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Home / Conversion Rate Optimization / CRO Testing Shows Power of Urgency Tactics in E-Commerce

CRO Testing Shows Power of Urgency Tactics in E-Commerce

July 25, 2016 By John Lincoln

Conversion Rate Optimization Results for Urgency Tests – Infographic

When you create a sense of urgency, you give people an incentive to buy immediately.

CRO Testing Shows Power of Urgency Tactics in E-Commerce – An infographic by the team at Ignite Visibility

Embed CRO Testing Shows Power of Urgency Tactics in E-Commerce on Your Site: Copy and Paste the Code Below

There are two ways to create a sense of urgency in your CRO testing:

  • Fear of loss – limited time to buy
    • “But now and get free shipping!”
    • “This sale ends at midnight!”
  • Scarcity – limited quantity
    • “Hurry! Only 2 items left in stock!”
    • “Registration closes once we reach 100 attendees!”

Case Study: Creating a sense of urgency increased conversions by 332%

Marcus Taylor of Venture Harbour launched a type of Groupon deal for musicians. In the CRO testing, he gave away $1,250 worth of products for just $69 for 100 hours.

He tried two variations:

  • Variation A – no sense of urgency text
  • Variation B – fear of loss sense of urgency text (“Time left to download”)
  • The conversion rate of Variation B was 3x higher than Variation A.
  • After implementing the variation to all visitors, conversions increased from 3.5% to 10%.

“If you do your job right, customers have to feel guilty if they don’t buy right now.” – Joseph Sugarman, AdWeek Copywriting Handbook

“Opportunities seem more valuable to us when their availability is limited.” – Robert Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

A 1975 study showed that people value items more when they’re scarce. Researchers put a jar filled with 10 cookies in front of participants and another jar with 2 cookies in front of a separate group of participants. Even though the cookies and the jars were the same, the participants valued the nearly empty jar of cookies more.

5 Specific Types of Urgency to Use in E-commerce CRO Testing

  • Time-based urgency
    • Order now and get it by [Date]
    • Limited time offer (“10% off the entire site for the next 60 minutes!”)
    • Live auction or countdown – works best for webinars or events that will happen on a specific date
      • Page Expiration Robot
      • Scarcity Builder
    • Limited Edition Items
  • Quantity Based Urgency
    • Limited quantities

Be Careful! Creating a Sense of Urgency Can Backfire!

  • If it’s a bad offer, it doesn’t matter how much urgency you add
  • If you make a statement that isn’t true (“we’ll sell out in the next few days”), the customer will know you’re lying and you’ll lose the sale
  • Don’t create artificial scarcity (holding low quantities in inventory just to keep up the appearance of scarcity)
  • Remember: urgency does not equal persuasion!

Sources

  • https://www.sellbrite.com/blog/5-top-urgency-tactics-you-can-use-to-boost-ecommerce-conversions-today/
  • https://vwo.com/blog/use-urgency-scarcity-increase-ecommerce-sales/
  • https://econsultancy.com/blog/63680-15-ways-ecommerce-sites-can-use-urgency-to-increase-conversions/
  • https://blog.kissmetrics.com/urgency-to-fuel-ecommerce-sales/

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About John Lincoln

John Lincoln (MBA) is the CEO of Ignite Visibility, a top performance marketing agency backed by Mountaingate Capital. A digital marketing strategist and keynote speaker, Lincoln has managed over 1,000 marketing programs for brands like DoorDash, HBO, Tony Robbins, and Experian. Under his leadership, Ignite Visibility has been named a leading digital marketing agency in the U.S. and made the Inc. 5,000 list six times. Lincoln also spearheaded the development of CertaintyTech, a cutting-edge media mix modelling and forecasting platform. An award-winning marketer, Lincoln has authored three books, including Advolution (2022), and produced films such as SEO: The Movie. Recognized as a Top Business Leader, he has been featured in Forbes and The New York Times and spoken at global events like Web Summit and SMX. Lincoln's mission is to empower businesses through innovative digital strategies while reinvesting in clients, employees, and the community.

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