In retail, the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) has often been treated as a simple conversion tool: create scarcity, add urgency and encourage people to act quickly, but consumers are increasingly tuned into how urgency is used. They know when something feels exciting, and when it feels manufactured.
FOMO is the feeling behind the limited drop, the once-off offer, the event that sells out before payday, or the product everyone suddenly seems to be talking about, says the platform.
"FOMO can be a powerful part of consumer behaviour, but it has to be handled carefully," says Jessy van Eden, Brand and Strategic Partnerships Manager at OneDayOnly. "The difference between good and bad FOMO is the emotional aftertaste. Good FOMO leaves you feeling lucky, excited or satisfied. Bad FOMO leaves you feeling manipulated."
Why FOMO Still Works
The behaviour behind FOMO is not new but remains highly relevant. A 2024 Provoke Insights study of 1 500 American consumers found that 29% make impulse purchases at least weekly, rising to 44% among Gen Z consumers. While United States-based, the broader point applies in any fast-growing ecommerce market: impulse shopping is not limited to one generation or one financial position. Consumers respond to timely, exciting opportunities, which makes it even more important that retailers use urgency in a way that is credible, responsible, but mostly importantly, doesn't erode consumer trust, says the platform.
In South Africa, the conversation is becoming increasingly important as online shopping grows. According to the Online Retail in South Africa 2025 report, produced by World Wide Worx, online retail was expected to exceed R150-billion in 2025 and account for close to 10% of total retail sales.
As more shopping takes place online, the question is not simply whether urgency works, but whether it leaves people trusting the brand afterwards, says the platform.
"Consumers are not passive," says van Eden. "They understand the mechanics, what a countdown clock is doing and what limited stock means. The question is whether that urgency is attached to something real and worthwhile, or whether it is simply being used to rush them."
When Urgency Becomes Pressure
Used well, FOMO can draw attention to something genuinely valuable and make shopping more exciting. Used badly, it can encourage decisions that people make and later regret, says the platform.
A study published in Business Horizons reinforces this tension. After interviewing 57 "FOMO-prone" consumers about FOMO-induced purchases, researchers found that, while FOMO triggers can prompt immediate purchases and positive behavioural intentions, they frequently generate negative cognitive and emotional effects, adds the platform.
For retailers, that is the warning: a short-term conversion is not the same as a positive customer experience. The feeling afterwards can influence whether someone returns, recommends the brand, or approaches the next offer with suspicion, says the platform.
For ecommerce platforms like OneDayOnly, where limited-time deals are part of the model, the platform says that the challenge is not to remove urgency, but to use it with intent: making the experience feel like discovery rather than panic.
"At its best, FOMO is not only about fear," says van Eden. "It's also about curiosity. It's the feeling of, 'what might I find today?' That is a more positive space for brands to play in because it is rooted in discovery, relevance and value."
A Better Kind of Urgency
Good FOMO is built around a genuine opportunity that happens to be available for a limited time, which leaves the consumer feeling in control of the decision. This means thinking beyond the click because any tactic that drives an immediate sale but leaves a customer feeling tricked can undermine trust, says the playform.
"Good FOMO should feel like being in on something," adds van Eden. "It should give people a reason to care in the moment but still leave them feeling good afterwards. That is where urgency becomes more than a sales tactic and forms part of a better consumer experience."
FOMO itself is not the problem. The problem is when brands forget that the feeling after the click matters just as much as the click itself, concludes the platform.
For more information, visit www.onedayonly.co.za. You can also follow OneDayOnly on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or on Instagram.
*image courtesy of LinkedIn