Back in the day, you could toss up an e-commerce store and see the traffic from search engines pour in.
But then something crazy happened. Google changed its algorithm and tons of stores went under overnight. This has lead e-commerce brands to take all sorts of new strategies to drive traffic and sales. One of the recent trends in online sales is urgency. How do you create urgency in your online offers?
What is urgency?
CrazyEgg.com defines urgency as “…when a buyer feels like they need to act quickly. Urgency is the feeling that whatever is going on is really important, and therefore, immediate action should be taken.”
With all of the distractions that hit consumers these days, urgency is so important to get the consumer to convert, changing them from a visitor to a paying customer.
So what does creating urgency online look like?
Creating a Deadline
Having a timer going for something like a limited time offer can boost revenue and conversions like crazy. You might have seen something like this from retail giant Amazon.com.
Looking at a timer creates an eagerness to get the product ASAP to convert your visitor into a customer.
Limited Supply
“BUT HURRY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!” I know it’s obnoxious, but it works. Here’s a great example of how SecretSales.com uses a combination of scarcity and urgency to sell shoes.
You have to be careful with this. Sometimes, marketers will do a limited supply tactic – only to display the same limited supply the next week. This could create bad will with potential customers. In this situation, it is important to be completely transparent with your customers on re-orders and when your inventory is back in stock.
Discount Exit Intent
Another trend that is happening in e-commerce is the discount code that appears when a visitor tries to exit the online store. This pop up not only adds another subscriber to your email newsletter, but it gives great incentive for your potential customer to go ahead and use their discount immediately to become a paying customer.
PicReel has a great piece of software that allows you to completely customize your exit intent strategy, integrating with almost every email provider. Who doesn’t want 80% off?
If your online store is having trouble converting visitors into paying customers, we’d love to talk to you about a social strategy that drives relevant traffic, which boosts your conversions and helps you sell more stuff.
