Consumers admit to alcohol-fuelled impulse e-commerce purchases

Thursday, March 28, 2013 - 09:01 by Simon Crisp

The results of a new study published by OnePoll, show that a quarter of British consumers have bought a product via safe shopping online while inebriated, which they later regret.

Two thousand people took part in the survey and the findings correlate with similar research in the past, suggesting that the convenience of e-commerce can actually be a bad thing, if you happen to dabble in some digital retail while under the influence.

Metro.co.uk reports that a 22 year old was lumbered with a bill for over 2K, after he erroneously ordered 22 tickets to an Oasis concert after a drinking session.

This shows that it is perhaps a little harder to navigate the interface of an e-commerce site when your faculties are dulled by booze.

The study also looked at the kinds of shopping mistakes that UK consumers make even when they are compos mentis. Fifty six per cent said that they regretted buying certain items of clothing online, while 22 per cent admitted to purchasing a gadget or gizmo, about which they later felt contrition.

Since Brits spend over 1,000 a year on average through the web, it is unsurprising to find out that many of us make errors, even if the circumstances surrounding them vary from person to person.

Being able to hop on a laptop after getting in from the pub, or now having access to e-commerce through a smartphone while you are actually at your preferred drinking establishment, can understandably lead to some buying mistakes.

Perhaps affixing a breathalyser to devices to prevent you from shopping online while over the limit might prevent these purchases, although in reality, this would be impractical. Consumers will just have to accept that most good online retailers have a solid returns policy to help undo mistakes.