Consumers are motivated by need and desire. Sometimes, just sometimes, they’re motivated by FOMO. Some good and some bad, following along as we discuss the negated responsibility of encouraging FOMO and the benefits you receive. 

Ethical Way to Design

FOMO: Fear of missing out

A pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent, FoMO is characterized by the desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing. - Science Direct

There is, in fact, a way to leverage the feeling of missing out and tear away the fear elements. 

Limited Availability.

There is nothing wrong with presenting limits to your visitors or consumers. It becomes an issue when a sense of urgency is triggered and stressful decision making happens. 

When you induce stress in your users, it makes the decision making process more difficult and can lead to regretful purchases. Too many choices can cause a problem - check out our blog on information overload being harmful for ROI. 

For example, what’s nice about displaying sold-out products is that it reduces the number of choices consumers have to make. Granted, some may be unhappy because the silver phone they wanted is unavailable, but this limitation on what they can buy might encourage them to try another variation of the product.

Shed Light on Rewards

When selling something online , don’t forget to enable account registration. Sure, it’s a nice touch for users that want the convenience of saving account details so they don’t have to input them with each new purchase. There’s another reason to encourage your users to register... 

• A softer but still effective way to compel users to buy sooner rather than later is to show off their rewards totals or expiration dates.
• Until you’ve earned the trust of visitors and users, how are they supposed to believe a product marked as a “Top Seller” really is what you claim it to be?
  • Social proof is supposed to help mitigate these kinds of concerns, but even that can be faked.

As those posts reach social media connections - those that know the user or those that are only acquainted with them online start to allow FOMO to sneak in.

With this kind of FOMO marketing on your site or app, you can stop relying so much on heavily-discounted sales events and other urgent projects. Instead, let your users generate that intensified interest.

Follow Up

Maybe not right now but in the future deceptive FOMO tactics will eventually catch up with you when customers start to realize they were misled by inflated numbers, exaggerated plots or seemingly time-sensitive or exclusive offers.

Remember: the websites and apps you build for clients shouldn’t just attract and convert customers. They also need to help your clients retain that business and loyalty over the long term. By being more responsible with the messages you’re sending, you can help them accomplish that.

Need a website redesign? Contact Blue Archer for a consultation.