A new national survey of 1,015 respondents revealed that 18 per cent of Aussies have shopped online while drunk.
The research by Finder found one in eight (12 per cent) have done it once or twice, and six per cent do it often. That’s around 1 million people who regularly shop online while under the influence.
Kate Browne, personal finance expert at Finder, said the surge in popularity for online shopping has transformed the experience entirely.
“You can buy just about anything online at any time these days, which is super convenient and a great way to bag a bargain,” said Browne.
“One of the downsides, however, is that it’s easy to drop quite a lot of money online, at any time of the day, no matter what state of mind we’re in.”
On average, the most shoppers were spending online while drunk in one sitting was $328.
The most popular activities taken online while intoxicated are getting food delivered (12%), buying alcohol (11%), and shopping for clothes or shoes (9%).
Some even applied for jobs (2%), applied for a house/apartment (1%) purchased airline tickets (1%), or even bought a pet (1%).
As we head into massive sales seasons, Browne encourages Aussies to shop carefully.
“With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner, there are some great deals on offer,” said Browne.
“While it’s great to bag a bargain, it’s not really a bargain if you’re buying things you don’t need, or worse, things you don’t want once you’ve sobered up.
“The best way to avoid this is to make a wish list of the things you really want and compare retailers in advance. That way you can be sure that you buy what you need and don’t drink and shop.”
Online purchases grew by 57% between 2019 and 2020 with Aussies spending a record $50.46 billion online last year, compared to $32.1 billion in 2019.
Gen X shoppers were the worst offenders, while men admitted to spending more while drunk than women on average.
