Impulse purchases are spontaneous purchases that are often made without careful consideration. They can happen quickly, especially when shopping online where a plethora of products and tempting offers are just a click away. Impulse purchases are often influenced by emotions such as enthusiasm, boredom or even stress. To avoid these impulsive decisions and shop more consciously, you should follow these tips:
1) Shopping with a shopping list
Before you start shopping online, you should make a list of what you need. After all, shopping by shopping list works in the supermarket – so why not online too? Of course, you need the necessary discipline to stick strictly to the list and not be distracted by other products.
2) Fixed budget
It can be helpful to set aside a fixed monthly budget for online shopping, preferably as little as possible if you don’t need products urgently. To do this, you can create a list in which you document all your online purchases and see how much money you have spent at the end of the month. This could certainly have a deterrent effect for some people.
3) Wait 24 hours
Before you buy an item that is not on the fixed list, it is often enough to simply wait a night and sleep on it. Spontaneous buying impulses often disappear from our minds after a short time without us even realizing it.
4) Avoid advertising
If possible, notifications from shopping apps and online stores should be switched off so that you are not constantly confronted with temptations. The less you are bombarded with offers, the less likely you are to make an unnecessary purchase.
5) Use wish lists
It always makes sense to save appealing items on a wish list first instead of buying them immediately. Afterwards, you can check your wish list and ask yourself again whether you really need these things or whether it was just a passing fancy.
6) Question the motivation to buy
If you tend to make impulse purchases, it is best to question your own motivation to buy each individual product. Questions such as “Do I really need this product or what for and how often will I use it?” or “Am I just buying this product because I’m bored or because I’m stressed at work?” can be useful when making a purchase decision.
7) Replace purchase
If you’re once again lost in the depths of Amazon or Temu and suddenly think it’s a good idea to order some gadget or cheap clothing from China, you should ask yourself what you could put your money to better use.
Instead of buying a cheap dress from the fast fashion industry, you could use the money to invite your best friends over for a delicious ice cream and spend a relaxing afternoon with them. You can find out the best way to shop sustainably in our article
“5 tips for more sustainable online shopping”
.
By using these simple tricks, impulse purchases when shopping online can be effectively avoided and the money can be spent on the really important things in life.
