Expert Clinical Psychologist Samet Gürkan Ustaoğlu gave important information on the subject. Although shopping is an action that meets our daily needs, we can make impulse purchases even though we do not need it. Addiction is a situation where it is difficult to stop an action or substance even though we know that it will have negative consequences. In general, the term "addiction" is limited to substance use. However, today, many types of behavior are also seen as types of addiction. One of these is "shopping addiction". Shopping addiction is a serious type of addiction where purchases are made despite meeting daily needs or without taking daily needs into consideration as a priority, people have difficulty controlling, depends on instinctive impulses, and is associated with psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety. is seen as.
What are the reasons why people turn to shopping addiction?
The reasons why people turn to shopping addiction can be stated as the negative emotions felt due to anxiety, depression or obsessions, low self-esteem of the person, expectation of social status, increased internet usage, spontaneous and unplanned purchases, and generally women being more prone to shopping addiction.
What role does the internet play in this process?
According to some studies, 47% of people see the influence of social media in their purchasing decisions. In fact, this figure is quite high. In addition, the attractiveness of social media and the fact that these contents are very encouraging, thanks to the influencers, direct the shopping environment towards the social media market, which is 4 times larger.
Do great discounts, shopping days like Black Friday and 11.11 make people stressed? Does it make me feel like I'm missing something?
In fact, we know that many brands frequently offer discounts throughout the year. However, marketing strategies such as “magnificent discounts, black friday, magnificent November” cause mass shopping movements. Naturally, if there is a mass action, there is also a mass perception. It's like thinking "I shouldn't miss this sale that happens once a year." As long as we believe that such stress-related thoughts protect us from the anxiety and negative emotions that will occur when we do not shop, unfortunately, we have no choice but to participate in this shopping spree.