Scarcity is used a lot – Black Friday and other special sales have conditioned us to react like Pavlov’s dogs to scarcity.

But is scarcity online real?

Or is it just a ploy to get us to buy more?

The quick answer is “it varies”.

But I’ve just been sent a bunch of emails for a product called Scarcity Demon – that’s not an affiliate link as it’s not a product I’d be happy to sell.

It is designed to start the 24 hour (or whatever) sale the minute you land on the site.

So if you went to the site today, the sale would start now.

If you went to it tomorrow from a different location or even just a different browser on the same PC (Firefox instead of Chrome for instance) then the scarcity online clock would start at a different time.

Sneaky?

Definitely.

Which is why I’m not taking an affiliate commission on it.

The problem I have with software like this is that it devalues scarcity online when that really is the case.

And whilst that’s true, it’s going to breed a generation who are even more cynical than we ever suspected.

Their sales pitch is that because people are spread out across the world and across different time zones it makes it fairer for everyone.

But a truly limited offer can be structured in such a way as to get over that kind of problem – 72 or 48 hours instead of 24 hours should work.

Here in the UK, one furniture chain is famous for their never ending sale. As soon as one ends the next one starts. Which seems to work for them but I suspect means that nothing is ever actually sold at “full” price, only ever the crossed through “sale” price. Which is the prices they thought of in the first place.

Which brings us back to full circle of scarcity online.

Amazon try it on certain with an “only 4 copies remaining” message but that seems to be used when that’s genuinely the case and we also know that they’ll likely get another delivery when those 4 are sold.

Ebay tells you how many people are viewing an item per hour to encourage you to bid.

Travel sites will tell you how many hotel rooms are left at a certain price but at least you know that’s likely to be true.

But once false scarcity online becomes more common, will you believe it even if it is true?

It’s a fine line and I suspect that the idea of giving every new visitor a new ticking clock deadline – even if they just go back to the site on the same computer but from a different browser – is legally questionable.

I know the budget airlines here in the UK had a run-in with the Advertising Standards Authority for nudging the price up based on cookies set on each individual’s computer.

So my gut reaction is that this is a dishonest practice that leaves people open to all sorts of issues.

Not least of which is trust.

After all, if you’re outright lied to on the sales page, where else are you being lied to?

Anyway, sorry for being negative but I thought you’d find this interesting.

Even if it causes you to wait a few minutes when you see a countdown clock on an unfamiliar site, then open a new browser (or maybe just clear your cookies) to see whether the offer really has the same countdown time for everyone.

Feel free to add your comments below!