The Power of Scarcity: Drive Sales with Limited-Stock Emails

You will send a lot of emails this Black Friday. In many of these, you will remind your customers about your offer, why they should purchase and what sets your business apart. But, in how many of them are you speaking about your stock levels?

Scarcity is one of the richest tools in a Black Friday strategy. Not only does it create demand, but when used correctly, it can help customers truly fear missing out.

Do you have a few customers hanging on, just in case they find a better deal?

Drive scarcity and convert more sales by:

Explaining the scarcity of your range

Probably the easiest way to communicate scarcity is by sharing your stock levels. During Black Friday, use this tactic to show customers why waiting for a deal and thinking about your offer for too long could be their own worst enemy.

Communicate this directly, with messaging such as ‘Less than 100 units left.' To be more ambiguous, you can use wording such as "Stock is running low. We’d hate for you to miss out. Order now before it sells out."

If you utilise this messaging, however, be sure to stay true to it throughout your emails! You don’t want customers to catch you in a lie about stock levels, as this can build distrust.

Showing why customers need to shop

Don’t just build the desire because the stock is limited. Tell your customers why they need to shop before the opportunity fades. Are they missing the chance to get their hands on a product that will truly change their lives? Will your product solve a problem that they have been avidly seeking a solution for? Can you sell the benefits to turn a want into a need?

By selling your product, not just telling customers that it’s running low, you begin to burn a flame of desire within them. They begin to think about your product, even long after you’ve spoken to them. If you’ve done a good job, it won’t be long before they happen onto your website because they simply can’t miss out.

Remind Customers That the Time To Save Is Now

You also need to remind your customers that this is their chance to take advantage of lower-than-ever prices. Show them that they won’t just miss the opportunity to own something that benefits them, but by neglecting to shop, they will miss the sale window. Tell them plainly that this means they will need to shop full price at a later date. You can make this more compelling by using language such as “Don't pay full price.” “Try it for less today.” “Less than 24 hours and fewer than 100 units left.”

How to Visually Sell Scarcity

In your limited-stock emails, don’t try to reinvent the wheel. These emails are short, sharp and snappy by default. You don’t want customers to get confused by adding blog content or social content within your email. Focus on the product or collection you are trying to push. Start with a hero banner and body copy that mentions scarcity. Then, progress straight into the product benefits, how long is left to save and a button that links directly to the product. If you want to add a little more, work with a countdown timer linked to the end of your discount period.