Less of this one? I'll take it: New insights on the influence of shelf-based scarcity

Abstract

Recently, Parker and Lehmann (2011) demonstrated shelf-based scarcity influences consumer preference. In addition to replicating their work across four studies, we extend their findings with evidence that shelf-based scarcity cues 1) impact consumer willingness-to-pay, 2) increase the likelihood of selecting an unfamiliar brand, and 3) influence actual product choice in a field study. Furthermore, we replicate the original study in a different research context that extends beyond packaged goods, with visible inventories that are only 25% different from one another, utilizing a different presentation format. Taken together, this research demonstrates that shelf-based scarcity is a robust heuristic that has far-reaching and stable effects on consumer purchase decisions.