Shopping is a very necessary part of life, just as much as selling is. For this reason, people all over the world engage in it, and while some find immense pleasure doing it, others get involved just because they cannot avoid it. For a decent percentage of people, it can be soothing and therapeutic, just going from store to store and looking at a lot of beautiful things, perishable or not. This is one activity that cuts across all languages, races and social status. eCommerce makes it even easier for people to fuel their shopping addictions without leaving the house.
However, in the USA and Canada, shopping is becoming a compulsion for many. Working five days a week (and some cases six days), most people look forward to the weekend so that they can hang out with friends and family. Often times, the place to hang out in malls that are designed to feed the eye with the assortment of things on display, which is arranged in a way that encourages certain forms of behavior and might trigger specific actions. The rise of eCommerce has also contributed to this as people can now shop from home, while at work or even on the bus from their smartphone!
It can be a great way to relax but has one snag: the more time you spend looking at beautiful things, the more you want them, and the more you want them, the more of them you end up buying.
There are several facts that form the foundation of shopping addiction. This is particularly true in the US and Canada, where the factors listed below play a crucial role in forming shopping habits.
First, there are low prices. There is hardly a person that can resist an item she likes if she finds it at a cheap price, and it is easier than ever to find low prices online with eCommerce. There are promo codes, online coupons, and using websites like Shopping.fm you can browse through multiple online stores at the same time until you find the item you want for the least amount of money possible. Thing is, sometimes you may not need such an item, but because it is cheap you would not be able to resist the urge to buy it. So you end up having a product you do not need. Other times, you may have already bought it, but the sales just cannot pass you by.
Secondly, there is stress. Some people shop compulsively when under stress, physical or emotional. For some reason, they find it soothing. From junk food to a whole house, the list can really be endless. Before they know it, they have bought things they have no need for, and spent money that should have been put to better use. Many people have spent late nights on eCommerce stores, gone to bed and weeks later they find a mystery package at their door containing some item they forgot that they ordered.
Another set of people just collect items in different colors. They do not feel whole until they have a particular handbag, a pair of shoes, or even a tie in every color available. For such people, the shopping addiction is something they cannot help.
You will find these people always on the lookout for that missing color. They never miss any flash sale, as they keep acquiring new things which must come in every single color possible.
There are those who do it for the image. As amazing as that sounds, people do go shopping compulsively because they cannot be seen repeating clothes, shoes, and so on. Since they always have one event to attend or another, they are constant visitors to stores or online shops. They must have the perfect accessory to match whatever they wear all the time, or they do not wear it at all.
There are a few more facts about addiction which you will find in the infographic below. And, just in case you are wondering, shopping addiction is not restricted to just women. Men can be as compulsive or particular as women. Right now, there are more than 15 million shopping addicts all over the USA and counting, and they are not all women, as you can see below.
In Canada the statistics are unclear, but the fact that the household debt is rising indicates overspending in many cases. If you are a business owner, adding eCommerce to your website can help you reach a whole new audience of shoppers – Web Geeks can help add eCommerce to your website, get in touch!