Reviewing the Research Landscape of Online Scarcity Messages

Many e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Booking.com use scarcity messages, which refer to promotional cues that nudge consumers’ purchase decisions. While scarcity marketing has long existed in brick-and-mortar settings, its presence in the online setting has changed the dynamics of consumers’ online shopping experiences. However, the literature on online scarcity messages lacks a unified conceptual framework. Therefore, this paper reports a review of this emerging marketing phenomenon. Specifically, it aims to identify the various independent variables, dependent variables, moderators, and mediators studied with respect to online scarcity marketing. The review included 43 articles reporting empirical studies in English. The key predictors in the literature include exposure to online scarcity messages and perceived scarcity. The outcomes belong to three groups: perceptions, intentions, and actual behaviors. The moderators are either contextual or individual factors. All the mediators are related to perceptions. Besides developing a unified conceptual framework of online scarcity messages, the review identifies a tension between marketers’ interest in conversion and consumers’ priority of wellbeing. Implications for marketing research and practice are highlighted.