Yes, she sometimes falls for it herself. Just this week she saw a pair of sneakers with a Black Friday discount. “I love sneakers, and under the ad it said: ‘one pair left in stock’. Then I immediately bought them.” And while e-commerce expert Chantal Schinkels (40) knows very well how companies use smart seduction techniques to ensure that we buy. And keep buying.
She recently wrote the book there The purchasing infusion about. “We order clothes, shoes, care products, home accessories, kitchen utensils, gadgets, you name it, all the time. And often things that we don’t need, but of which we still think: if I don’t have this, life is not complete,” says Schinkels, who held positions in online retail for twelve years. “Yes, I know all the tricks, but sometimes I am also susceptible and cannot cope with all the manipulation of web shops, apps and social media channels that know exactly how our brain works.”
Because how does our brain work, why do we like to buy so much?
“Our brain craves dopamine. When we buy something, we get a small shot and we feel happy for a moment. Did you know that every step in the online purchasing process gives us a small moment of happiness? Even filling a shopping cart and the rotating loading icon that indicates that your payment is being processed already gives a feeling of reward. And because the moment is so short, you soon want more. And you buy something again.
“The pitfall of buying something is great when we are stressed, tired or sad. You are looking for a reward and your resilience is at its lowest. In addition, people online become overstimulated by all the pop-ups, notifications and offers. So much information comes in, which makes us think less carefully and make decisions on autopilot. Those who are tired and distracted click faster.”
Web shops pull out all the stops to make us click faster. Take us through: you scroll online, and then what happens?
“First of all, it starts with convenience. You sit comfortably on the couch, phone in hand, the online stores are open day and night. No lines, no salespeople. You can browse in peace. And in the meantime, the webshop does everything it can to appear reliable and accessible. You can return for free, the package will be on the mat tomorrow and if you are short on money, you can pay later. Address and payment details are usually filled in automatically. One click is often enough to complete an order. All barriers are gone and there is hardly a moment when you consciously consider the question: do I actually need this?
“But there is more. Online shops are designed in such a way that consumers quickly make irrational choices. Companies think very carefully about the way in which products are presented, which buttons are where, what color they are and how large the photos are. The most expensive product or the product with the most margin is often at the top. Because people often choose the first thing they see. And an expensive winter coat is placed next to an even more expensive one, which suddenly makes the coat seem reasonably priced. The ‘buy now’ button is brightly colored and large, while the ‘cancel’ or ‘back’ button is small and gray.”
And you saw the text ‘one pair left in stock’ next to the sneakers?
“Yes, that is also a smart way to get people to buy quickly. You see it regularly: notifications that suggest scarcity and social pressure. Suddenly a window appears with ’26 people are viewing this now’, or countdown timers that emphasize that a discount is about to expire. And under products it says that there are ‘only two pieces left in stock’. Whether it is true, we don’t know. With this trick, companies play on loss aversion: people hate the feeling of missing out even more than they do. enjoy a good deal.
“And there are many more misleading tricks, the so-called dark patterns. For example, online shops have sometimes already selected more expensive options for you, such as premium shipping, an extra warranty, gift packaging or a monthly subscription instead of a one-off purchase. There are often those pop-ups that keep coming back until you give in. Companies also make it difficult for you to unsubscribe from newsletters. And the button to cancel a subscription is often hidden. Some sites even use false scarcity, such as ‘sold out’ colors that don’t exist, to make you feel like you have to make a quick decision.”
Companies influence our purchasing behavior and at the same time they collect data about us, which they reuse to send us to that buy button?
“Yes, with everything you do online, you leave a trace. So your clicking behavior, how long you linger on an ad, your location, the time you shop, previous purchases and even which influencers you follow, companies see it all. They can deduce a lot from that micro data: whether you have doubts, whether you are sensitive to discounts, whether you make impulse purchases more often and whether you are currently extra susceptible to impulsive decisions.
“Tech companies such as Facebook use sentiment and behavioral analysis: based on likes, reactions, scrolling behavior and viewing time, algorithms can estimate how someone feels. If the system thinks you are more receptive, algorithms show more advertisements at those moments. Because the chance of a click or purchase is greater.
“And all that data makes hyper-personalization possible. This means that the webshop of a certain store looks very different to me on my phone than it does to you on your mobile. I am presented with different products, the banners may be larger for you than for me, we receive different recommendations – because they are based on purchasing history. Even the prices can differ. According to EU research, 97 percent of the most popular websites contain at least one form of manipulation.”
So we order online en masse; then the web shops will make a lot of money.
“You would think so. But many companies are under heavy pressure. The margins in e-commerce are thin: web shops often only earn a few percent per order. They only make a profit if they produce enormous volumes. That is why they constantly try to tempt consumers to buy as much as possible. And then you think: but that happens, right? Yes, but we also return our purchases en masse and that costs money: transport, checking the items, repackaging. It is not without reason that some companies destroy their items, because it is cheaper. In addition, web shops have high costs for distribution and sorting centers, staff, storage and customer service. Major players also pump millions into advertisements.”
In your book you expose overconsumption, but also debt problems and environmental pollution.
“The incentive to generate as much turnover as possible is much greater than the incentive to act ethically. This leads to overconsumption, and to climate problems and addictions. Online purchasing addiction resembles a gambling addiction in many ways: consumers are no longer concerned with the product itself, but with the process, with that short dopamine kick. And in the meantime, people are getting into financial problems due to late payment and impulsive purchases, while return flows, packaging and fast delivery entail enormous environmental costs.”
And you are worried about the future, because online shopping temptations are becoming even greater?
“Yes, I am afraid of the rise of gamification in online shops. Temu is of course an example of this, the Chinese webshop adds game elements to online shopping. You can spin a virtual wheel, treasure chests will open, you will receive coupons and points that you can earn by clicking or buying. It’s one big wheel of fortune and Dutch web shops are watching. They think: without that game element we will no longer achieve those large turnovers.
“I also see that live shopping is growing, especially via TikTok. It is already the standard in China: influencers present products in live videos, viewers can buy with one click. The entire experience is designed for impulse purchases.”
What can we do to arm ourselves?
“Leave your things in your basket for 24 hours. That takes away the impulse. Mind you, companies will usually send you an email two days later with the message that your product is on sale. Turn off notifications on your phone, delete shopping apps, do not automatically click on agree with cookies. Do not leave information everywhere. If companies want to know your date of birth or telephone number: enter some random numbers. And if purchasing behavior controls your life or if you get into financial trouble: seek help. An online Purchasing addiction is just as bad as any other addiction.”
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