Strategic Shift: How to Inspire Desire to Buy Your Products
Ecommerce business owners love to optimize everything. Speed, checkout flow, pop-ups, you name it. But if your email marketing still feels flat after all that effort, maybe it’s not about making things easier. Maybe it’s about inspiring more desire.
At some point, every ecommerce business owner falls into the same trap: trying to remove obstacles for their customers. Make the checkout smoother, tweak pop-ups, test subject lines, add discounts. And then cross your fingers and hope, “This time, they’ll buy.”
But sometimes, no matter how easy the customer journey is, people still don’t click. And that’s because ease isn’t the same as desire.
Strategic Shift: From Friction to Desire
I came across a brilliant post on LinkedIn from Wes Kao recently, and it’s been living rent-free in my brain ever since. She talks about this idea of “increasing desire versus decreasing friction.” And once you hear it, you can’t un-hear it.
If you're one of those business owners (or marketers) spending nearly all their time focused on decreasing friction, of course it makes sense why you do that: it’s comfortable, logical, and measurable. You can make a checklist:
- Shorten the form
- Add a discount
- Move content above the fold
- Optimize the button
All of that helps, sure. But here’s the problem: you can have the most frictionless buying experience in the world, and your customers still might not want what you’re selling.
That’s where increasing desire comes in.
What Desire Looks Like for Ecommerce Brands
Desire is what gets people excited to buy. It’s the “I need this” feeling that makes them open your emails, click through, and keep coming back. It’s the difference between “nice product” and “I have to have this.”
Think about it: people line up for Apple launches, stalk ticket pages for their favorite bands, and refresh their inboxes waiting for a brand drop. None of those experiences are friction-free. In fact, they’re full of friction. But desire outweighs it.
I’ve even experienced this myself. There’s a jewelry designer I love who does limited product drops once or twice a month. The thing is, they usually happen while I’m out running errands; so unless I set a reminder, I’ll miss it. Even when I do remember, she’s sometimes a few minutes late activating the products, and there I am… sitting in my car, refreshing the page over and over. It’s ridiculous. But I do it anyway. Because I want it. That’s desire.
Desire Creates Value Out of Thin Air
Here’s what really stuck with me from Wes Kao’s point: desire can actually create value out of thin air.
If someone waits in line for something, their brain tells them, “I must really want this. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble.” That friction becomes part of the story, part of the proof that it’s worth wanting.
The opposite can happen, too. But only when we lean on discounts instead of desire.
If someone joins your list only because of a 10% pop-up, their brain says, “I didn’t sign up because I wanted this. I did it for the coupon.” And over time, that can lower the perceived value of your brand.
The Welcome Pop-Up: Your First Chance to Spark Desire
Let’s start at the very beginning; right at the first moment someone joins your list.
For most brands, that’s the welcome pop-up or sign-up offer. It’s one of the most important — and most overlooked — opportunities to increase desire.
Yes, you might still offer that 10% discount. But the key is what comes with it.
Instead of a generic “Join and save 10%,” imagine something like:
“Be the first to shop new designs before anyone else, and get 10% off your first order.”
Now the discount isn’t the reason to sign up; it’s the bonus for someone who already wants to be part of your world.
That’s the shift from lowering friction to building anticipation. From “Here’s a deal” to “Here’s an experience.”
Every Email Is an Opportunity
Every email you send either decreases friction or increases desire.
When you simplify a CTA or make your layout mobile-friendly, you’re reducing friction.
But when you share a story, showcase your craftsmanship, reveal the meaning behind a product, or build anticipation for a launch—you’re increasing desire.
The best-performing brands do both.
You don’t need to be Amazon. You’ll never win the friction game against them. But you can win on feeling. You can make your customers say, “This brand just gets me.”
How to Build Desire in Your Emails
So yes, make things smooth and easy, but don’t stop there. Ask yourself:
- What am I doing to make my customers want this more?
- How am I telling the story behind what I sell?
- How am I building anticipation?
Because people will jump through hoops for the things they want. They’ll pay more, wait longer, and try harder. If your emails can spark that desire, then friction isn’t the enemy: it becomes part of the journey.