Understanding Product Collectibility and Scarcity

"You can't create 'drop culture' with supplements.” Well, we did. With collagen powder. And it’s been a huge growth lever for us. At first, it was born from necessity - we could only afford to produce 1,000-1,500 units at a time. But then we noticed something fascinating with those small batches… When products sell out quickly, the first buyers don't just become customers - they become insiders, part of an exclusive group. They rush to share their success, not just because they got the product, but because they're now part of something special. And then those who missed out feel that sting of FOMO that drives them to act faster next time. Our community became the perfect stage for this to play out. One person excitedly posts about scoring the new flavor. Others jump in to celebrate or share their regret about missing out. The anticipation starts building for the next release. By the time we restock, it's become its own event. We’ve learned to amplify these dynamics with a few, key tactics: - Launch at midnight on Sundays (yes, people stay up) - Keep quantities limited (even when we could make more) - Let the community build hype naturally - Create two revenue spikes - initial drop and restock No, we're not selling sneakers or concert tickets. We're just selling collagen powder. But status-seeking and scarcity work the same way, regardless of category. If we can create a “product drop” culture with collagen, you can do it with almost anything. You just have to understand the psychology of exclusivity isn't all about the product - it's about being part of something special.

Stop making your product so damn available. Overabundance is killing your brand's value, and here's why. If your product is everywhere, it's nowhere. Scarcity isn't just a luxury brand tactic—it's a strategic necessity for anyone serious about creating real value. But scarcity alone isn't the answer; it's about mastering the balance between scarcity and strategic physical and mental availability. Most brands flood the market, thinking that being everywhere is the key to success. It's not. Overabundance breeds irrelevance. When your product is always available, it loses its allure, its mystique, its perceived value. Strategic physical availability isn't about being in every store or plastered on every ad space. It's about being in the right places, where your presence feels intentional, curated, and rare. It's about showing up where it matters, so your audience feels like they've found something special—not something that's everywhere. Mental availability is just as crucial. You need to stay top of mind without overwhelming your audience. It's about being unforgettable, not omnipresent. You create intrigue, a desire that lingers, making your audience think, "I need this now," not "I'll get it later." Scarcity ties it all together. It breaks the anchor of constant access and shifts the narrative from "I can get this anytime" to "I have to act before it's gone." It makes your product not just available, but desirable. When you master this balance, your brand stops being just another option. It becomes the option—the one that people seek out, the one they value more because they can't have it whenever they want. That's how you turn scarcity and availability into strategic leverage that elevates your brand above the noise. #Ecommerce #Advertising #Marketing

In 1983, Nintendo did something Wall Street called "corporate suicide": They intentionally created product shortages. The video game market had just crashed: • Gaming revenue fell 97% • Major retailers boycotted games • Hundreds of companies went bankrupt But Nintendo saw an opportunity where others saw disaster. Instead of flooding stores with inventory (like everyone else), they severely restricted supply. Their strategy? Launch the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) only in New York City - America's toughest market. The results were mind-blowing: • Kids begged parents to drive hours to New York • Word-of-mouth marketing exploded organically • Retailers from other cities desperately called for stock The psychology behind it was brilliant: 1. Scarcity creates desire 2. Limited availability builds anticipation 3. FOMO drives faster purchasing decisions By 1988, Nintendo controlled 90% of the American video game market. The same retailers who had sworn off video games were now begging Nintendo for inventory. The strategy was so effective that today's biggest brands still copy it: • Apple's perpetually "sold out" iPhones • Tesla's famous waiting lists • Supreme's limited drops But here's the real genius: Nintendo didn't just understand product marketing. They understood human psychology: Sometimes the best way to make people want something is to make it harder to get. 40 years later, people still camp outside stores for Nintendo releases. 💡 Key lesson: In business, conventional wisdom isn't always right. Sometimes, the "obvious" solution (flooding the market with product) is exactly what you shouldn't do. Remember: Scarcity isn't just about limiting supply. It's about creating a story that makes your product worth chasing. -- Thanks for reading! I'm Terry Kim, and I help industry thought leaders/experts develop and launch a unique cutting-edge high ticket coaching offer and scale it to $5M yearly. Join my free newsletter to learn the playbooks I use to scale and exit my coaching business for 8 figures. kaizenbusinessmastery.com