8. Offer ends at midnight — how time pressure drives sales

In the previous lesson, we talked about creating pressure through limited stock. Another powerful psychological strategy is time pressure. In e-commerce, this is easy to implement — you can display a countdown timer showing how much time is left before a deal ends. That timer triggers urgency: customers realize that postponing their decision means missing out. It also implies that the offer must be good — otherwise, why would it be time-limited?

source: allegro.pl

What else can you do to apply time pressure? One increasingly popular approach is offering discount coupons for future purchases.

Recently, I bought a book on amazon.com. The product page mentioned that after buying, I’d receive a $1 coupon for my next order. I instantly thought: “This book is basically $1 cheaper,” and started thinking about what I’d buy next.

After the purchase, I learned the coupon would expire in one month. So not only did I now own the book, but I also had a ticking clock — a subtle sense of urgency to come back and buy again. Psychologically, I didn’t want to “lose” money I never really had.

Electronics stores and discount chains use the same trick — giving cashback as vouchers valid for a limited time. This motivates customers to return sooner than they normally would, and they often end up spending more than the voucher’s value — just to avoid “wasting” it.

How can you use time pressure in your store?

– Offer time-limited promotions with a visible countdown.

– Launch loyalty programs or next-purchase coupons with expiration dates — ideally slightly shorter than a customer’s usual purchase cycle. This encourages them to come back sooner and use the offer before it’s gone.