Retail ecommerce sales passed $4 trillion in 2020, and that number will only continue to rise
over the next several years. With products of all kinds available in just a few clicks, it’s easy to
get sucked into the consumption cycle, which can lead to spending too much money and adding
unnecessary clutter and waste to your life.
In this article, we’ll go over three effective strategies for shopping more mindfully in a market
that intentionally capitalizes on natural human desires and impulses. Every individual decision
can make a difference, whether you end up saving wildlife, reducing your environmental
footprint, or simply distancing yourself from the need to consume.
Ecommerce marketing tends to focus on generating impulsive purchases and getting customers to buy products in the heat of the moment. This is one reason why so many marketing emails focus on limited time offers, low stock alerts, and other elements that are designed to cultivate a fear of missing out.
With that in mind, the easiest way to take control over your spending is simply to wait a week or
two before going through with a purchase. If you’re still interested at the end of that time, there’s
a much lower chance that you’ll end up regretting the order.
Budgeting might sound restrictive and tedious, but it can actually free you up to spend money
guilt-free. Once you’ve factored a reasonable amount of discretionary spending into your
budget, you won’t have to worry about every individual purchase.
If you limit yourself to $100 in online shopping per month, for example, you’ll be able to buy up
to that amount without stressing over the financial implications. Without a limit, you’ll have to
weigh those considerations every time you want to make a purchase, which ends up leading to
more stress and more spending.
If you’re looking at ten different marketing emails every week, it can be tough to consistently
avoid the temptation to buy something you don’t need. Instead, consider unsubscribing from any
email newsletters and only buying something when the need comes up in your day to day life.
Without the constant stimulation of sales and discounts, you won’t feel pulled into online
shopping, and you’ll free up more time to focus on other things. This is particularly important for
people who struggle with shopping addiction and are looking for a way to break the cycle.
Ethical production and consumption are extraordinarily difficult to achieve in the contemporary economy, but these tips will help you take some steps in the right direction. It’s easy to get into unsustainable spending habits, but adjusting your approach and your mindset will make it easier to avoid those triggers and only spend money on the things you truly want.