[www.keralites.net] Contain Your Digital Uurge to Splurge!

 

CONTAIN YOUR DIGITAL URGE TO SPLURGE Priya Chaphekar   The exponential rise in e-commerce portals and flash sales coupled with the easy accessibility of the internet has made online shopping a serious addiction. Here's how to deal with it   Gone are the times when we meticulously planned pre-Diwali shopping sprees with our families or returned home with a car teeming with branded bags after a girls' day out. Buying through online stores has become the most convenient option today."In fact, smartphones as a medium have shifted the browsing of goods to a 24x7 window," informs Mary Turner, CEO, Koovs.com."Typically, the trend has now moved from 50:50 of desktop to smartphone to 30:70 in favour of the smartphone. There are over 40 million online transactors in India and our research shows that 75 per cent of them are between 18 and 34. Most of them tend to shop during lunch time, late evenings and over weekends." What we fail to realise, however, is that this rapidly emerging pattern could do more harm than good. So why is it that we shop aggressively online? AVOID THE CYCLE The online stores sometimes offer such irresistible deals that we are often stuck with things we do not particularly need. While it is true that the myriad of shopping apps leave little room to rethink our purchases, on a deeper level, compulsive buying is triggered by a void within ourselves. "Before cutting up credit cards or deleting apps, it's important to acknowledge the prevalence of an issue," explains psychiatrist Dr Shefali Batra, cofounder of InnerHour and founder of Mindframes. "We all experience a sense of emptiness that we try to fill with functional (hobbies like reading, exercising, or dancing) and dysfunctional (drinking, smoking, shopping) ways that differ from person to person." Batra narrates the example of a patient who gets an uncontrollable need to shop just before her exams. "She feels a sense of temporary gratification after she shops but later ends up feeling awful about it," adds Batra. "In this case, my client tried to compensate the low dopamine (happiness chemical) levels in her brain by compulsive shopping. Someone else could do it with alcohol or drugs." SPOILT FOR CHOICE While some people shop out of boredom or to fill a void, some like to collect items and some are plain bargain seekers. Twenty-eight-yearold Shivani Chavan, manager -product engineering, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd, for instance, shops to pamper herself. "Why wait for a guy to shower you with gifts when you can do it by yourself? When I receive a hamper at my doorstep on a Saturday, it's like a reward for the week-long hard work. It's a feel good thing," she says. Ashish Shah, founder and COO, Pepperfry.com, insists that it is the variety that the online stores offer coupled with a changing consumption pattern that is responsible for this epidemic. "When you go to a showroom, you'll find 10 beds, but on a website, you have 450 beds that can be customised as per the consumer's requirement. Earlier, we had a grocery list and picked up only those items. Today, we you walk down the aisles of a retail shopping store, we tend to buy a lot more. At the end of the day, every individual has to regularise hisher consumption," he points out. So, shop smart rather than shopping in bulk. Never shop online just because the website is luring them with an offer or discount. Acquaint yourself with the best buys on each website. Some may have well-fitting shoes while the others may have trendy bags. DEAL WITH IT Twenty-seven-year-old Tanvi Gangwar, a digital and media strategist with Drums Food International, portrayed the picture perfect character of `the single girl in the big city', the first time she came to Mumbai. But a job in the world of fashion converted her into a shopping bulimic. "I was living the The Devil wears Prada dream, and, to keep up with the glossy lifestyle, I began ordering online. I was mesmerised with the fresh fashion that each month brought with it.Realisation dawned on me only when I moved from Mumbai to Delhi. I had no clue how I was going to pack a wardrobe overflowing with dresses, bags, belts, accessories and makeup. It was then that I pulled the brakes," she shares. Instead of making herself feel better with shopping, Gangwar joined a yoga class. "I've learnt to be happy in my own skin now. Whenever I feel the urge to shop, I write, call a friend or go for a jog. My savings have hit a new high after a long time," she smiles. SHUN PLASTIC MONEY Using credit cards to make purchases makes people forget that they're shopping with real money. "There's no connection between the item bought and the person's wallet, and this aggravates the addiction. I'd suggest using a debit card instead of a credit card. With a limited amount you're bound to think twice before you spend," advises financial expert Ameya Bapat. "Instead of storing your credit card details on the retail site, use the guest checkout option.That will give you a little more time to reconsider your purchase while you fill the card details." Avoid making decisions when you're tired, irritated or hungry. Save the items in the wishlist and revisit them with a clear mind in the morning. Don't mindlessly fill the cart to escape shipping charges.Sometimes, paying them works out to be much cheaper. DID YOU KNOW? Oniomania or compulsive buying disorder is the obsessive desire to shop despite the financial aftershocks and other negative consequences such as debts and relationship conflicts. A compulsive buyer shops because he she is restless. Although the acquisition of the items is followed by a temporary feeling of euphoria the vicious cycle usually culminates in guilt. Oniomania differs largely from retail therapy. The latter is a more preplanned, organised way of spending the money that is earned.

---

www.keralites.net

__._,_.___

---

Posted by: Cool Kis <cooolkis@gmail.com>

---

Reply via web post

•

Reply to sender

•

Reply to group

•

Start a New Topic

•

Messages in this topic (1)

---

Have you tried the highest rated email app?

With 4.5 stars in iTunes, the Yahoo Mail app is the highest rated email app on the market. What are you waiting for? Now you can access all your inboxes (Gmail, Outlook, AOL and more) in one place. Never delete an email again with 1000GB of free cloud storage.

---

KERALITES - A moderated eGroup exclusively for Keralites...

To subscribe send a mail to Keralites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Send your posts to Keralites@yahoogroups.com.
Send your suggestions to Keralites-owner@yahoogroups.com.

To unsubscribe send a mail to Keralites-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Homepage: http://www.keralites.net

Visit Your Group

• New Members 4

• Privacy • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use

.

__,_._,___