SINGAPORE: In the last three months, have you bought something that you do not need but you bought on impulse anyway? Perhaps it was a beautiful bag or the cute looking household item?
With the rise of intelligent algorithms, special attention is placed on how products “speak” to the consumers. This is why designers put in a lot of thought to things like how a new phone feels in your hand or why a beautifully designed home appliance is so compelling. For example, if someone forked out five to 10 times more for a high-end hair dryer, they want to share it on social media which invites comments. Such behaviours speak to our social and psychological needs.Socially, humans have an innate need to communicate our personality, identity or our success to others. Since these are inherently “invisible” attributes, consumption is one way for us to convey such messages clearly.
Psychologically, studies show we also consume to make ourselves feel better. Have you had a really bad day and retail therapy made you feel instantly better? This is because when we buy something, we feel a sense of control over our circumstances. Losing control make people feel bad and buying helps us regain this.Seeing something aesthetically appealing may also lead to heightened arousal , and a greater impulse purchase to satisfy it.
A Stanford Social Innovation Review article in 2016 argued that there is no such thing as a green product. Even though the environmental impact of green products is lower than that of regular products, they still exert a toll on the environment throughout their product life cycles.