Are You Addicted to Online Shopping?

Click, click, buy! For many of us, online shopping really is this quick and this simple. It’s wonderful to live in the age of convenience, but what happens when one-click purchasing spirals out of control?

We’ve all heard tales of compulsive ‘shop-til-you-droppers’ out on the high street, yet online shopping overspending is a big problem for many men and women in the UK. In 2013 it was estimated that Brits would spend more than £87 billion online, and online shopping is only going to keep growing.

If you regularly find yourself trawling through pages of ASOS dresses between your online bingo sessions, it’s time to take our quick test and keep track of your ‘Yes’ answers to find out: are you addicted to online shopping?

Are you addicted to online shopping?

1. Do you regularly bookmark full shopping baskets, ready to come back and buy the lot later?

2. Do you get more emails from online sellers than from your real friends?

3. Do emails from your favourite online stores announcing a new sale get you spinning on your office chair with glee?

4. Is “always show images” is the default setting in your inbox?

5. Does every advert that appears on your home and work computers showcase an item you’ve viewed and thought about buying online in the past 7 days?

6. Do you secretly indulge your habit online at work?

7. Do you recognise all of the people who work at your local post office (and do they all secretly know you as ‘parcel girl’)?

8. Do SOLD OUT messages send you into a blinding rage?

9. Do you receive more than 2 parcels per week?

10. Have you ever accidentally ordered the same thing twice?

11. Have you ever completely forgotten about a purchase and been surprised to find it on your doorstep?

What score did you get?

1 – 4 Yeses

Take a deep breath. You’re O.K.. We don’t think you’re addicted to online shopping. It’s possible that you enjoy the occasional naughty splurge (often in times of stress), but you’re probably about 6 loyalty cards away from a fully fledged addiction. If you want to cut back on your online spending, we recommend a little bit of self discipline and some technological changes:

• Unsubscribe yourself from any marketing emails from your favourite online shops
• Turn off ‘one-click’ buying on any websites you frequent
• Ask yourself the “Do I Really Need This Question” before you click BUY

4 – 8 Yeses

Uh-oh, it looks like you’re at the start of an online shopping addiction. You’re not in real trouble yet, but continue down this path and you could find yourself in the financial danger zone…To combat this fledgling level of online purchasing problem we recommend:

• Take all of the steps for the 1-4 category
• Ban yourself from favourite sites by blocking them.
• Give yourself a very, very strict monthly budget which will cover only truly necessary items.

8 – 11 Yeses

Oh crumbs. It looks like you’re really hooked. It might all seem like fun and games, but getting stuck on online shopping can be really dangerous for you and your finances. Consider talking to a trusted friend or family member about your habit and, if your finances are spiralling, get some expert advice before you get into a sticky situation.

• Use all of the tips from the first two categories.
• Go cash only. Take out a weekly budget in cash and ask a friend to confiscate your debit/credit card.
• Confront the issue. It might seem frivolous but shopping addictions can be compulsive and real. Getting on top of them as soon as possible is the best way to get your spending back on track.