What are your feelings about finding a "timed" special offer when you visit a business website?

Question

When you open the web page, you find a small "countdown clock" that says you have a limited amount of time to buy at a discounted price through the offered link. When the clocks hits "zero", the offer disappears for good.

Is this believable to you?
Does it annoy you so you wouldn't buy at any price?
If you're given an hour is that enough time to make a decision? Too much time?
Does it make you feel hurried?

What kind of offer would you want to see? (please don't just say "free")
Do you like "up-sells" (buy "this" and get "that" added free)?

Would you rather see the added bonus in the "timed offer" rather than a lowered price?

Yes, I am looking for really good (substantial) answers to discuss in our next marketing meeting. This is how companies improve their products and offerings - through good feedback from the public.

Answer 1

If you are already a well established, well-known business, then the timer might be a neat twist on the usual "limited time offer". I would like to see price discounts personally, I mean depending what your product is, but I think "bonus incentives" comes across like cheap Shopping Network junk.

However if you are a relatively unknown online business, this timer might send the message of 'scam' to viewers.... only because it comes across like, 'here's some no-name online business trying to rush me into buying something without giving me time to make a decision'. So if this is the case, I would stick with the usual 2-day sale or whatever.

An hour is a reasonable amount of time if you do go with a timer.

Answer 2

Most people here will rightly answer that they don't like the counter.

why?
because the people who can take the trouble to read your question, analize it, hit the reply button and formulate a sensate answer are the ones who can apply the same way of thinking to an ad with the countdown clock.
But these are not the people you want to sell to as they are in the minority.
The majority of people like to look at the pictures, "kind of" read through the text, if the formatting looks "kind of" what in their mind is "professional" then you have a sale. Ok you might not have a sale but THERE IS MORE CHANCE you will make one.
Your conversion rates will go up, so isn't that what you want?

I could give you tangible proof to this but it does require some knowledge of how ebay works before you can perform a full successful marketing research in there, still a simple search for "Police eBook" will immediately show you what distinguishes a "Hot" ad from a "normal" one.
If you then advance your search to "completed items" and choose to see them from the "highest amout" first, you will see that people are paying UP TO £1000 for an ebook! Very often up to £200. Such items are always VERY CLEARLY advertised as such, with the term "ebook" right up there in the title.
So, plenty of food for though here. Crazy uh? Other "Police Ebooks" can be purchased for a penny.
If you need some little vids to help you search ebay, I sell them for one penny there, my username is "britalic", will add link below, hoping it isn't seen as spam or something, the truth is I am genuinely happy to spread what I know and actively look to make best answers! Boosts my ego I guess :-)


So, Giving people a feeling of urgency helps you make a sale. I guess it adds to the excitement and it is a very old trick that never fails to get your conversion rates up.

Having said all this, Countdown Counters are a bit tacky even to the most convinced "thrill seekers" so you might want to go half way and go for one of those scripts that will display the DATE.

Then you can add that the offer is valid until midnight tomorrow.
This will make the page look fresh and it shouldn't offend even the ones of us who can see through the mud.

I don't use these techniques myself all that often.
I guess I have my "old school" values and I want to be remembered as a person that used to put these good values BEFORE money. This attitude NEVER brings any money as the nicest people who appreciate good honest ads are very far and in between (and seldom buy anything) so when needs must I might start to slighly push the envelope a little bit, mainly with harmless techniques like these, never selling an ebook making it appear like it is a Rolex watch, although this is perfectly accepted by auction sites and nobody can blame them: do not buy if you cannot read the description!

Answer 3

Hate it, despise it, don't want it, don't allow them on any site I build.

Any "timed offer", whether online or in print, instantly makes me question how good the offer is and what's behind it.

Answer 4

the timer is the industrys way of yelling SCAM in your face
the timer always resets when the time runns out
i suggest you dont do anything to do with your credid card over the internet

however i trust PAYPAL

Answer 5

it irritates me and i take no notice of their product