LAST CHANCE!
Creating an urgency in sales is nothing new. It works simply because we know it makes people to take action. Usually by employing scarcity. So, adding an incentive, such as a discounted price for a limited time period, will make people take note and action. It also creates a sense of FOMO – the fear of missing out!.
THE MAIN EVENT
Cyber weekend is not too far away and as we know is now one of the biggest sales event in the calendar. Retailers are already starting to plan how they are going to slash prices for a limited time to create that urgency and encourage sales. So coming up we have…. Grey Thursday (The day previously known as Thanksgiving 
), Black Friday (The day after the day previously known as Thanksgiving), and Cyber Monday all provide a well known sales event that you can piggy-back on.
AROUND THE CLOCK
It’s not just all about Cyber Weekend or Boxing Day. You can create a sense of urgency all year round. By utilising Countdown clocks in your promotions. It has been proved that you can increase your sales conversions by as much as 300% by simply adding a countdown clock or timer to any of your product pages. They push a consumer into making an immdiate decision before the time runs out. It certainly breeds FOMO, As people ultimately act based on either increasing pleasure (retail therapy) or reducing pain (ending the anxiety), you can see why this little tactic has such a great impact.
NOT JUST PRICE!
It is not always be about price. Putting a next day countdown timer for next day delivery can be just as effective – place your order in the next 2hrs 13m (and counting) and get delivery tomorrow. The same can be said for last order date for Christmas deliveries. Why not even try a stock countdown (only 1 remaining!), which creates scarcity!
THE BIG TEASE
Limited time events are a great way to introduce urgency but you can also take the opportunity to create a sense of anticipation. If you are hosting a sales event during Cyber Weekend, you should countdown to it, building awareness and expectation. Holiday sales events aside, you can create a buzz around your new product, or build excitement about when tickets will be released.
And don’t forget
Countdown timers aren’t just for websites and landing pages. You can add them to your email marketing and social media posts too. We use Mailchimp and MotionMail for ours.
KEY DATES FOR 2018
Grey Thursday - 22nd November
The 4th Thursday in November is actually Thanksgiving in America. It is a little controversial, because on a day people are meant to be spending time with their families, they are enticed to go shopping to spend money instead (often on gifts for the people they were meant to be having dinner with). But we’re not in America, so go nuts, guilt free.
Black Friday - 23rd November
Traditionally, Black Friday used to be the last Friday before Christmas. However, it has now been replaced by it’s American cousin, and has become the the Black Friday retail event. Coined in the 1900’s as the day after Thanksgiving it became a popular shopping day for the masses. Very similar to our own UK Boxing Day sales.
Cyber Monday - 26th November
Cyber Monday is just like Black Friday really. Although the difference is that a lot of people (in the U.S.) are off work on the Friday, but back to work on the Monday. So we guess it’s easier to order online than hit the shops on the Monday. Most of the deals from Black Friday go right through to Cyber Monday anyway. Many retailers count Cyber Monday as the official start to the Christmas shopping period.
Small Business Saturday - 1st December
This one is relatively new. It is a campaign with the sole aim of supporting small businesses. Shop local sort of vibe. Originally this started offline on the high street but some agile traders have been able to take the promotion online. And why not? Small Business Saturday reaches millions of customers and businesses each year. Why not join and get involved here.
Free Shipping Day - 16th December
Free Shipping Day is a promotion that combines a promise to deliver by Christmas Eve with the real sweetener that is Free Delivery. If you can afford to include free delivery on all orders then it might be worth getting on board. Probably not something you’d want to advertise in advance though, as it might tempt people to hold off ordering until the 16th.
Last UK Posting Day - from 18th December
Many online retailers benefit from winning last minute sales due to offering a guaranteed Christmas delivery. What is the last date that you will be able to accept orders until? Bear in mind that you will need time to fulfil orders, but once you know, make sure you shout about it across your site.