16 Examples to Boost Conversions Using Limited Time Offer

A limited-time offer is a discount, unique gift, reward, or anything related to your products or business that a customer can get during a specific time period. Such periods can depend on holidays, stock, promotions, or good mood. Limited-time offers tend to boost users’ interest and skip the second-thought part. It means that people decide whether to use your promotion right now or not. And if the offer is good, most customers will use it. 

Offers for a limited time are like a ticking clock that interests people with its value and time opportunity. This marketing tactic tells loyal customers and visitors to act now if they want to receive something from you. In most cases, the gifts won’t cost you much compared to the profit you’ll receive from such marketing promotion. You can offer a discount, free shipping, or a nice gift. 

The question is, how can you create your own powerful limited-time deal to bring new customers and retain old ones? Let’s check how you can use the fear of missing out approach (FOMO) in your favor.

What Is a Limited-Time Offer?

A time-limited offer is a marketing technique based on the buyer’s desire to avoid loss. Since customers are afraid of missing out, they act immediately, even if they were not planning a purchase at that time. The deal usually includes free shipping, discount codes, special gifts, or any product or service a business can offer for free or with a big discount. You’ve seen such deals in the form of ads, campaigns, pop-ups, banners, email offers, and anything else that you can name. 

Do you remember when you were in a bookstore wandering around, reading every book spine? And now remember a table with books at a huge discount? We are sure you’ve bought several of those. Were they the ones you ended up in a store in the first place? We doubt it. But the price! And that’s exactly how a limited-time sale works.

And because of its urgency, more and more people buy goods without giving them a second thought. Some marketing specialists say that it works like a miracle. However, any game and campaign have its own rules that are necessary for fair play. The limited-time promotion has its own, and you must follow this perfect recipe to get the most out of this campaign.

Main Advantages of Using Limited-Time Deals

1. It creates a sense of urgency 

Limited-time offer ads and available stock both play with the concept of scarcity. People are more driven to act quickly when there is a limited supply of goods or if it is only available for a certain period.

According to the studies, scarcity is one of the largest influencers on purchase decisions. Making your products appear scarce through limited offers is an excellent method to tilt the scales from interest only to the more serious intention to buy.

2. It draws in new clients

Online buyers are typically a little apprehensive to make purchases from unknown e-commerce companies. There is no potential for an in-person connection, and shoppers cannot view or test things before making a purchase.

However, consumers are also highly price-sensitive. Visitors who have never experienced your brand before are more likely to try a product if they can get it for half the price or with a gift. People view the chance to check out new stores as an opportunity when a temporary discount is present. Since the price is lower, there is less danger; thus, they are more inclined to make their initial buy.

3. It encourages consumer loyalty

Special limited-time sales not only attract new customers but also maintain the interest of existing ones. Even devoted clients get limited-time offers. These offers make customers feel valued, increasing their likelihood of purchasing during the sale period. In the best-case scenario, strategic timing can encourage clients to visit your store frequently.

Through your email newsletter or specifically targeted pop-ups, you may even present your limited-time deals as a discount that is “only for loyal consumers.” People respond strongly to these offers because they feel special for being able to take advantage of them.

4. It allows you to test new products

Limited time is a way to sell a new product so customers can experience it. Thus, you do not invest much money in a novelty at once. And after the end of the offer, you can already decide whether to continue releasing it or not.

16 Limited-Time Offer Examples

Now you know what benefits you can get with limited-time offers and are ready to boost your business. Let’s check what kind of offers you can create and their examples. It’s time to get more customers and more purchases!

1. Tripwire

Tripwire is a cheap product that is worth far more than its cost. For example, the first order of a healthy meal for $10, phone diagnostics for $1, or access to a training program for an Instagram subscription.

With such a product, the user is involved in the sales funnel, remembers the company, and more often applies to the main product. Tripwire inspires confidence in the client, so it is important to give the maximum benefit. Then, they will be convinced of the quality of the product and will want to buy more.

2. Cross-Sell

When you offer a related product, you are doing a cross-sell. Please note that such a limited deal should make the client feel cared for, not deceived, so do not forget to offer what your customers are interested in but not products that have been in stock for years.

3. Upsell

This method increases the average check because you are selling a more expensive product or service to the client. It is important to offer an expensive product before placing an order. The customer clicks on the “Buy” button before entering the card details. In this case, upselling will not confuse the user and will help you increase sales.

4. Bundle

The bundle is an offer to purchase bundled products at a discount. These e-commerce packages benefit both shoppers and store owners. Because they may purchase a bundle and save money, customers prefer it. In addition, they get to test new items with fewer dangers. Bundles boost sales, reduce marketing costs, and maintain low-selling products on the shelves.

5. Flash Sale

Flash sale is a rare product at a meager price. An extraordinary approach to moving things that are either out of season or have been in catalogs for a while is through flash sales. On the other hand, selling products that have been in a warehouse for a short or even lengthy time allows a business to create a way for newer inventory that is selling quickly, which lowers operational and inventory costs.

Moreover, flash sales help raise brand awareness. They can significantly increase your visibility by bringing your store to the attention of bloggers and bargain sites all over the Internet. Flash sales allow you to let buyers know about your other items and value proposition, even though they may only serve as a temporary stimulus.

6. Exit Limited-Time Offer Pop-Up

To capture visitors’ attention, you need to ensure that relevant messages appear in front of them at the moment of their greatest receptivity. In practice, it isn’t easy to achieve. To do this, use the exit pop-up technology, in which information appears after the user decides to leave the site. Such pop-ups remain invisible until the user starts moving the mouse toward the top of the page. At this point, the site makes one last attempt to get the customer’s attention.

User intent is tracked in the following way:

• the cursor moves to the button that closes the tab;
• the cursor moves to the address bar, where you can enter the address to go to another page;
• the browser is closed.

The purpose of this technique is to stop a visitor who has expressed an intention to leave the page.

Exit Pop-Up Structure

The conversion of a website or an online store depends on the structure of the exit pop-up. It contains:

• attractive offer (promotions, discounts, bonuses);
• strong heading;
• interesting content;
• bright picture;
• a powerful call to action.

The effectiveness of this technique also depends on the location of the pop-up window. It should be located so that the visitor can pay attention to it while acting unobtrusively. The easiest way is to install it in the center or bottom of the screen, right or left. Different windows are used depending on the section the visitor exits the site from (contacts, shopping cart, or catalog).

Using beautiful photography and brand colors, this site creates a countdown timer pop-up to add some urgency to the offer and gives potential customers 15 minutes to get 10% off.

Using Claspo drag-and-drop pop-up builder, you can add and fully customize your widgets. In your personal account, you can choose from a variety of pop-up ad templates with a countdown timer and set widget display conditions.

7. Holiday-Related Offers

This never-ending story can affect your products and services as much as ads and campaign ideas. We have holidays all year round, and many people look for presents or specific items for holidays, like a plush heart pillow for Valentine’s Day. You can use this knowledge for limited-time promotions of your offers. Among all holidays and events that exist, the most marketing-driven are: 

• start of a school year;
• Halloween;
• Thanksgiving;
• Christmas;
• Hanukkah;
• New Year;
• Easter;
• school breaks;
• summer seaside vacations;
• your brand’s birthday.

You can get a turnout of any existing holiday, awareness month, or observance. The products that fall under your limited-time sale can be specific and related to the event. 

8. Personal Anniversary Sales

You can celebrate your small and big wins with your clients to gain more trust from them and get more loyal customers. As soon as you hit many users or any other important milestone, throw a limited-offer party with your best products. Besides the purchase growth, you’ll also connect with your customers more. 

9. Loyal Clients Limited Offer

You probably know most of your constant shoppers and clients if you are a small business. You can make them a present in the form of a limited-time offer. Such campaigns don’t have to be loud. You can just notify your brand’s friends with a simple email, saying that you value your friendship. 

If you want to reach a bigger audience, you can post this campaign on the social media page so users that follow you can use this limited-time deal. We are sure that each of your loyal customers will feel appreciated and happy after receiving good word from you. 

10. Clear Your Stock

You’ve seen such offers where the brand is selling everything off. Such campaigns are usually season-driven, meaning brands try to get rid of everything they have before getting a new collection. And for such campaigns, brands usually set generous offers. For some people, this might not be an option, especially if the brand offers fashion-related goods, and the buyer is a fashion mogul that has to have everything right after the release. But for most people, such promotions are perfect for getting new clothing items for a better price. 

11. Weather-Driven Offers

There are always hot and cold seasons. We know this sounds too obvious, but we have to tell you about this. Use this information to plan your limited-time offers. During hot months or seasons, you can sell related items that people most likely buy. And during the cold season or month, you can do the opposite. 

However, you can sell off your aging stock for cold weather for a good price, offering people to get ready when it is cold. The same offer you can create for the hot weather.

12. Seasonal Offers

Some products are only good for specific seasons. For example, you won’t buy Easter bunnies and eggs for Christmas. So, plan your limited-time special offer before the holiday season so people can pick your business over others and purchase your goods and services for a good price. Besides, you won’t have many Christmas items right after Christmas ends. 

13. New Customer Offer

You can run a limited-time promotion for new customers. This will attract new customers, some of whom will be your loyal customers after a while. You’ve experienced such limited-time deals when purchasing some app or buying a gym membership. There’s always a short period of time when you can use their services for free. 

14. Customer Anniversaries Offer

Celebrate your customers as much as you can. Customers’ anniversaries using your business products or services are the best way to start with. And it doesn’t matter if the customer is not that loyal. You can approach a first-time buyer with such an offer so that they will eventually purchase something from you again. 

15. Customer Birthday Offer

There’s nothing better than birthday presents. Everyone loves them, and everyone loves to pamper themselves on such occasions. Allow your users to do so. Send a nice offer, discount, or coupon to celebrate the birthday and get the product that they have wanted for a long time. Besides getting a purchase, you’ll build better relations with your customers that appreciate such gestures. 

16. Free Shipping Offers

Here’s a secret for you: no one likes to pay for shipping. It’s like you could buy something else for that amount of money that you have to spend on shipping. So, to be a nice brand that values your customers, run a limited-time offer of free shipping. People will get everything they have in their favorite lists or their carts, no doubt. 

You can also attract new customers who also would like to buy your products with a free shipping option. This is one of the best offers that you can run. Many stores have it on a regular basis, but the overall purchase price has to start from a specific amount of money. If you think such an approach won’t work for your business, you can try it as a limited-time offer and test it. 

Tips on How to Use Limited-Time Offers Effectively

Creating a superb limited-time offer is not just about writing everywhere that you have one, but also doing it with class and friendliness. This art has much more than just throwing text over a picture. Let’s see how you can make a perfect limited-time unique offer campaign. 

Keep It Simple

Thanks to the clip thinking, any person has about 12 seconds of attention span. And that’s what you have to face when creating a marketing text. We advise you to avoid unnecessary details and get straight into the topic of your offer: what, when, and why you offer what you offer. Your design should be clean as well. There should be no distractions so the users can easily understand what you want from them.

Show What Users Can Lose

It is unbearable when you can’t have something. And you can use this as a pain point for your limited-offer campaign. State that this is the only time you’ll sell these items for a good price, and if all of them are gone, you won’t have a new stock. The loss aversion that the users might face after such a message can do wonders for your promotion campaign. 

Make It Urgent

You’ve heard about FOMO. It is the bread and butter of any limited-time promotion campaign. Everyone is scared to miss some information, news, products, or sales. Marketing specialists tend to use it to motivate people to buy products. Happily, this is extremely easy to awaken a sense of urgency in any customer. Place a ticking timer that counts down your limited-time special offer. 

Don’t Overuse It

Don’t create one limited-time offer after another. This is extremely dangerous in the long run. Yes, you can grow your revenue for a short period of time, but you can lose your stock value during a more extended period. Besides, if users understand that you run one discount campaign after another, they’ll stop buying from you anything at a full price. 

Run A/B Tests

Don’t guess which limited-time offers will work and which won’t. You have an A/B testing tool that will answer all your questions. Learn your competitors, run optimization, and be the best on the market. A/B testing is an excellent tool as you can’t be sure 100% whether customers will prefer one offer over another. 

Conclusion

Using limited-time offers in your marketing strategy is a smart move. People enjoy good deals, and you have an opportunity to connect with and befriend them, which will eventually make them loyal to your brand. Use our tips and examples when creating your campaign and don’t forget to analyze your results and talk to your customers. These are the key tools for any marketing strategy.