Let’s look at the benefits and drawbacks of scarcity marketing to assist better grasp how it might impact a business:
Benefits
Soared Demand for the product or service
Scarcity marketing frequently raises the demand for items and services by reducing their availability and increasing their exclusivity. When customers share limited-edition items or discounts with others, it may help spread knowledge of the goods and services. It may also pique the curiosity of potential customers by highlighting the distinctiveness of the good or its pricing.
Increased Urgency
Some consumers prefer to consider a purchase carefully before making a decision, however this frequently results in the client forgetting about the merchandise. Businesses may evoke a greater feeling of urgency by using scarcity marketing to compel these customers to buy the goods or take advantage of the sale before it ends.
Brand Recognition and Visibility
Utilizing scarcity strategies and advertising may help a business become more visible and expand its clientele since customers frequently share information about exclusive deals and products with their friends and family. Digital marketing strategies that use online signs of scarcity, such as timers and low-stock displays, might enhance this shareability. The role of influencers has made scarcity marketing a primary strategy to promote brands.
Differentiation and Competitive advantage
Such marketing techniques help businesses differentiate their approach from their competitors. Scarcity marketing requires aggressive and quick response and requires a unique approach and selling proposition. Hence, such requirements differentiate the marketing strategies and provide competitive advantage to the business. Such business makes them ahead in promoting their products and services and make their products and services sell quickly.
Drawbacks
Regularity and Backlash
If businesses make countdowns, limited supplies or any other scarcity marketing techniques too obvious or place more emphasis on exclusivity than on value, it may backfire and companies may need to face criticism. In such marketing campaigns, customers may feel manipulated and cheated when expectations don’t meet. If this happens on a regular basis, such marketing tactics may backfire and negative reviews may spread. It’s important to try to strike a balance between scarcity marketing strategies and details on the product’s quality, potential uses, and overall worth.
Limited reach and limited audience
Scarcity marketing attracts all the individuals but the effective reach is comparatively very low. Such marketing appeals to a specific segment who are looking for or waiting for such limited and exclusive stock. Such scarcity and exclusivity may not appeal to customers from all the segments and products of all kinds.
Not suitable for all
While scarcity marketing may entice some buyers, it can also put pressure on other consumers to make purchases, which may deter them from purchasing due to the potential difficulties. In order to address this, businesses may decide to employ scarcity strategies sparingly to make their products more distinctive and for buyers to take their time making purchases.
Missed Opportunities
Scarcity marketing has a niche audience. In order to appeal to such a niche audience, scarcity marketing doesn’t appeal to the audience who are not impulsive and do not take nasty decisions without accessing and evaluating the needs or alternatives. In such a case, the decision of letting go of such limited and exclusive products and services is better.
Reference