Are you guilty of this bad online shopping habit?

Whether you’re straight up addicted or only use it when you have to, most of us have made one online purchase this year. But according to new research by MyState Bank, we might have added a few negative money habits to our virtual cart. 

The research found that bad online shopping habits are costing the average Aussies more than $400 a year! 

Some of the bad habits included buying more items to hit the ‘free shipping’ limit (48%), not returning an item that wasn’t right or didn’t fit (24%) or using online shopping as a way to kill time and boredom (23%). 

Other silly shopping habits included purchasing unnecessary items because they were on sale (21%) and storing their credit card details in their favourite websites to allow for faster and easier future purchases (17%). 

“With the online sales season in full swing, our research uncovered Australians are engaging in online shopping habits which are likely burning a hole in their pockets. We calculated costly habits are costing online shoppers an average of $424 each year,” said MyState Bank general manager, customer experience Heather McGovern. 

Interestingly, 36% of Aussies believe that they spend more money shopping online than they do when shopping in physical stores, while 65% said the time spent shopping online since the COVID-19 pandemic began has increased. 

“While many Australians enjoy the convenience of online shopping, the danger is that there aren’t many barriers to spending money. Compared to shopping in a store, consumers don’t have to put as much effort or thought into adding things to their cart.”

2020 delivers a new way to shop

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Aussies felt uneasy about entering physical shopping centres to get what they needed. They therefore changed course, perhaps for good. 

MyState Bank found that 44% of online shoppers are now purchasing items previously bought in-store before the pandemic hit, like clothing and groceries. And according to McGovern, it’s the one shopping trend that’s here to stay. 

“Our new research reveals how dramatically shopping habits have evolved over the past several months, with many of these behavioural changes likely to permanently reshape the way Australians shop in the future,” she said. 

“The shift to online shopping over the last decade has been slowly embraced by most Australians, but the pandemic has put this trend into hyper speed – and there’s no going back.”

So, if you’re planning on making online shopping your preferred way to shop, you might be in need of a low rate credit card that can keep up with your spend. 

You can compare a range of credit card options by heading over to our low rate credit card comparison tool!