday deal.

Besides showing the number of stock, highlighting the number of people who have purchased can also contribute to stock perception. Seeing the popularity of the product such as through the number of people purchasing may give the impression that stocks are running out fast. This is also related to the behavioural principles of social proof, wherein people use other people’s behaviours as cues about what to do. In this instance, knowing that other people are buying suggests that the products are desirable and not taking action means losing the chance to own the product too. The following example from Get Your Guide demonstrates this by highlighting ‘Likely to sell out’ along with the discounted price. The same can be leveraged for Black Friday products that have historically sold out.

Highlighting limited time

Limited-time discounts drive more urgency to buy than a discount that runs all the time. Limited time can be emphasised in different ways. One is through highlighting the deadline, which can be as simple as mentioning the day when the sale ends, or highlighting them in a different colour or font to make them stand out more and become more memorable on the ad or the page. The following example shows a banner promoting a limited-time 20% discount on the Matalan website. Emphasising that the sale ends ‘today’ highlights a sense of urgency to make the purchase quickly to avail of the discount.

Another way is to use countdown timers, which show the amount of time the sale is available relative to the deadline. Seeing a dynamic counter makes it more relevant and easy for customers to imagine the urgency of the sale. In the example below, Etsy highlights a countdown for when the sale ends, encouraging customers to buy quickly. The same can be applied as widgets in marketing emails or paid ads to emphasise remaining time for Black Friday sales.

Key Takeaways

• The behavioural principles of scarcity, FOMO, and exclusivity bias, can drive purchases by making limited opportunities and products feel more compelling, especially during occasions like Black Friday Sales
• Showing low-stock and popular items can make shoppers feel the need to act fast before the product runs out
• Highlighting sale deadlines and adding countdown timers create a sense of urgency, which also drives faster purchase

Curious to find out how scarcity can be applied outside of Black Friday campaigns? Let’s talk!