Studies Show “Limited Time” Offers Don’t Work

4 min readNov 24, 2023

. . . and there’s a better marketing strategy — read on 👇🏽👇🏽

Why Limited Time Offers Don’t Work

As a Digital Marketer, I somehow never, ever liked when Marketers use the ⏳” Limited Time offer — Ending soon — ONLY 3 Left ” scare tactic, especially when it’s a digital product.

Sure, FOMO (Fear of Mission Out) works, and the buyer quickly pulls out their wallet, grab credit card in hand, and proceed to tap the “BUY NOW” button, as their lower brain goes into survival mode.

Yuh see, we humans still carry around a lower, primitive survival brain which worked quite well for our ancestors as they experienced food scarcity and lack. However, Nature designed us with survival mechanisms that kick in when we fear deprivation; a primal response which Marketers play on, I mean, PREY on.

🛍️ Reminding your customers about limited stock is a very old, classic sales tactic, which IMHO, is too sales-y and screams “BUY ME, BUY MEEE!”

Pressure Tactic vs. Reassurance Model

Research published in the Journal of Marketing Research show that Pressure Sales Tactics may increase sales in the short term, however has a high return rate in the long term. Source: Sage Journal

⏰ Time pressure tactics led to almost 3X more sales in the short term, however, there’s a 4X product return in the long term. Yikes! 😱

Definitely not good for the bottom line!

The same research shows an alternative to pressure sales tactics, and that is using the reassurance model, which results in higher sales numbers.

💡 Reassurance Strategy: is a much better strategy according to research, as your aim is to reassure your customers that they are making the best decision which will boost their confidence in the product they’re looking to buy.

How? 🛒

✅ Reassure based on past purchases: This fits your style 😎
✅ Clearly explain the product: list dimensions, sizes, colors, etc.📏🎨
✅ Remind them of their selection through checkout process🛍️💭

“Pressuring buyers (e.g. only 3 left!) is extremely effective in the short term, however, at the cost of increased product returns by 69%. Instead of using “pressure tactics,” try using reassurance strategy which encourages the buyer that they are making the right decision (e.g. this chef knife will be the only prep knife you’ll need)”

*Diagram: Ariyh — Scientific Research: Journal of Marketing Research

Reassurance, on the other hand, reduce returns by a whopping 69.3%!!

Definitely good for the bottom line!

Why does it work?

Pressure makes us feel impulsive with a bit of fear, and it also increases buyer’s regret or guilt. I’m sure you have experienced buyers remorse at some point in your life?

Reassurance, on the other hand, encourages buyer confidence and makes you feel good in your purchase decision.

It addresses customer questions, helps justify the buying decision, and eliminates the need for additional research.

Definitely a Win-win! 🎉

The next time you’re working on a product page, why not test reassuring prompts instead of pressured ones? Then compare the outcomes and see the magic happen! ✨

Just Do it! Yeah, Do it . . . Do it now! … just jokin’ 😜

Summary of Using Pressure vs Reassurance Marketing Tactics:

Time pressure tactics led to almost 3X more sales in the short term, however, there’s a 4X product return in the long term. Yikes! 😱

Definitely not good for the bottom line!

Reassurance Strategy on the other hand, may not increase sales in the short term, however, it reduce returns by a whopping 69.3%!!

Definitely good for the bottom line!

However, like all suggestions, studies and experiments, it is advisable to test it out in your next marketing campaign, and be the judge of your own experiment.

Here’s A Bonus Marketing Tip:
Create 2 positive moments during your customer purchasing journey — One at the beginning or during the experience, and the other one at the end which plays on the recency bias. Studies show that people recall their most recent experience more.

Cheers, Z’da