Don’t Use Your Smartphone While Shopping, It Can Prove Costly: Study

We are sure that there is at least one smartphone in every household around the world right now. This ratio increases even more when you move towards developed countries. Also, India and China are two of the fastest growing smartphone markets in the world. Therefore, it is obvious that most people are using their smartphones.

But research claims that using smartphones for shopping may prove costly for you. Also, the likeliness of buying unwanted things when you are listening to music or talking while shopping is extremely high. The research claims that people tend to overspend when they shop using their smartphones.

Research claims that Shopping through your smartphone makes you overspend

This research, conducted by Michael Sciandra from Fairfield University U.S., recently got published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. The research is aimed at studying the habits of typical smartphone users. It is revealed that smartphone users overspend while shopping online.

This is because smartphone users have a high probability to be distracted while shopping. In turn, they will make purchases of unwanted things while forgetting what they originally planned to buy. The research, conducted on 230 shoppers, used their smartphones in a shopping task.

Apart from just using smartphones, the research revealed some more habits of online shoppers. According to the research, if you are listening to music on your phone or talking to someone, you will buy something unwanted.

This is specifically observed when users perform the task of shopping and listening to music/talking at the same time. The author of this research, Micheal says that:

Our findings that phone use that is unrelated to shopping negatively affects shopping behaviour is in stark contrast to beliefs held by consumers,

Mobile phones are quickly becoming the principal distractor for many consumers and they offer a unique form of interruption. Our findings may influence consumers’ attitudes towards mobile phone use while shopping and persuade them to reflect on how these devices impact our lives, both positively and negatively.

Basically, this means that people using smartphones for shopping tend to overspend. Because you are most likely buying a product which you don’t need or have not planned for.

We, therefore, recommend you to use your PC or Laptop while shopping to not get distracted.