Tricks and tactics retailers use online to get you to buy

As I was shopping online the Sunday evening before Cyber Monday, I was suddenly shocked to see that a major retail chain was down to a few pairs of Dockers pants in my son’s size and his next best color choice. The #1 color choice in his size or a similar size has already sold out.

Really?

That’s possible because I noticed similar small amounts present when I checked these pants on the morning of Cyber Monday. But honestly, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that I ended up buying two pairs in different styles, sizes, and colors from what was available – I had $5 in Kohl’s cash that finally expired on Sunday night.

The holiday shopping rush intensifies as consumers face shortages. That’s why some retail websites “will notify you that there are only five copies of an item left, that many other people have it in their shopping cart, or that an item is selling very quickly,” according to an alert from Holiday Marketing Tricks from the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).

As we shop for holiday gifts in 2024, we’ll see significantly more information about how few items are left in stock online, according to consumer advocates.

Holiday offers: Shop this season’s top products and special offers, curated by our editors.

Shoppers who watch QVC see the same thing on TV and online. “Hurry up! 124 shoppers have purchased this in the last 24 hours,” reads an online notification Monday morning for Skechers’ water-resistant suede pull-on boots, which are offered in five colors during the cyber sale for $59.98 become.

According to PIRG, if something is a top seller or supplies are running low, consumers are likely to end up thinking they’d better pull out their credit card before it’s too late.

When you feel pressured, you’re less likely to take a step back and ask, “Is spending $60 the best deal I can find on short boots?”

You’ll obviously feel far too rushed to even mentally check your own inventory and realize, “Hey, I just bought short suede boots two months ago.”

The scarcity level is very similar to online countdown timers. Who doesn’t get a little nervous when they see that they only have about an hour left to decide and cross another gift off the list?

“It makes it much harder to think clearly,” PIRG noted.

More:“Buy now, pay later”: Is the risk worth it? The hidden details buyers should know

More:Cyber Monday isn’t just another Monday for those looking for even more deals

Sales tactics pile up when we are already stressed

Face it, we are all exhausted in the final weeks of 2024.

For many, jobs are at stake as some major companies announce further major layoffs or store closures. We just experienced another contentious presidential election — and some tensions may be higher at work or at family gatherings.

We are overloaded 24 hours a day almost every day of the year. We do our jobs and add additional tasks required by our short-staffed employers, pack sandwiches to avoid expensive fast food, care for our loved ones, drive elderly family members to the doctor, and make sure we’re on time for a child’s visit B. come to a game or a concert, do laundry, bake or buy cookies for the bake sale, and so on.

And yes, we are trying to curb spending as many prices are higher today than they used to be. The hustle and bustle of the holidays brings with it even more tasks and stress.

So if you think you’ll never find a pair of the right size Dockers on sale again, then maybe buy two pairs.

Signs of a deficiency can be seen everywhere. J. Crew online, for example, had a “cyber deal” on Monday on a red turtleneck with hearts woven into the pattern. Retail price: $29.50 – 63% off the list price of $79.50, according to the website. But once you clicked on the sizes, many different sizes were marked with a link: “Out of stock in this color – Notify me.”

Not so fast if they say it sells fast.

RJ Cross, PIRG’s campaign director, told me during a phone conversation that she imagines that if a store says it’s out of stock, the retailer might actually be out of stock. After all, a retailer could lose money if they don’t have a certain item. You may not be ready to buy anything else.

She’s more concerned when online sellers indicate how much is left in stock or use vague language like “sell quickly.”

“If you go on Etsy right now, almost every single listing has some indication of how quickly something is selling or how many people have something in their cart,” Cross said. “There are these big red markings that can cause a little bit of anxiety.”

She almost bought a calendar the Sunday before Cyber Monday when an announcement indicated that only five of the designs she was considering were still for sale. But she still decided to sleep on it, noting that she tries not to do any shopping late at night.

When she woke up the next day, guess what? There are five calendars left, she said.

Someone who sells candles online said 270 shoppers currently have the item in their shopping cart, which she said could make a purchase seem urgent. But what if that seller had 5,000 candles to begin with? Hardly any reason to rush.

As shoppers, Cross told me, we don’t know how many people actually buy an item once they’ve selected it and added it to their shopping cart online.

She remembers looking at Title Nine leggings online about two weeks ago. The website said the fleece-lined tights were “selling out quickly.” And two weeks later? All five colors are still available and marked “sold out quickly,” she said.

In this case, she said, the site marked the entire offering as “selling fast” – every single color, style and size – which can lead to a “panic buy” even if it’s actually just one which has over 65 variants that actually “sells quickly”. .’”

“Sell quickly? Compared to what?” Cross asked. “It doesn’t really tell you anything.”

Such online sales tactics stoke the adrenaline. “Like you have to make a purchase right away or you’ll miss out,” Cross said.

How do you really know they’re running low?

“The problem,” the PIRG report states, “is that there is no way for you as an online shopper to guarantee that these shortages are real. Numbers can be taken out of context, making things seem much more urgent than they are. Maybe 20 people have this coffee maker in their cart, but only an average of one person a week actually buys it and the store has 100 in stock.”

When you’re shopping in a store, you see that on the shelf there are 10 sweaters of the same color and tons of them in your size. You might be willing to shop around a bit and come back knowing it’s a good deal.

Or ask a salesperson at a mall store if there might be additional sweaters available in a certain size or color in the back room or even another location nearby. Face-to-face conversations about how to find something you can’t spot on the shelves are relatively easy, especially when the store isn’t crowded with customers.

Not so much with online shopping.

Cross’s advice: Ignore the noise and hints on the Internet. Recognize a high-pressure sales tactic and take the risk that the item is still in stock after giving it a little thought. It’s a good idea, she said, to break the search for a gift and the actual purchase of a gift into two separate activities. Take the time and space to make sure you buy the right gift at the right price.

“Keep your Zen this holiday season,” Cross said.

“Stores are always trying to get you to buy more than you need and spend more than you want,” she said. “And the Christmas season is no exception.”

Experienced buyers learned years ago that you have to ask yourself whether a sales price is really a good deal. We see the original price of an item, which may seem legitimate, but in reality an item is often offered in one promotion or another several times throughout the year.

Tricks and tactics retailers use online to get you to buy

ByAmelia Journalton

By Amelia Journalton

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