Outhouse › Dark Patterns › Pressure

Urgency, scarcity and social proof

Copy that tells the visitor to be quick because time, stock or other people are running out.

Urgency, scarcity and social proof: LivePulse, from Shitely Convert — LivePulse, from Shitely Convert

Urgency, scarcity and social proof: Demand Signals, from Shitely Convert — Demand Signals, from Shitely Convert

Why it matters

A visitor given time will compare prices. Urgency takes time out of the equation. Only 2 left, Sale ends in 04:59 and 27 people are looking at this cost nothing to display and need not be connected to any stock, sale or person.

The ideal visitor arrives curious and leaves relieved to have narrowly avoided missing out on something they did not want ten minutes earlier.

How Outhouse measures it

Outhouse counts phrases such as only 3 left, ends in, selling fast, bought in past month, best seller and people are viewing in the page text. Three or more scores in full.

This audit counts towards Dark Patterns, with a weight of 2. A category is 75% its two highest-scoring audits and 25% all of its audits, weighted, so a site is judged mostly on what it does most and partly on how many things it does.

How to improve your score

Install UrgencyEngine. Available on selected plans. See all products.

Related audits

Confirmshaming: Decline buttons worded to make saying no feel like a personal failing.
Countdown timers: Timers counting down to the end of an offer.