Has Instant Gratification Gone Too Far?

We have all done it. It’s 10pm and you are browsing your phone or laptop in bed, when you spot your favorite influencer in a picture-perfect outfit. Immediately you think about your wardrobe and how a few purchases could easily step up your style. Rather than wait until your next shopping trip you decide to go online shopping.

Courtesy of Creative Commons

Very quickly, online shopping has added a rival to the brick and mortar stores. Almost all stores in your local mall now have a website with free shipping and returns. In the past few years, online shopping has a seen a growth 3 times larger than offline stores. Why is it that as consumers, we rather buy images of models wearing clothing, then just going to a mall and trying things on?

Alan Castel Ph.D.,explains:

“Delayed gratification may be the most lucrative psychological principle at play (and at pay)—the main reason people love to shop online and can’t stop. Buy it, but get it later, and waiting patiently makes it that much more desired.”

There is also an unseen side to online shopping sites such as Shein and Romwe. These websites have shockingly low prices, but include the latest trends, In recent months companies such as BuzzFeed and Refinery29, have exposed the truth behind these companies’ low prices.

Courtesy of Shein.com

In an article written by Alyssa Coscarelli of Refinery 29 states:

“We’ve heard the horror stories, too, from friends who've dared place orders, only to never actually receive the product, get their credit card compromised… made with material that’s closer to Kleenex than cotton.”

Although the demand is there, more and more online only companies are emerging. What many are soon realizing that although instant gratification feels amazing, seeing is truly believing.

In the past decade, the way we consume fashion has been completely altered, but so has the way we receive our news, entertainment, and even how we feed ourselves. Things like online streaming, Grub Hub, and news apps on our phones have slowly but completely changed the way we interact with each other. It also has increased our needs for instant gratification. We now live in a society where we don’t want to wait, we need it when we want it, and how we want it, Now.

Companies have gotten the hint from their consumers and are always adapting to these changes. Luttrell explains that businesses recognize this change and adapt by rethinking a costumer’s journey to get to their brand (pg. 99).

In many ways, our world is vastly changing in terms of communication. We are more linked to the global world than ever. You can go on your phone right now and see pictures of family and friends, or even FaceTime them in real time. But yet we lack basic human interaction when it comes to everyday activities such as clothes and grocery shopping. It’s crazy to think that in today’s society, we can easily talk to people all day and complete tasks, without actually opening our mouths and speaking to anyone