It seems that the days of visiting brick and mortar stores are nearing their end. More and more people are now going online for all their needs. They find that it saves a lot of time and effort. They can sit in their favorite spot and shop for hours on end and search for their product or just browse the products that are available. Not that the market has become global, we have more chances of getting something that we love at a price that we love. In the beginning, we had to wait for the local boutique to offer a sale or a promotion to get the dress that we wanted but now, you can just visit the website of an online fashion store and find out what they are offering. And with the increased competition, if we don’t find what we were looking for at one website, we can just go to another website and search for the item.
Online shopping has really made it possible for us to get whatever we want instantly and without a lot of hassle. Most of them offer free or reduced shipping so that you have additional motivation to purchase the item. The problem arises when we see ourselves sitting in front of the laptop or the tablet and browsing through online shopping stores for hours on end even though we are not looking for anything specific.
Factors that affect Online Shopping
There are various factors that can affect and enhance your obsession with online shopping. Scientists and researchers are still looking into the matter and trying to find the culprits that enable us to go on with our online shopping spree. A study was published in the PLOS ONE journal. In that study, scientists found three major factors that affect people and make them shop online. These are:
Anonymity and desire to avoid social interaction
A lot of people are afraid of the crowded malls and the social interactions that might ensue in a crowded place. They start developing anxiety every time that they have to visit a shopping mall or any other crowded space. They might really want to take advantage of a sale that has been offered by a shop but just the thought of hundreds of people trying to get in on the sale makes them stop dead in their tracks and take a back seat. For people like this, online shopping is the perfect way of avoiding social interactions and staying away from the crowds while looking for the products that they want. Also, people who know that they are shopping addicts might want to hide this fact from others and online shopping gives them the perfect outlet.
People who enjoy a wide variety and constant availability of items
There is no denying the fact that online shopping gives satisfaction to people who like browsing tons of products. They may or may not be interested in these products but just going through them gives them a sense of satisfaction. Plus, there is the additional advantage that online shopping stores are never closed. You can go to any store that you want at any time of the day and satisfy your shopping cravings.
People who like to get instant gratification
One of the things that the internet has brought to us is instant gratification. We can now do whatever we want and buy whatever we want without waiting for anyone or anything. Everything is instantly available; you don’t have to go to a store only to find out that the item you were looking for is out of stock. Everything is only a click away. This factor plays a very important role in enhancing our shopping cravings. The more you need instant gratification the more you will find yourself on websites looking for things that you might not even need.
That doesn’t mean that everyone who visits an online store is addicted. There is a difference. You can be normal and still enjoy the benefits of online shopping. The problem arises when you find out that you are spending more and more time shopping than other important things in your life. Here we give you 10 major signs that you are obsessed with online shopping.
Signs of Online Shopping Obsession
1. Early Morning Checking
The first thing that you do in the morning is to check the latest deals and sales that are being offered. Not your emails, not your messages or chats. You don’t even go for exercise nor do yoga. If you are running late, you might give up everything else that is in your morning routine but you will never give up on shopping.
2. When was the last time you visited a store?
If someone asks you the last time that you went to an actual store, you have a hard time remembering. It’s been so long that you might even have forgotten what shops are in your vicinity and what they are offering locally. You will have all the knowledge about the sizes that they are offering and which sizes fit you perfectly.
3. Come Rain or High Water
Ordinary people worry about rain or anything else that might hamper their day outside. You just take it as a great opportunity to spend some time on your screen going through the latest products and promotions.
4. To Buy or Not to Buy
People make a lot of choices throughout the day. The hardest choice that you make is whether to shut down the laptop or click on the checkout icon. It takes all the will power that you have to not click on buy and just let it go.
5. Your Inbox is Always Full
You have a lot of emails in your inbox but it’s not the real kind of mails. Your inbox is always full of newsletters, promotions, and other emails that are from the websites that you have subscribed to.
6. Your favorite word is ‘Sale’
You can’t describe the feeling when you open your inbox and find an email that starts with ‘Sale’.
7. What did you just buy?
You sometimes forget what you ordered. You are always pleasantly surprised when you find someone standing at your door with an item.
8. What breaks your heart?
The one thing that you hate the most is receiving something that isn’t what it was shown to be.
9. Your least favorite words are ‘sold out’ and ‘out of stock.’
You just hate to log into a website to find these words written beside the products.
10. You secretly online shop at work
No matter what the official policy is, you have to log into a shopping site at work so that you can relax.
Wrapping It Up
If you see any of the signs mentioned above in yourself, it is time to take a step back and look at yourself long and hard. You might want to dial it down a bit.