4 Reasons Why Frugal Shoppers Don’t Shop on Their Phone
Approximately 76% of all adult American consumers shop online using their smartphone, according to recent Pew Research Center data. Roughly a third of adults make purchases from their phone at least once a week.
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Shopping from your phone is convenient, but it’s not without its risks. In fact, that convenience can make it far too easy to go over budget or get tempted by things you don’t really need or even use. Frugal shoppers know this and tend to avoid shopping from their phones. Read on to find out why, and also check out items frugal shoppers avoid altogether.
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It Leads to Impulse Purchases
Shopping from your phone is so quick and easy because everything is at your fingertips. Of course, this can unfortunately lead to impulse purchases.
“Oftentimes, people are browsing retail pages on their phone to beat boredom, perhaps when they are commuting to/from work, and this can result in overspending on unnecessary purchases,” said Andrea Woroch, consumer and money-saving expert at Andrea Woroch.
While these purchases might not seem like a big deal when you buy them, they end up costing money that you could have saved or spent on more important things. For the truly frugal, it’s better to avoid the temptation.
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It Makes It Easier To Become Distracted
When you shop from your phone and are scrolling through a specific retailer or e-commerce site’s catalog, it’s easy to become distracted by all the options — even those not originally on your list. In some cases, you might not even have a list. This can happen when shopping in person, too, but it’s more likely with phone shopping.
“If you’re trying to keep costs low, shopping on the phone might not be the best idea because you’re more likely to get distracted with products you don’t need,” said Grace Moser, founder of the women’s lifestyle blog Chasing Foxes. “I feel that when you’re scrolling carefully through your phone trying to find just the right thing, you have more opportunities to see non-necessity and easily add [them to the] cart without giving it much more thought.”
At the store, however, the physical aspect of shopping might make you think twice about actually adding something to your cart. If you carry a list with you, as many frugal shoppers do, you’re also more likely to stick to it and ignore the temptation of other things.
“Also I’ve found that when you’re scrolling through the different ‘aisle’ choices on the app, you might be more likely to check out these product categories than if you were at the store and walking past that aisle without even noticing,” said Moser.
You Miss Out on Price Comparisons
Shopping from your phone is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you might find automatic deals or discounts. On the other, you might not be able to compare prices as easily, which could lead to missed savings.
“Most people who shop on their phones end up using store or deal apps since the browsing experience is more pleasant, but this makes it harder to compare prices, look for coupons or even earn cash back,” said Woroch. “You’re better off shopping on your computer where you can use multiple tabs to search competitor sites to see if you can find a better price, or using the browser on your phone and adding plug-ins that find deals for you.”
Temptation From Social Media
According to a recent Bread Financial study, 62% of Gen Zers buy things to keep up with trends — particularly those they see on social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok.
“Since most of us use our phones to browse social media, it’s likely to lead to impulse spending,” said Woroch.
For those trying to live more frugally, this is the last thing they need. Fortunately, there are ways to cut down on that temptation.
“One way to nip impulse purchases made on social media is to delete payment info saved in the app,” said Woroch. “This way, you will have more time to think through each purchase before you hit the buy button without thought.”
Woroch also suggested the idea of simply unfollowing any influencers who cause you to make unnecessary purchases.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 4 Reasons Why Frugal Shoppers Don’t Shop on Their Phone