How can you use scarcity and urgency to improve e-commerce search advertising?

1 What is scarcity and urgency?

Scarcity and urgency are two concepts that relate to the perceived availability and value of something. Scarcity means that something is limited in quantity or time, and therefore more desirable or valuable. Urgency means that something requires immediate action or attention, and therefore more compelling or important. Both scarcity and urgency can trigger emotional responses, such as fear of missing out, excitement, or curiosity, that motivate people to act quickly and avoid regret.

2 Why do scarcity and urgency work?

Scarcity and urgency work because they tap into some basic human biases and heuristics, such as loss aversion, social proof, and the scarcity principle. Loss aversion means that people tend to prefer avoiding losses over acquiring gains, and therefore are more likely to act when they perceive a risk of losing something valuable. Social proof means that people tend to follow the behavior and opinions of others, and therefore are more likely to trust and buy something that is popular or in high demand. The scarcity principle means that people tend to assign more value to something that is rare or hard to get, and therefore are more likely to desire and buy something that is scarce or exclusive.

3 How to use scarcity and urgency in search ads?

To use scarcity and urgency in your search ads, craft compelling headlines, descriptions, and extensions that convey a clear and specific message about your offer, why it is valuable, and why it is urgent. Utilize numbers and countdowns to show how limited your offer is; words and phrases that imply urgency and action; modifiers and qualifiers that highlight the exclusivity or uniqueness; social proof and testimonials to show how popular or trusted your offer is; as well as extensions and features that enhance your ad with more information and incentives. For example, you can use phrases such as "Only 3 left in stock", "Sale ends in 2 hours", "Last chance to save 50%", "Hurry", "Don't miss out", "Act now", "Shop now", "Limited edition", "One-of-a-kind", "Only available here", or "Best deal ever" as well as extensions such as sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, or promotion extensions.

4 How to use scarcity and urgency in landing pages?

To use scarcity and urgency in your landing pages, you need to create a consistent and persuasive user experience that matches your search ads and guides your visitors to take the desired action. To do this, you should use headlines and subheadings that reinforce your offer and value proposition, and match the keywords and phrases that your visitors searched for. Additionally, include images and videos that showcase your product or service, as well as highlighting its features and benefits. Buttons and forms should have clear and catchy calls to action, with colors and contrasts that draw attention and create a sense of urgency. Badges and icons displaying trust signals such as security seals, ratings, reviews, or awards are also important. Finally, countdown timers, progress bars, or stock indicators that show how limited or urgent your offer is can create a sense of scarcity and FOMO.

5 How to test and optimize your scarcity and urgency tactics?

Testing and optimizing scarcity and urgency tactics requires measuring and analyzing search advertising performance and landing page conversions, as well as experimenting with different variations and combinations of elements. To do this, you can use tools and platforms such as Google Ads, Google Analytics, or Unbounce to create, run, and track search ads and landing pages. Additionally, consider using metrics such as impressions, clicks, CTR, conversions, CPA, or ROAS that reflect your goals and objectives. Split testing or multivariate testing methods can be used to compare different versions of your ads and landing pages to determine which ones generate the best results. Finally, use best practices and guidelines to ensure that your scarcity and urgency tactics are ethical, honest, and relevant while avoiding false or misleading claims, spammy or annoying tactics, or negative or manipulative emotions.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?