We’ve all been there. You have a bad day and need a little pick-me-up – so you head straight to your favorite website to buy something new.
That hit of dopamine you get when you buy something is what many companies rely on — and no one seems to understand it better than fast fashion brands.
But this not only hurts our wallets, it also hurts the planet.
In the final part of our series on the psychology of shopping from the Money blog team, we talk to fair fashion activist Venetia La Manna (@venetialamanna) – which advocates a more sustainable approach to clothing – about the little tricks that fast fashion companies use to make people spend, spend, spend…
Always in a hurry – and slippery floor
Many of the techniques used by fashion companies involve ensuring that people feel rushed to make purchasing decisions.
La Manna says websites and social media pages are set up to feel “very immediate,” so “we always feel like we need to buy something before it’s gone” — meaning you’re not able to make a purchase and think about whether you need this.
Fast fashion companies also keep an eye on trends and release products as quickly as possible to ensure that people “buy really, really quickly without necessarily thinking too much.”
And the sense of urgency is not just limited to online stores.
La Manna says physical clothing stores will make sure their floors are slippery, “so you can almost walk more easily.”
They will often also have loud music to encourage “frantic shopping”.
They know what you want
Fashion sites use “highly advanced” search optimization engines to figure out what kind of products their customers are looking for and send those items to them, La Manna says.
They also work with popular online influencers and have them post affiliate links – meaning if you want to look like your favorite influencer or celebrity, you can buy what they’re wearing “with just a few clicks.”
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Ultimately, they are making things “very easy to buy” and often have storefronts on popular social media sites like Instagram and TikTok.
Additionally, there is the issue of accessibility.
Many are lowering their prices to such an extent that “we feel like ‘hey, why not’ when it’s cheaper than a sandwich or a coffee,” says La Manna.
Stores are making things “too easy to buy.” Photo: iStock
Entrance heaters
Physical stores use other techniques to motivate customers to buy.
For example, La Manna says the heat changes when you enter the store, so you are “invited into a warmer environment.”
Stores are also organized in a specific way, often placing cheaper items near the registers and easy clothing formulas next to each other.
The dose of dopamine
With a lot going on in the world, we may be more susceptible than ever to falling into the spending trap.
“The world is very heavy and people are struggling. Buying fast fashion or buying things gives us a momentary hit of dopamine, and of course we need that – when we are suffering, when we feel depressed, [shopping] It’s easy to achieve,” says La Manna.
Despite practicing “slow fashion” – trying to buy less and more consciously – for years, La Manna says she still has moments when she feels like buying something would make her feel better.
But she says it’s possible to get much-needed dopamine hits from other places — including by being active in your community or taking the time to find something you really want (preferably secondhand!).
Why Does This Matter?
In addition to being bad for your wallet, La Manna says excessive consumption is also bad for the planet and the garment workers who make your clothes.
She says many large fashion companies do not pay their garment workers a fair wage – with many of them unable to provide food for their families, living in poverty and without paid leave.
Clothing overproduction is also harming communities in the global South, who have to deal with vast piles of unwanted items, she says.
Most clothes taken to charity shops or recycling bins do not end up being resold – instead, they are largely sent to locations in the global south, where communities are “left to deal with a problem that is not theirs.” ”.
For more information on slow fashion, La Manna suggests checking out The Or Foundation, Remake, and Clean Clothes Campaign.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
