Retail therapy: men are from Mars, women are from Venus
According to a new Ebates.com study, 51.8 percent of Americans engage in retail therapy, but it isn’t just women that engage, no, 64 percent of women confess to retail therapy, but men are catching up, with 40 percent saying they shop to improve their mood.
The study revealed that the most common item women buy when indulging in retail therapy is clothing, and men turn to buying food items as their top retail therapy item.
Retail therapy triggers
So what exactly is it that keeps Americans comforting themselves by shopping? The most common reason is to cure a bad mood after a hard day at work (18.9 percent), followed by 14.6 percent who say they console themselves with retail after receiving bad news, and 12.2 percent blame fighting with their significant other.
Those are the reasons people look for the buy button, but then what makes them do more than window shop? Getting a good deal. Four out of five people surveyed noted that hitting up a sale or getting a special deal makes them feel the best, and half said that receiving a reward (cash back, a gift card) make them feel good, tied with free shipping, followed closely by using coupons.
Fully 67 percent of Americans say online shopping provides better retail therapy, than physical shopping because:
- 43.7 percent Don’t have to leave the house
- 42.6 percent More convenient
- 37.9 percent Don’t have to drive
- 30.8 percent Wider range of stores to browse
- 25.7 percent Don’t have to lug purchases home
- 22.2 percent It’s immediate
- 13.1 percent Don’t have to have anyone see what I bought
“Our survey confirms that shopping truly is ‘therapy’ for many people, and can help raise one’s spirits after a bad day. Online shopping makes this pick-me-up only a couple of clicks away,” says Ebates.com CEO, Kevin H. Johnson.
