Wednesday morning I was checking my emails that came through overnight, like I do first thing every morning, and I saw an email with the subject, "Order Boom Going On Now | 5 Days Left to Enter for Vegas!" from TigerFitness.com. Naturally I clicked on it and before I knew it I had my wallet out.
Wait, what just happened?
The order boom! It got me. I laughed out loud and mumbled to myself, "He got me, freaking Marc got me." I would like to think I am virtually immune to advertising, as I have seen it all and I know all of the tricks and bullsh#t. I was not immune to the order boom for one simple reason, and that is because it provided an incredible value that I couldn't resist as a consumer.
You are probably wondering who Marc is and what an order boom is. Marc Lobliner is the CMO of TigerFitness.com and the owner of two fast growing supplement companies, MTS Nutrition and EthiTech Nutrition. He also runs a very successful YouTube channel with over 154,000 subscribers. (Disclaimer: some videos contain language that is NSFW)
The order boom is a limited 24-hour, tiered-based special that is run at random and rewards shoppers with free product and merchandise according to their total purchase price pre-shipping. For example, customers spending over $150 before shipping were rewarded with a promo item, around 20 samples, a t-shirt, a shaker bottle and a random full-size product valued anywhere from $30 to $100.
It is a great example of how your customers will not turn down an incredible value as long as it is presented to them correctly. The order boom is successful because:
1. It provides real value. Sure, there is monetary value attached to all of the free bonuses, but it also provides a convenience factor as well. Ask any fitness nut if they could use an extra t-shirt for the gym and an extra shaker bottle. Every single one will reply, "Yes!" Now, throw in a full sized supplement product for free and you can see why people such as myself bite at an offer like this.
2. It is random and unannounced. If Tiger Fitness told their customers in advance when to expect order booms they would never order in-between those specials. Announcing sales too far in advance ruins regular business and turns you into a cost-driven business.
I placed a large order on 7/18 and then another smaller one on 8/4 to restock some products.
Then the order boom hit on 8/20 and even though I really didn't need new product for another 7-10 days I jumped all over it. I saw value so I took action.
3. Time is limited so customers must act fast. Once the order boom was announced the clock started ticking. I had 24 hours to take advantage, and there weren't any annoying follow up emails announcing the countdown and pressuring for the sale. It was presented to me once, which is all that was needed. Consumers are intelligent and they know a good value when they see one. They don't need constant reminding.
4. Since it is limited the added stress and workload is minimal. The Tiger Fitness offices and warehouse is undoubtedly a madhouse during the order boom. Does it create extra pressure and work? I would assume so, yes. Is it worth it? They continue to do it, so I would assume it is working out very well for them.
5. It creates a buzz. An incredible value, a pleasant shopping experience, a friendly employee, or any positive consumer experience will naturally create a buzz. Consumers like to talk and they like to share their experiences on social media, so an event like the order boom is going to naturally attract that buzz for a company.
Often times businesses are concerned with uncovering the latest and greatest marketing gimmick when all they really need to do is offer their customers value.