Lowe’s added a new sales trick to their website, and it’s one that Amazon adopted over a year ago.
Early last year, I noticed that Amazon started displaying sales data in their search results, and also on specific product pages. For example, Amazon displays “8K+ bought in past month” for a Dewalt cordless power tool combo kit.
Many shoppers look to user reviews and review counts to help them make their purchasing decisions.
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Some companies incentivize reviews. Many retailers aggregate reviews from similar products or external websites and, whether intentional or not, inflate the review count. Even with newly launched products, a high number of reviews, relevant or not, can help drive sales.
But, consumers don’t always take user reviews, ratings, or counts at face value, knowing that they’re not always accurate or representative of the product they’re looking at.
Sales data is more objective, and provides social proof and validation. Amazon’s practice of selectively disclosing recent sales numbers strongly suggests their tactic has been working.
Lowe’s already uses several ways to draw attention to specific products.
In a Lowe’s.com search for “cordless 2-tool combo kit,” the first 3 results have flags that say “New Lower Price,” “Bestseller,” and “Trending Now.”
Now, when you click through to different products, many also have rounded sales figures. For example, this Dewalt combo kit says “200+ bought last week.”
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Here are the notes that Lowe’s adds on the pages for different brands’ cordless drill and impact driver combo kits:
Dewalt 2-Tool Combo: “200+ bought last week”
Craftsman 2-Tool Combo: “100+ bought last week”
Kobalt 2-Tool Combo: “40+ bought last week”
Flex 2-Tool Combo: “3k+ views last week”
Flex Premium 2-Tool Combo: “In 20+ carts last week”
Skil 2-Tool Combo: “600+ views last week”
Bosch 2-Tool Combo: “10+ bought last week”
Metabo HPT 2-Tool Combo: “In 20+ carts last week”
Many retailers allow their search results and product categories to be sorted by sales figures, but having actual numbers is still novel and interesting.
One of the Flex combos has “3K+ views last week.” Were those organic (natural) views, or does it also include click-throughs from paid ads or sponsored listings on social media? Does Lowe’s differentiate?
The “view” and “in carts” labels don’t tell us much.
On the page for ToughBuilt’s StackTech rolling tool box, Lowe’s says “40+ bought last week.” For the Flex Stack Pack rolling tool box, it says “10+ bought last week.”
For the Kobalt mini tool box, here’s what it says for the various in-stock colors:
Pink: “1k+ bought last week”
White: “300+ bought last week
Gray: “200+ bought last week”
Blue: “100+ bought last week”
Black: “100+ bought last week”
Interestingly, they also have sales figures for the out-of-stock colors:
Red: “400+ bought last week”
Green: “600+ bought last week”
Personally, I think this can have positive and negative influence on customers’ purchasing decisions.
Let’s say you’re researching 2-tool cordless power tool combo kits. Without knowing anything else, would you pick Dewalt’s 2-tool combo kit ($169), or Bosch’s 2-tool combo kit ($159)? Lowe’s sold “200+” of the Dewalt kit last week, and “10+” of the Bosch kit. Will this impact your decision?
Maybe that’s why Lowe’s gives some products notes about “views” or “in-cart” statistics instead of the number of sales. “Less than 10 bought last week” doesn’t have a good ring to it, does it?
“Social proof” absolutely sells tools on Amazon and elsewhere. I believe that’s how Amazon alone sells more than 10,000 Dewalt cordless drill kits every month, despite that particular model having launched more than 10 years ago.
It will be interesting to see if Lowe’s sticks to this tactic. It seems to be working for Amazon, and maybe it’ll work for Lowe’s too.
Bob
If I see ‘views’ or ‘in cart’ rather than ‘bought’, it gives me negative feedback. It makes me wonder why they’re not giving the ‘bought’ count. As in the bought count is so low, they’re looking for a better looking number to show. Why did people view and not purchase? ‘In cart’ counts can also get inflated if they’re doing an out of promo below MSRP that cannot be advertised and requires viewing in cart.
I’ve been seeing return rates for some items on Amazon lately. That’s something which I admit has swayed me. Especially on Amazon where you have no idea which random letter brand to trust and reviews are often fake/farmed.
Jason
Sometimes the cart is used to break manufacturer retail price agreements too so a lot of people would be adding to cart to see price
Scott K
Totally agree – this is a red flag for me
Bill D
Good point on returns — again, if it can be trusted
Ron
I think seeing the number of sales in the past so-many days has definitely reassured me with past purchases. When researching a product the first thing I look at is the number of reviews….then I READ the best ones to see if it suits my needs, or includes a spec or feature not mentioned in the description. I look for durability and compatibility in reviews too. But I also look at all the bad ones….for the complete opposite reasons. A lot of times I’m looking at the reviews, I forget to realize that not everyone who buys the product is going to leave one…..and that far more people have bought it than what appears. Again, it’s reassuring to see that your selection is on par with the masses.
Frank D
Information overload with some of the stuff that is not even relevant and too easily inflated. Now when it comes to Amazon, I think we can trust the big sales numbers for some things, as big as a retailer that they are, but still. Anyhow.
I have been on some other marketplaces that tend to focus on quick impulse and cheap items, where I feel like one cannot trust the figures; and some where it was downright fake. Especially when they start throwing in lots of limited time only, hours left, thousands sold, … and then it has like 0-1 review(s).
Stuart
Yes, some websites use high pressure and urgency sales tactics to drive purchases with fake and deceptive sales figures, limited quantities, and countdowns.
I don’t think Lowe’s is doing that.
Hon Cho
Skeptic that I am has no reason to trust numbers from any retailer. Further, following the crowd (in terms of sales) won’t always get the right product or best deal.
frobo
What’s more useful to me is the notice I sometimes see on Amazon that says that the item I’m looking at is frequently returned.
Lyle
I noticed this too in Amazon, but it surprised me because it’s often on high quality stuff that I buy like Knipex tools. I don’t think anyone is buying something from Knipex by mistake and it’s likely not broken so I wonder why it might be frequently returned. I’ve noticed it several times now and i basically ignore it because it seems incorrect or unbelievable to me.
Ryan
It’s quality control I’m thinking. I’ve returned quite a bit of knipex stuff. Also wera, gedore and hazet.
Some of it was used. Some were really ruff in action. Missing pieces. Rusted. Ect… 🤷🏼♂️
MM
I wonder if fakes are a concern? I’ve heard that is a serious problem for knives on Amazon, it wouldn’t surprise me if well known tool brands like Knipex have to deal with fakes too.
Frank D
I agree that that is far more valuable of a prompt, and it makes me check out the negative reviews as well as the most recent ones. Because some products may have a life span, get made cheaper, listings get recycled for different products (even if not allowed), listings may contain an error or are not entirely compatible, etc. So, time to double check.
S
What I’ve found most interesting about the banner warning is that it seems to pop up most often on obscure items that are parts for building something, or relies on user skill level to properly use.
I just got it for a set of vehicle air bags. The listing had all the technical dimensions, as well as nearly a dozen cross-referenced part numbers to other makes/models.
Curiously, many of the items I find with the warning are extremely low volume, obscure parts that few alternatives exist for
Part of me wonders if amazon is attempting to skew purchase habits by ‘nudging’ purchasers to more popular/lucrative/amazon-stocked alternative options via those banner warnings.
MM
I think the more likely case is that the obscure parts have low sales volumes which means that it takes relatively few returns to trigger whatever threshold the system uses to apply the “frequent returns” label. Statistics work pretty well for large data sets but can easily act screwy for small ones. I also think that fitment problems are common for specialized parts like that. Years ago my machining business made a lot of lightweight parts for race motorcycles. We advertised them clearly with exactly what make, model, and year they would fit but there were always people who either never bothered to read the fitment information or who maybe thought the parts would work anyway and would call us up looking for a refund because the Ducati parts they ordered wouldn’t fit their Honda.
TomD
I just assume all these numbers are completely made up, because as far as I know there’s zero enforcement of any of it.
Rog
This is my same sentiment. How do I know these are believable and not just Amazon gaming their own system via a back door partnership with the manufacturer to promote that particular product.
Another Bob
I operate under the premise that big tech/big AI is lying about pretty much everything. Another snippet of miss information isn’t really going to affect me buying a product. I say that yet “this item is often returned” does stick in my head. I dismiss it with all the other baloney but I can’t figure that one out. I’m assuming Amazon is trying to throttle certain sellers? Maybe to get you to buy more expensive one, Amazon house brand, preferred channel partner?
I only look at reviews to see if someone’s posted better pictures than the website provides.
However, most people aren’t as cynical as I am lol. I’d imagine this “xx number sold this week”tactic works on some folks and good for Lowe’s for copying a industry giant. Sounds like for once they hired a consultant that has a clue about what’s actually going on in e-commerce.
Eric
Returns cost money, to both the seller and the retailer (like a marketplace seller on Amazon). Amazon has an interest in ensuring the seller is providing an accurate product description to the buyer, so I think the “frequently returned” tag is both a consumer aid as well as pressure on the sellers to be honest and accurate in the descriptions.
Florbo
Reading most reviews on retailers’ websites, specifically big box and Amazon, has led me to the conclusion that…
A.) People are friggin stupid as hell. You see lots of reviews like, “I haven’t opened/used it yet but it looks really nice. (5 star review)” or “I didn’t need this (1 star review)”
B.) Using a tool/item once and posting a review is basically meaningless and doesn’t give an accurate representation of the durability of a product. Unless it experiences a RUD (Rapid Unplanned Disassembly) during use I really don’t care.
C.) Items with Ikea like instructions are apparently too complicated for 90% or more of the general population
D.) Most people are stupid – refer back to A.
MM
Agreed. The “I haven’t used the [thing] yet but it sure looks nice, 5/5 stars” reviews really grind my gears. I think part of the reason for the proliferation of them is that companies send out Email reminders asking for reviews right after you have placed an order and people feel like they need to respond even though they haven’t really used the thing yet. I’ve also seen the opposite: if you look at Acme Tools reviews for the DCG460X2 there are a couple of people who gave 0/5 stars…because the tool hadn’t been released yet.
It’s also wonderful when the buyer is clearly the one in error but gives the product a terrible review anyway. Two that stuck in my mind were:
In a listing for a Honda alternator one review stated “I bought this for my Ford thinking it might fit but it didn’t. 0/5”
“I bought this cookbook for my husband because he loves to cook and he loves Thai food. Everyone said this book had the best most authentic recipes. But its actually terrible, you can’t get any of the ingredients at Wal-Mart”
They will also blame 3rd parties: “BuyCorp shipped my gizmo right away but the post office delivered it to the wrong address, 0/5”.
Reviews for restaurants are no better, people will leave terrible reviews for the restaurant because their companion was rude or because of unrelated issues like traffic problems.
TomD
Reviews are still somewhat useful, but you have to read them and get a feel for how they’re going. If the only bad reviews are shipping or other unimportant problems, it’s probably decent. If the only good reviews are “I was provided this at no cost, five stars” than it’s likely weak.
MM
I think these kinds of numbers are a combination of reassurance and also a bit of a pressure tactic. On the one hand if it says that “500 bought this last month” then that could help a potential purchaser feel they’re making a good decision, after all a bunch of other people did the same. It also reminds me a bit of things like “act now, limited time only” or “5 other people have this in their shopping cart”–it encourages people to buy now because otherwise other people will buy up the deal.
But in the end it’s all just marketing BS, and it’s not new. I remember seeing commercials on TV 30 years ago that would say things like “8 out of 10 moms buy Brand A”, or “the new model XYZ is the best-selling car in its class” I’m sure that is reassuring to some buyers but it provides zero useful information about the product. Sales volume has nothing to do with quality.
Big Richard
You might enjoy this one:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-20V-XR-8AH-Tabless-Battery/5015138875?idProductFound=false&idExtracted=true
MM
Nice, thank you!
I am definitely looking forward to those batteries hitting the market, though whether I buy some right away or end up holding off for a while depends on what kind of promos they’re offering.
Big Richard
It is going to be kitted with all the new XR tools (DCD1007 drill, DCF860 impact, DCS590 circ saw, DCS384 recip, and DCG410VS grinder), so that will be the cheapest way to get one if you also are looking to upgrade some tools.
I know we talked about the other week, but a 2 tool combo kit with the DCD1007 and DCF860 coming with one of these and a 5Ah PS would be high on my list if it were to happen.
Future roadmap of XR, fyi
MM
Right on, like we talked about before I am interested in the DCD1007, not so much because of the power though that is nice, but really because of the bindup protection or “e-clutch”. A bundle with a powerstack and one of the new 8.0s would be great, and drills tend to get priced fairly aggressively so I’d expect better deals than with most other tools. I’m also wondering if there might be any attractive kits with the DCW620.
Thanks for sharing about the other tools as well, I don’t need any of those but it’s nice to stay on top of what is on the horizon.
Scott K
Amazon tags some products with a notice saying, “Customers usually keep this” or “Frequently returned product.” I really like this if I’m between similar items or buying from a new brand.
mark
I definitely have various reactions to the sales figures things. But I don’t put much weight on it. Lowes might sell a $30 tool that’s going to solve all the problems with my neighbors, of no one knows about it, oven moreso, knows they can get it from Lowe’s, then “# of units sold” is going to be low. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t LOVE that product.
Id like to think my buying process is:
-need identified for a new tool
-i ask myself who my favorite brands making tools in that category are (ex: knipex, for pliers), or if project farm has a video on the subject, or someone else with objective testing I can observe on youtube. I wantt to SEE someone using it, and how it’s going for them. I watch for any struggling they may cut out of the video, etc.
– time for the “conflict of interest check”. I start to look at the person recommending the item. Is their any kind of sponsorship? Will they show competitor tools of the same type, in the same video, and speak directly negatively about one or more points with the tools being discussed? If anything flags here I just throw out the recommendation as a shill at least 75%.
-ideally I find someone who has much greater needs out of the same tool as me and I listen to them talk about the problems it solved for them (or complain about the tool). This tells me more than I’ll probably ever discover using tools like that myself.
-these says the smaller the channel/platform of the person, the more honest their opinions almost 100% of the time.
– once I’ve got the tool I wanna buy, I Google it and check all the usual suspects and do the math on where it’s cheapest, so when I see the “1000+ sold” and I know the tool is 15% elsewhere, just makes me feel like theybare already playing with that data too.
I’m trying to get into BBQ and it’s so shameless how alot of the YouTubers for it are. Their whole setup changes depending on the sponsors for that vid, everyone’s using different stuff and it’s all “the best ever”. Then you watch a famous BBQ joint tour vid and none of that crap is getting used.
Hard to trust anyone whose got a business sharing info these days. One reason I’m happy about this platform & it’s old school nature.
That “mills construction” guy is a personal least-favorite lol. Such an annoyance while I was learning about german tools. “Alright guys here’s another 3-4 figures in tools that I’m gonna vaguely state if I paid for or not, wowww they are just SO NICE, these are getting swapped into my daily setup bag here. *Pulls supposedly daily pro-use tools out of his bag but they look mine that barely ever gets used*”. Somehow makes a video everyday but owns a construction business that he says he buys all these expensive German tools for. “To give to his guys” right. I make it a habit of buying only ONE tool brand per order, then make a vid about it before I give it to my employee. Riiiiiight
Only value i’d get from those vids was someone rotating the tool on a video since product pages aren’t great for a lot of tools. The BBQ people give me the same vibes.
mark
The spelling of my previous post is atrocious. I apologize and blame my cracked screen haha
Jimmie
I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything where the sales count had any influence on my decision between two otherwise similar products. Now, if stores would accurately report the number of times an SKU has been returned for a refund, I think that might have a tangible impact on my decisions.