Beating the impulse-shopping urge with science and sleep
Whenever I have a big purchase to make, I practise the buy in my head or online and then sleep on it for a few days. I find that if I load up the cart in my brain and then sleep on it, I can decide with fresh eyes how much I really want the item and whether I’m happy with the price.
Heaps of things can influence your desire to impulse shop. According to research, most impulse purchases are made because the item is on sale. Yup, just the idea that you may be getting a bargain is enough to make you dig into your wallet. Thing is, if you’re responding on impulse, how can you possibly know if you are getting a good deal? And if you’re responding to a percentage off, what does that mean in real dollars saved versus the very real dollars spent?
It’s not just the numbers or words on the sale sign that’ll grab your attention. Colour can draw you in and keep you focused. Strong contrasts — such as black and yellow — are key. In fact, when we see black and yellow together, we have an instinctive reaction that keeps us paying attention.
Even our means of transportation can impact our impulse purchases. That’s not really surprising; we might be willing to fork over money and lighten our wallets, but we’re far less willing to carry our stuff. That’s why shoppers who arrive by car instead of on foot are 44 per cent more likely to make an unplanned purchase.
Emotions play a huge role in our desire to impulse buy. If we’re angry, stressed, guilty or bored, we’re more likely to impulse purchase. No doubt that’s why, instead of buying useful or necessary stuff, impulse shoppers buy things that put them in a better mood.
That old adage “don’t go shopping on an empty stomach” doesn’t just apply to grocery shopping. Psychologists at the National University of Singapore had participants shop in a room with an unscented candle or one with a cookie-scented candle. The shoppers exposed to the yummy smelling candle made more unplanned purchases. In fact, 50 per cent more people made purchases in the cookie room, even though both groups were told that they had a tight budget. Stimulating the appetite causes people to crave immediate gratification, even if the actions aren’t in their best interest.
If you scratch the itch in the store, it’s an impulse buy. When you realize you need something and then set out to get it, it’s purposeful shopping. If you recognize the need away from the temptation to shop, it’s what psychologists call “problem recognition,” and you’re much more likely to shop smart.
That’s where sleeping on it comes into play.
If you walk away from the idea of the buy, giving your brain enough time to weigh the actual benefits (what said purchase will do for you) against the actual costs (money and missed future opportunities), you’re moving from impulse shopping to problem recognition (and satisfaction).
The next time you think you want to, need to, have to buy something, go home and sleep on it. Gail Vaz-Oxlade writes every Tuesday for Smart Money.