There is a phrase in marketing communications and advertising called the ‘call to action’.
At the point in watching an advert, opening some direct mail or engaging in social media there is a moment at which the marketer believes that the customer has just enough information and confidence to take their next step in the customer journey. Sometimes this is as simple as a ‘click here for more information’. At other times it might be a ‘call us on this number to buy’.
Now there is a new and improved version of the call to action and it’s the Immediate Call To Action.
Immediacy is something as consumers we have become familiar with. No longer are we happy to wait 48 hours to receive a reply to our enquiry. If we email we sit and wait for a reply within minutes and anything much longer and we are on the phone to chase it up. Immediacy is commonplace. Instant gratification is the name of the game but it’s not one way traffic.
Online retailer The Hut Group have taken things back to the customer with immediate effect through their iwantoneofthose.com store. Yes there are the motivating price discounts, 2 for £20 and free delivery offers but the best yet, in line with that ‘press the button right here, right now’ ethos is the following:
- 20% off everything but not for long
- Discount reduced by 1% on the hour every hour
- Enter code TICKTOCK
- BUY NOW
So here’s why this approach is genius
- A healthy discount % from the recommended retail price inspires interest in the products for sale
- If a customer pauses to purchase then the longer they pause the less the benefit to them
- The code is highlighted in capitals which in digital world is the equivalent of shouting
- The button to press to BUY NOW is prominent, ensuring the next step in the customer journey is clear
Such a simple tactic matches customer behaviour to marketer’s need.
So think today about how easy and motivating you could make your purchase decision point. Are you truly stimulating customers to buy right here, right now?