Sorry, Suckers! We’re Sold Out

The marketing concept of “supply and demand” — that is, as supply is low, demand for it goes up — is so cliché as to be easy to overlook.

But we’re living in a time when things come easily to us — and at the snap of our fingers. So products that play hard to get (like lovers) increase our desire. And beauty brands, like sexy players, are really good at engineering scarcity, or releasing products in small bursts, designed to sell out.

The frictionless world we live in — of Seamless, Uber, and On-Demand — is countered by these scarcity-engineered products. Instead of delivered to your door in one day, shipping included, the consumer has to do a lot more work, forcing them to follow the brand on social so they know exactly what time the product will be available and making the consumer feel a “now or never” around the purchase.

It also builds buzz, makes the product seem highly in demand, and creates a sense of urgency around the purchases, which leads to a bigger basket size. Kylie Jenner is a master at the game, and coveted makeup artist Pat McGrath, with her new lip kits, is adding friction and making the consumer work too.

What we’re calling Premium Friction ladders up to a few trends we’re following, from reiterations of Aspiration, a cultural tension between luxury and the Frictionless world of no waiting, and Tedious content, time and effort built into activities that we are seeking out.