The “fear of missing out” is nothing new. Humans have always coveted what others possess. FOMO marketing is about urging shoppers to buy what is popular or in high demand.
There are several ways to trigger FOMO on ecommerce product and landing pages. The most common is a clear, enticing call-to-action, such as the add-to-cart button. That alone, though, does little to make a site stand out.
What follows are unique ways to trigger shoppers’ FOMO on ecommerce pages.
Driving FOMO on Ecommerce Pages
Display a countdown timer. There are three common ways to communicate a sale deadline: (i) List the end date, (ii) display the time remaining, which requires a page refresh, (iii) show a real-time countdown timer, which also produces movement on the page to catch the shopper’s eye.
Choies, a fashion retailer, runs flash sales and includes a countdown timer at the top of the home page and sale section. Embedding timers on landing and product pages could also be effective.
A real-time countdown timer is the best way to promote the urgency of a sale. Source: Choies.
Accept pre-orders. Accepting pre-orders on highly anticipated products can drive demand. Pre-orders appeal to innovators and early adopters and work well for technology, games, and luxury items.
Consider your target audience when marketing pre-orders. Innovators tend to buy as early as possible, in part to accommodate their social status. Early adopters, though, entice others to purchase a product after its full launch.
Moda Operandi, a fashion discovery platform, helps cure FOMO on elite brand handbags by making pre-orders available. This gives the company a leg up on competitors who only allow shoppers to add upcoming items to a wish list.
Taking pre-orders on a product can help eliminate FOMO. Source: Moda Operandi.
Feature “As Seen On” posts. Who says you need to spend thousands on influencers and brand ambassadors? With celebs and social media influencers competing on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, there’s a chance your products are already being hyped. Using social network embed tools, you can show this content on your own pages.
But do not display photos from social media without permission. It’s copyright infringement. Instead, use the provided embed feature from each network, which will link to the original post.
Show “Limited” and “Out of Production” labels. Limited and out-of-production items urge shoppers to buy now before the goods are no longer available. And displaying the remaining available quantity reinforces the desire.
Let shoppers “favorite” stuff. A favorites feature allows shoppers to communicate their views of a product — what they would likely buy if they had disposable income. This feature alone can close more sales.
Use emojis. Emojis are a powerful way to express urgency. Younger shoppers especially will appreciate that you’re speaking their language. And older shoppers will accept emojis so long as you use them as visual aids, not word replacements.
A few examples:
- ? – Use with phrases like “Hot Seller” and “Going Fast.”
- ? – Use to say “Check this out!” or to highlight helpful features.
- ? – Use to say “Boom!” or to convey a product is almost gone.
Most websites can display emojis. Either copy and paste from Get Emoji or via web fonts.
