Ben WiseGoogle · Head of Programmatic Media at Google | Speaker | Board Director | Startup Advisor

How to create a sense of urgency

Name: How to create a sense of urgency
Uploaded: 2024-09-30T13:00:14+00:00
Duration: 38 s
Channel: Ben Wise
Description: In this short YouTube monologue, the speaker questions why retail and booking websites keep out‑of‑stock or already‑booked items displayed instead of…

30 Sept 2024 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:38

In this short YouTube monologue, the speaker questions why retail and booking websites keep out‑of‑stock or already‑booked items displayed instead of removing them. He points out that showing messages like “Out of stock” or “Back in stock in 15 weeks” is a deliberate tactic to generate a sense of urgency, prompting consumers to act quickly for fear of missing out. He uses examples from retail products and a booked house to illustrate the technique, then challenges viewers to try creating urgency in their own interactions and invites them to share results in the comments.

Chapters

Why don't retail websites remove all the items when there's no stock left? Just look at these. Out of stock. Out of stock again. Back in stock in 15 weeks. Really? 15 weeks? It's pretty easy to just remove these, but they keep them there to create a sense of urgency. You missed out on the first one, so you better order the next one quickly before it's too late. I mean, look at this beautiful house. Sorry, it's already booked. We don't mean to rub it in your face, but act now or you'll miss the next one. Just think, how can you drive urgency with the people around you? Give it a try. Drop us a note in the comments to let us know how it goes.