“Thank you for supporting our product, we will contact you again when the product arrives.” If you feel like you have seen this kind of message countless times during the outbreak, it may not be deja-vu; it means you must have done a variety of online shopping.
The outbreak of Covid-19 has had a great influence on business sectors in Cambodia, although only online businesses seemed to have increased significantly in demand.
Driven by lockdowns and social distancing, one can suffer from high levels of boredom and sadness, which is a perfect combination for online impulse shopping for many products within a blink of an eye. By nature or design, it can be very hard to stop someone from online impulse shopping.
If you want to save yourself from compulsive shopping behavior during this outbreak, here are some tips for you:
- Removing the source of problem
Identifying the root cause of a problem is one of the best solutions to tackle the issue. Constantly visiting websites, Facebook pages, and other sources of online marketing and products can be a reason for obsessive online shopping and possible addiction. Removing these manipulative sources that encourage you to spend money should be prioritised. - Reducing electronic devices usage
Spending lots of time on electronic devices can provoke the high chance of online shopping. Simply scrolling up and down in social media platforms, added with a cunning marketing strategy, can be an invisible trap for your financial resources during this time. Limiting yourself from electronic devices, as well as social media, will not only improve your shopping behavior, but also your physical and mental health. - Keep track of your spending
Ignorance of your spending total is a common mistake among online shoppers. Taking a few seconds to add it up before buying any products, whether cheap or expensive, will help you to balance your spending wisely and also help to reduce the possibility of impulsive spending, which can take you no more than a few seconds to get over. - Installing an expense tracking application
There are many useful applications available online you can install on your device to help limit and remind you about your daily or monthly expenses. Most of these applications are free of charge. Spendee, Pocket Expense, Expensify, Budget Calculator, and many others can be found in the App or Play Store. Download one to help track your expenses and control unconscious spending. - Occupying yourself with other activities
Many activities work better to kill your boredom than keeping yourself stuck to a screen. Spending time on self-improving activities like reading books, doing exercise, playing sports, learning new skills, or spending time with your family and friends can provide long-term happiness, rather than wasting money and time on online shopping, which is a temporary happiness. - Recognizing need vs want
Studies have shown that waiting at least 20 minutes before deciding to buy things online will reduce the chance of disappointment and overspending. Longer periods of time are even better, indicating that the products may not be what you really need, but rather what you want. The longer you wait, the better chance you may forget it or no longer want it. - Challenging your inner-self
Shopping can be a great pleasure, while stopping yourself from buying can feel like torture. It’s not always bad to make spending a challenge, and by making up the rules of your own game, like no shopping for a month, no screen-time for more than two hours, setting a specific budget, or other activities you may think of, you can stop yourself from adding things to the cart in a creative way.
