You’ll find a great deal of information on the Postconsumers website about making wise shopping decisions, but we’d admit that most of them are designed for when you’re shopping in person. In fact, according to a Neilson study, nearly 80% of Americans have made an online purchase within six months. And retailers are aware of this! Leveraging the consumer mindset to get you to buy more (and buy more that you don’t need) is almost more effective in online shopping scenarios. So what traps should you avoid when shopping online in order to wean yourself off of undesired consumer habits? We’ve rounded up our favorite five below.
1. The Email List! Uncheck the Box! Uncheck the Box!
The promotional email list is one of the greatest tools of online retailers. It’s consistently ranked by marketers as the marketing channel that offers the highest return on investment. That means that people are actively purchasing items that are promoted to them in an email sent by the company, and in large numbers. We understand the temptation of wanting to join a retailer’s email list. You’ll likely benefit from discounts on products that you need and even get advanced warning of new products that may actually benefit you. But we’d encourage you to avoid signing up for (or agreeing to receive) promotional emails at any cost. The savings you’ll realize do not match the additional amount that you will spend on impulse purchases. We promise you! In fact, we’d encourage you to do the math. We certainly concede that some savvy shoppers utilize emails and coupons to actually save on items that they need. However, for the vast majority of people, the retail email list will cause you to buy more and spend more over time. Uncheck the subscribe box! And then unsubscribe from the emails you already receive.
2. Free Shipping. Nothing is Ever Really Free!
How many times have you added an extra item to your online shopping cart just to avoid having to pay $10 in shipping fees? It really is true in life that nothing (other than thrills and happiness) is really free. That’s particularly true when it comes to talking about things that retailers have promised you for “free” (such as shipping or free gifts with purchase). It’s important to remember that the thresholds for purchase that are associated with “free” giveaways are designed so that they reach a point where the retailer makes money no matter what they give you. You’re not saving money, in truth. You’re spending more money on items you don’t need. We’re certainly not suggesting that if you’re $2 away from free shipping and you can buy a pack of gum you shouldn’t do that. But think through the logic of whether you’re really coming out ahead on purchasing items to get free shipping or if you’re simply adding “stuff” to your basket that you neither want nor need.
3. The Upsell and Cross-Sell
You go to a product page and, in addition to just seeing the product that you’re interested in, you also are shown all of the items that could go with it and all of the similar items that other people have purchased, or that you may want to upgrade to, or that are similar models to what you want. Of course you’re going to look at those. And of course they have been strategically selected from a database that is smart enough to know that these are the items that are most likely to convert you into purchasing additional items or more expensive items. You might think that you have the will power to resist them, but if you’re honest with yourself you’ll admit that they’ve impacted you at least once or twice. Unfortunately, there isn’t much of a way to avoid them. In this case, knowledge is power. The benefit of online shopping is that you can take your time and step away from the screen. If you find yourself tempted by one of the cross or upsell items, be sure to go away and think about what you really want and need to purchase versus what a website just convinced you that you wanted and needed to purchase.
4. One-Click Shopping: Too Easy is Just Too Easy!
The less time that you spend thinking about a purchase, the more likely you are to actually make it. That’s the theory behind the convenience of websites that allow you to store your information and then make a purchase simply by logging in and clicking one button. That’s great if you’ve taken the time before you go online to really think about your purchase, its place in your life and whether you really should be buying it. But in truth the pre-purchase logic break isn’t what most of us do. The time that it takes to complete shipping and billing fields is actually very useful time to give our brains time to process the wisdom (or lack thereof) of a purchase for our life or our wallet. As a consumer, opt for wisdom over ease. Avoid one-click shopping solutions and instead be sure to always take the time to fill out the forms. It’s only five minutes, but it can result in a much smarter decision – and possibly even the decision to wait or not purchase at all.
5. The Remarket. Are You Even Aware of It?
Chances are that you’ve noticed that you were being remarketed to even if you didn’t know what the term for it was. Have you ever looked at a product on an online retail site and then suddenly seen it everywhere you go? It’s in your Facebook feed, it’s on banner ads on your news site, it’s everywhere. This is called a remarket. It’s when an online retailer uses a cookie to track what you viewed on a website and then feeds that information into an advertising network so that you’re tempted by the item that you showed an interest in over and over and over again. And it’s extremely effective. It also allows advertisers to find out what other types of products you may be likely to purchase and advertise those to you. What can you do? The most effective step is to make sure that your computer and mobile devices are set up with do not track options. If you’re unsure of how to turn on your do not track features, here’s a useful how-to.
There can actually be great benefits to shopping online when it comes to reigning in consumer habits. You can take more time, be less stressed and step away from your purchase. But online retail sites are also loaded with consumer traps designed to get you to buy, buy, buy. Go into your online purchase with awareness and the wisdom to avoid them.
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Photo Credit: omgponies2 via Flickr
