“I used shopping as a coping mechanism for stress, boredom, and even loneliness,” says Lucy Crofts.
She knows firsthand the grip that online shopping addictions can have. She started out browsing online sales “during lunch breaks, and before bed” and soon enough she was constantly seeking that rush of excitement from purchasing and receiving items.
For Ms Crofts, the attraction of online shopping was intertwined with emotional triggers.
“The act of adding items to my cart provided a sense of joy and excitement to my day.”
The endless choices and instant gratification draws millions into a cycle of compulsive purchasing, driven by the dopamine rush of each click.
Our addiction to online shopping fuels environmental harm and reflects deeper psychological needs like validation and materialism.
At times the sense of joy and excitement can be short lived when a feeling of guilt and regret sets in once our bank account balance declines.
Crofts knows her overconsumption from online shopping is an issue. Although being made aware of the copious amounts of waste from fast fashion, production of materials and greenhouse gasses from delivery methods she continues to overconsume.
“You may call me selfish but it’s more a sense of how I feel, purchasing, receiving, and using my products. Realistically I earn my own money to be able to buy the things I want even if I may not need them.”
Consumer insights associate Brendan Dowd says the rise of e-commerce platforms and mobile shopping apps has revolutionised the retail industry, offering convenience and accessibility to consumers worldwide.
He says online retailers employ sophisticated algorithms and marketing strategies to maximise engagement and encourage impulse purchases.
Features like one-click ordering, personalised recommendations and advertisements, and “limited-time” offers entice consumers to spend more than intended.
“Around 80 per cent of shopping addicts are women and the main demographic of online shoppers are Gen Z and millennials,” Dowd says.
The prevalence of social media influencers and celebrity endorsements also further fuels consumer desires and FOMO (fear of missing out).
“The thing is online companies want to fuel online shopping addictions, so they earn mass profits, all they want is consumers money, they don’t necessarily care if you’re draining your bank account, they want you to do that for them,” Dowd says.
Psychologist Mina Hattom says shopping addiction is driven by dopamine, which is the reward neurotransmitter in our brains.
“[It is] like a happy hormone that essentially tells your body do it again,” she says.
Ms Hatton explains we buy items online because they are specifically marketed towards us, and when we do, we believe they will improve our life in some way.
But really, it’s just a sense of false hope.
“We get this dopamine hit as soon as our card touches the Eftpos machine and goes through, it’s like a moment of OMG.”
Numerous studies have been performed on the brain, and Ms Hattom says it is proven that spikes in dopamine make people continue to chase the feeling we receive from it because of the immediate gratification we get and due to it being a reinforcer and motivator to do it.
Also, the physical factor of shopping can be extremely annoying.
The toll of getting in your car and driving there, taking time out of your day, trying things on, bad down lighting making you feel bad and overstimulation… Online shopping can be seen as the easy way out as you can do it whenever, wherever and without overstimulation.
The product of these factors is we are increasingly susceptible to trends and easily influenced by the internet.
“It’s just natural when humans are exposed to so many different ways to boost that dopamine, very quickly and very easily, it’s inevitable that more of us are going to become addicted to it,” Ms Hattom says.
As we navigate the complexities of online shopping addiction and its implications for society, a fundamental question arises: are we truly addicted to the convenience of online shopping and the psychological chase of dopamine our brain produces, or are we simply products of a consumer-driven society?
It begs the question: Are we really in control of what we buy?
