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Shopping is a regular activity of daily life, some people enjoy it, some hate it, but they don’t get any huge problems because of shopping. However, for a number of people, shopping is way more than a process of acquiring goods. It is an essential part of their life, which can result in the financial disaster for them and bring the range of psychological problems. I’m talking about the victims of buying addiction.

The emergence of Internet shops, markets and auctions increased the consumer’s ability to shop in more locations, for longer time periods and purchase more items with ease. But what else, besides these quite obvious reasons, makes people spend all their money in electronic shops?

One of the reasons is the delayed gratification – which means, that the shopper should wait until he gets his purchased item delivered to his house. Delayed gratification may be the most lucrative psychological principle at play. Buying the good, but waiting until finally getting it makes it much more desired. And the buyer will come back for that feeling or anticipation, tracking the package, getting a surprise in the mail—even if the whole psychological process is not always something he is consciously aware of. The same mechanisms are working when we are waiting for Birthday or Christmas gifts.

Another reason why it is so easy to become a victim of online shopping is the customer-targeted Internet advertisement, based on search history. Even if the shopper fought the initial desire to buy a hundredth pair of shoes, the advertisement will be reminding him about this online shop and these shoes for weeks. And once the person opens his laptop, feeling stressed or sad, these ads offer him an immediate solution of how to cheer himself up. The online purchase might lead to a dopamine burst when the transaction is proceeding, so the person immediately feels satisfied. However, such pleasure will be gone really quickly, inducing a desire for more purchases to get the gratification back.

Online auctions could be even more addictive. Their attractiveness comes from the excitement of bidding, strategizing, and the wish to ultimately outbid others. It becomes less about the item and more about the competition.

Below there are some typical symptoms of compulsive online shopping. I hope they are not addressing to you.

• Online shopping is one of the things that help you relax or feel better
• You often buy things that you don’t need or much more than you planned
• You often feel guilty after you go online shopping
• You hide things that you buy because you are afraid that other people will think it’s unreasonable or a waste of money
• Online shopping has hurt your financial situation
• You spent on online shopping more time than you planned, neglecting your other commitments
• You often shop online at work

References:

Alan Castel (2016), Why we like online shopping, and delayed gratification, Available from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/metacognition-and-the-mind/201611/why-we-online-shopping-and-delayed-gratification

Marlynn Wei (2015), 10 signs you’re addicted to online shopping, Available from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/urban-survival/201511/10-signs-you-re-addicted-online-shopping

ADC (2017), Online shopping addiction, Available from: http://www.addictionhelpcenter.com/online-shopping-addiction/

Addictions.com (2017), Symptoms of online shopping addiction, Available from: https://www.addictions.com/shopping/symptoms-online-shopping-addiction/

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       Last week my roommate spent hours to switch her mobile plan from the pre-paid one to the subscription. She needed to call her mobile operator and asked for the new contract. After that, she had been waiting for the delivery of the new sim card for three hours because the delivery guy came late. Finally, she inserted her new sim card into her phone – and the only thing she saw was NO SERVICE sign.

       The good news here is that in the near future probably nobody will face these problems anymore. The World is going to embrace the new generation of sim cards – eSim. GSMA – the association that represents network operators worldwide, first mentioned this standard in the beginning of 2016 as the connection technology for the smart watches, health bands, tablets, highly-portable health systems and other devices. The 12th of September, 2017 Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 3 will be using eSim. So, now we can expect the global spread of this standard, as everything Apple launches becomes trendy worldwide.

       ESim is an embedded chip, which can not be removed from the device. The information on the chip is compliant with all mobile operators, who support the technology. The user can change his or her mobile plan or operator, simply downloading the new sim-profile to the device, the way now we choose wi-fi networks (well, a bit more complicated, but you got the idea). This is the huge drop in switching costs for the customers.

      However, for the mobile providers, the future is not so bright. How will they retain their customers from going to another provider, if users can do it in a couple of minutes from home? Will eSim lead to an emergence of new providers, specializing only on this standard? How will it affect the market share of existing companies? So far, not every mobile carrier expressed the willingness of supporting eSim technology. Thus, the sales of Apple Watch 3 will start only in 9 countries, where mobile providers already implemented eSim. For the rests, support of eSim is an open question.

Sources:
GSMA (2016), The SIM for the next Generation of Connected Consumer Devices, Available from:  https://www.gsma.com/rsp/

Pocket-lint (2017), What is an eSIM and how will it change connected devices for the better?, Available from:  http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/134640-what-is-an-esim-and-how-will-it-change-connected-devices-for-the-better