Wondering how to stop online shopping? It’s so easy to get carried away. One minute, people are browsing for a new dress, and the next thing they know, they’ve added a dozen items to the cart!
Before users know it, they might have spent hundreds of dollars on things they don’t even need. Online shopping addiction is a relatively new phenomenon in the world.
If you are thinking about stopping online shopping, this post is for you.
The best way to stop online shopping is to create some rules. For example, one should decide how much money they are willing to spend each month shopping online.
This blog post has explained why people shop and how to stop it. This behavior is because you are a shopaholic, along with some other related issues, which we have discussed in this post.
But before we discuss how to stop online shopping, let’s understand why people shop online?
The reality of online shopping: why do people shop online?
According to Statista, more than half the U.S. population now uses an online platform for shopping every month (96%). And even though people are spending less time per visit on these websites–averaging 10 minutes compared with 13 in 2015!–we’re still paying 27% higher bills when ordering from them!
The reason lies within Adobe Analytics research published by TechRepublic, which shows how average American consumers spend almost two-thirds (67%) of their total retail budgets abroad versus only 33%.
This trend appears especially strong among millennials: those born between 1980 and 2000 tend to enjoy 160 hour weeks yet make up just under 25 percent ($1 trillion) of total U.S. consumer spending.
So what’s the main reason for this loyalty to online shopping websites? According to research by Adobe, it’s because “they offer a convenient and overwhelming amount of choice.” While people might not believe this is an actual reason behind such behavior, the fact that they get exposed to more than one million adverts per day does make it believable.
As a reader of this post, you know why people shop online. So let’s see the signs of a shopping addiction.
Are you addicted to online shopping?
People shop online for different reasons. However, there’s a fine line between shopping as a hobby and an addiction. Shopping online is not only a fun activity but a way to explore new brands and trends in a more convenient way.
The cause of online shopping addiction sometimes is low self-esteem. People who are not confident about themselves find it soothing to purchase clothes, shoes, and accessories. Changing your shopping habits can be challenging, but you can do it.
Many online stores offer heavy discounts on online purchases, which contribute to your habit of spending money. However, when shopping becomes compulsive, and your bank account is continuously hurting because of it, you’re probably dealing with a compulsive shopper or even a shopaholic.
Signs that a person is addicted to shopping online
Shopping is not always an addiction or even pathological behavior, but there are exceptions to this rule. Here are some warning signs that one should take into account before deciding if you indeed have a shopping addiction:
- Visiting shopping websites a lot.
- Turning on the notifications of shopping websites.
- Exceeding the shopping budget every month.
- Online shopping habit is ruining the relationship.
- More shopping apps on the phone than their partner or friends.
- Find it hard to control your spending behavior when stressed.
- Often feeling anxious about missing out on a particular sale.
- Spending more time justifying your shopping than using it.
- Shopping even when they don’t need anything.
- Hiding the shopping history from the partner or even family members.
- Lying to the partner about the price of an item.
- Experience a strong feeling of guilt and shame after purchasing something.
- You find it challenging to stop shopping and save money after starting.
One should consider these signs if one plans to stop the shopping addiction.
Let us understand the different types of shopping addiction. There are two types of shopping addiction: compulsive shopping and impulse shopping.
Let’s discuss each of them one by one.
What is compulsive shopping?
Compulsive shopping is an addiction that involves negative feelings towards one’s self. These shoppers are often dissatisfied with their lives and try to fill some void. They are often desperate for someone or something to make them change their lives.
Compulsive shopping is usually an escape from whatever makes the shopper feel miserable, whether dysfunctional relationships, lack of money, loneliness, or depression.
Shopping makes these people feel like a temporary fix to whatever is bothering them. They buy items to stay away from their problems and avoid thinking about them for a short period. People often shop to compensate for something that compulsive shoppers lack in their lives.
What is impulse shopping?
Impulse shopping is usually an act of spending more than one can afford on unneeded items. And, it’s often used to escape reality or as a reward for something accomplished, such as finishing a challenging project at work. It’s mostly done to boost the shopper’s mood and make them feel good about themselves.
Compulsive shopping vs. impulse shopping: what’s the difference?
Both of these types of addiction usually involve emotional spending and accumulating debt, but there are some differences between compulsive and impulsive buying.
In compulsive shopping, the shopper feels a strong desire to spend money on stuff they don’t need to escape from their real-life problems.
In impulse shopping, the impulsiveness of the shopper is what drives them to purchase items without thinking about how it will affect them financially.
How to stop online shopping?
So, your online spending habits are getting out of hand, and your friends and family are always after you to stop shopping online. Well, It might be quite freeing to give up the search for items you don’t need.
Convincing yourself that you don’t need to buy anything might be a good idea. You can also try and view your online shopping as an unnecessary waste of money and time and only enjoy the experience if you need something.
If you’re looking for ways to stop your compulsive or impulsive buying behavior, some practical things may help:
Getting professional help
Getting professional help, such as a therapist or addiction specialist, is highly advised in cases of compulsive shopping. However, it is beneficial for the person trying to stop shopping independently for a long time but fails.
It is also recommended to talk and take professional financial advice to curb ones spending habits online.
If the condition worsens, take professional help immediately. The relationship with money and people might deteriorate if you don’t take the right actions and get therapy.
Take a look at your life
To stop shopping online, one of the best things someone can do is see the bigger picture and realize what’s going on with their life. So, for example, if somebody’s having financial problems because of too much online shopping, it might be helpful to look at their daily spending habits to find out what’s causing the pain.
Spending some time alone to understand how you feel, think about what you want in life, and figure out why shopping makes you happy. Check your shopping habit and know how you can stop online shopping.
Check the urges and moods
There could be physiological connotations to the addiction, such as depression or lacking serotonin. One should go and see a doctor. There are chances that they may possibly need medications like anti-depressants that might help you make it easier to control the shopping urges.
It is advisable to check out some self-help books for shopping addicts, search the web for others struggling with the same problem, and talk to friends and trusted people who can also help.
Make a shopping budget
It is essential to keep things under control and stay on track to quit the addiction. A good way of doing it is by making a shopping budget so that you can set yourself limits for what you can buy online, thus creating some boundaries between your real life and the virtual world. Make a goal of saving money to spend less money on any online sales that you come across.
It’s interesting to note that many people trying to stop shopping online and save money suffer from a lack of self-control and tend to give in to temptations. Setting yourself shopping limits is critical because it will establish a more stable way of doing things and ensure that your online shopping passes by smoothly.
Establishing some rules might seem difficult at first, but it’s a great way to take a grip on your online shopping behavior and finally learn how to control it. To understand where all the money is going. For example, you can create a list of the things you want to buy, write a new shopping strategy, or try and remember all the reasons you decided to quit.
Talk to a friend before deciding what to shop
Friends are always there in times of need, and sometimes talking to a close person is all it takes to get better. So it would be best if you let others know what you’re going through with your shopping addiction and be ready to hear some helpful advice from them.
It is better to visit a physical store with your friend than an online store. It will help you to stop your behavior of compulsive spending.
Remember to choose people who will understand your feelings and point of view and people who will be there for you and motivate you to get through the difficult times.
Find new hobbies
One of the main reasons why people can’t stop their online shopping is because they feel bored with their current situation in life. Many of them don’t have anything else that would make them happy, so they pretend that buying things is what makes them happy.
People shop for different reasons, but it’s not the same thing as having hobbies and interests that you enjoy doing daily. So finding something else to do will keep your mind busy so that you don’t need to shop all the time or think about objects that could make you happier.
Uninstall shopping apps from phone
Now that you have read about different actions to curb shopping online. It’s time to do something with the apps; delete them from the device to eliminate the temptation.
This helps in stopping one from buying things online.
Consider shopping in person instead; this will help you track the spending money using your credit card. Retail therapy is something that you should consider to make better spending habits.
The apps are a direct link to Amazon, eBay, and other stores where you might want to shop from time to time, but going on them is pretty pointless if they don’t have a purpose in your life. Remember that it’s not easy at all to quit shopping for good, but with the proper help, you should be able to get through it quickly.
Block the shopping websites
After uninstalling the apps, don’t forget to block the websites that are linked with them. This is another way of keeping the shopping cravings under control, but it’s more of a long-term solution than anything else.
It’s important to remember why you want to stop buying things online because you will need them in times of weakness or when your willpower is too low for you to keep going. It is also essential to remove your details from these shopping websites, such as your credit cards, phone number, and email ids.
The websites will be blocked for a specific time, but you can always change their status from your browser’s settings. So it’s good to think ahead because if you don’t want things to worsen, considering all possible actions should be done in these situations.
Remove the credit card information from shopping websites
These websites save your payment information. People Often keep credit card details on the shopping websites they use most often. This is useful because it speeds up the buying process, but it can also be dangerous if you end up purchasing things and spending more money than your budget.
Remember that this option should only be used when you are sure about making a specific purchase, not just because you see something interesting online. Stop shopping is the key to stopping your credit card from getting maxed out, so you must use this option whenever necessary.
Unsubscribe from shopping newsletters and emails
This is very important; marketing companies use newsletters, and emails with exciting offers are a great way to get people who have quit shopping back on track. They will start repurchasing things, so you must unsubscribe from them as soon as possible.
It’s also good to inform the companies about the situation to not send you any more offers. You have power over them, but it’s hard to stick to your decision if they always remind you that something is interesting on their website.
Block the numbers to stop receiving offers on mobile phone
Shopping websites send many custom offers on the phone number using text messages. It’s common for these companies, but it might also be the first step to making people buy things on impulse again.
Blocking your number is an easy task; all websites have instructions on doing this and stop getting offers. The most important thing is not to give in and open the message. It might be challenging, but it’s always better to avoid temptation than to end up making a purchase that you don’t need.
Unfollow brands on social Media
It’s time to do the final step, unflowing the brands you love most from all of your social media, including Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Social Media is an excellent tool for finding deals in the real world, but it’s not worth looking at them when you have quit shopping in your life.
It might be challenging to unfollow brands on all of the platforms you use the most, but this is an important step that should never be skipped. It will be easier as time goes by as there is no point in looking at the things you will never buy again.
Deleting product images reminds you constantly about a specific brand or product that you like. Still, it doesn’t want to think about anymore because it’s an easy way to make yourself spend money if you aren’t careful enough.
Final thoughts
People think that shopping is easy to make them happy, but those who have tried to quit know that this is very difficult. So if you are one of them, start putting these tips in action right now so that you can stop shopping online.
It’s not easy to stop spending money on things online, but only positive results will be achieved when your willpower is strong enough. Removing your credit cards from the websites is one step that you should take to cure your shopping addictions.
People who believe in themselves begin to slowly change their ways and look at shopping in a different light as time goes by. You will start enjoying the things you already have and appreciate the purchases you make; it will also help you to stop shopping online. This is a great way to live life because it guarantees satisfaction and happiness for everyone involved.
If you found these tips helpful, please like and share this article to help other people who might be going through the same situation as you are.
