Financial planner Alison Stanbridge from dmca advisory says shopping involves consumer psychology and online advertising tactics can exploit it.

“Don’t be rushed or pressured,” she says. “Alerts like ‘this sale ends in two hours’ or ‘free postage’ make you feel you have to order right now, but the best thing to do it stop and think about it. “Does 20 per cent off an item really make it worth buying now or from that store? Does a ‘buy one and get 20 per cent off the next item’ offer make sense, especially when you only wanted to buy one thing?”

Read the full article by Anthony Keane here.