Most of us haven’t built and don’t operate a e-commerce store but all of us are consumers! Buying things online is also so easy these days, as you know. And when we have the desire to consume, as easy as it is these days, we don’t even having to leave home… just a couple of eager and willing clicks is all it takes.
So have you ever bought something and regretted it as soon as the hour after the purchase? Surely it has happened to most of us at some point.
We can just see an advertisement on a webpage, and one moment, click on some new website, and if we feel the need to just buy something, we can spend hundreds by just entering a credit card number or a paypal email address. Poof! Your money/credit is now in other hands; and your real-life shopping bag is physically still empty. Next we have to wait for the product to arrive, if we can actually trust the retailer, and some kid on a skateboard doesn’t steal the box from your doorstep.
Usually not long after you buy something important, you might then re-balance your checkbook; maybe finding out that you have went too close to your limit. There can be a multitude of reasons that can make you feel regret.
Here are some good tips on how you can minimize buyer’s remorse.
A. “Planning ahead” is best prevention for post-purchase impulse-buy regret.
Advertising is designed to manipulate us to buy. Advertisements are not overall bad, but so many utilize manipulative tactics to influence us in psychological ways. “Limited time offers,” such as those 1-day deals, and plenty other marketing tactics – can easily trip some of up.
So first, take at least 10 minutes to think of meditation to sense if there is anything about the purchase that could cause you feelings of regret. If you can wait, make a rule to wait a week before pulling the trigger on substantial purchases; perhaps anything over $80, or $100. Then jot in a reminder note in your calendar to remind you to buy it a week from now; or equivalently stick the item in your Amazon Wish List, and if you still want that new tv or laptop, then go for it.
B. Write down a list of the product’s pros & cons; also match them to realistic list of your needs.
A nice addition to your buying process should be taking a look at your actual needs and then contrasting the desired item’s features with your needs. For example, when buying a laptop, you might make a list of the essential features you require (15.6-inch screen, 3.5 pounds, 8GB Ram, SSD, … ). Don’t forget to include all the item’s cons, including price (compared to what else you can buy (groceries) in your analysis, to make yourself fully aware of what you are getting into.
