Fake scarcity
1
Purpose
The purpose of scarcity is to entice users to purchase a product.
2
Psychological principles
This tactic plays on human tendencies to value rare or hard-to-obtain items, similar to the fake urgency pattern.
3
Prevention
Users can protect themselves by setting personal spending rules, such as waiting 24 hours before making significant purchases.
Scarcity preys on our desire to be unique
People tend to enjoy exclusivity, whether being a part of a club, status, or getting a product few have. This can naturally happen if the company hasn’t scaled to the demand or keeps products under a limited series. However, scarcity inserts language or UI elements that inflame this urgency or deceive users about the amount of remaining stock.
This pattern is directly related to the deceptive pattern of fake urgency. The key difference between the two is scarcity uses limited availability to heighten desirability, while fake urgency uses time limits. There is some inherent crossover, however, because low stock inherently means there is now a limited time to buy.
Behind the pattern
Scarcity. People tend to put a higher value on things that are hard to obtain or are rare. In a 1975 study by Worchel, Lee, and Adewole, participants were given a cookie from a jar of 10 or a jar of just two. They were told that the cookie from the jar of 10 was abundant, and the cookies from the jar of two were scarce. Despite being the same cookie, participants rated the scarce cookie as better tasting. As to why this happens, many speculate it’s an opportunity to be unique and stand out from the crowd.
How to protect yourself
Set personal rules. Like fake urgency, It may be useful to set boundaries around your spending to combat scarcity. For example, waiting at least 24 hours before making a purchase over $100.