B.F. Skinner’s postulates that humans are self-interested and driven by immediate consequences. His theory of operational conditioning thus suggests that a behaviour is changed by its consequences. Hence, the law of effect states that:

Reinforcers

Linking this to the case of online shopping, the very act of a successful purchase online would generate great satisfaction and confidence for a consumer and hence increase the likelihood of him to purchase again in future. This behaviour of online shopping is further reinforced and rewarded by the convenience of online shopping, fast delivery options and free return policies. With free returns, it is like bringing the entire store to the comfort of our home without monetary consequences as unwanted goods can be returned. Hence, the behaviour of shopping online is reinforced.

(Lack of) Punishers

The lack of punishers may also explain for the impulsivity in consumption patterns. The environmental costs of e-commerce are not readily perceived by consumers as these problems – in general – occur at a macro level of time and space. The costs are subtle and less prominent to the eyes of consumers. Also, there is a great time lag between the action and the consequences. Hence, an individual may not be able to associate the two events together. As such, irresponsible online shopping behaviour is not averted.

Moreover, as e-commerce is such a lucrative business, there are continuous effort by companies to streamline and improve their online shopping experience to entice consumers to jump onto the bandwagon of online shopping. Hence, individuals are actually enticed to shop online, instead of being dissuaded.

In all, there seems to be a lack of stimuli that cause a negative state of affair in consumers to discourage irresponsible and impatient consumption habits online.