Online shopping and credit cards

Surviving the social media shopping bug

10:36 25 July 2013

Social media sites and online-based comment forums have become accessible platforms for freedom of speech, information dissemination, and yes - marketing.

It will be hard to imagine today a world without credit cards or social media. For a large majority of people throughout the world, these two have become a lifeline or a means to an end.

Economies depend upon consumer spending to flourish. Consumers, by and large, are only too willing to share their wealth and become an invaluable part of the equation. 

Retailers hit it big with the onset of social media shopping. While social media’s intention is to connect with the rest of the world, its devout fans are often bombarded with things such as enticements to buy all sorts of products. 

Purchase procedure has been made too easy, almost hassle-free. Just add the items in the shopping cart, type in your credit card number and voila, the items are yours.

Before you know it, you have purchased dozens of things which you may not have needed in the first place. But that is not the worst part, because when the credit card bills arrive, then you will realize that your impulsive social media shopping may have caused you some debt.

Social media shopping has its advantages such as being introduced to new products, innovations, new miracle cure, big discounts, and the like. It offers convenience from beginning to end. You save on effort, money, travel time and have better access to compare more products for best buy.

The downside of it is when you do not know when to stop and mentally say no to the things offered to you. It is very easy to get excited over everything offered in the internet as they have been designed to look exciting. It takes maturity and discipline to make a distinction between what you really need to buy and not.

You’d be best to think before you click.