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By Emily Mee, journalist

We’ve all been there. You’re having a bad day and you need a little pick-me-up. So you head straight to your favorite website to buy something new.

Many companies rely on the dopamine hit you feel when you buy something – and no one seems to understand it better than fast fashion brands.

But not only does it hurt our wallets, it also hurts the planet.

In the final part of our series on the psychology of shopping, we spoke with Venetia La Manna (@venetialamanna), fair fashion activist – who advocates for a more sustainable approach to clothing – about the little tricks companies use fast fashion to encourage people to spend, spend. , spend…

Always in a hurry – and slippery floors

Many techniques fashion companies use involve making people feel rushed to make purchasing decisions.

Ms La Manna says websites and social media pages are designed to look “very immediate”, so we “always feel like we have to buy something before it’s gone” – which means you aren’t able to sit down with a purchase and think about it. if you need it.

Fast fashion companies also keep an eye on trends and launch their products as early as possible to ensure that people “buy very, very quickly, without necessarily thinking about it.”

And the sense of urgency isn’t limited to online stores.

Ms. La Manna says brick-and-mortar clothing stores will make sure their floors are slippery “so you can move around almost easier.”

Often they will also have loud music to encourage “frenzy shopping”.

They know what you want

Fashion sites use “very advanced” search engine optimization to discover what kind of products their customers are looking for and serve them to them, La Manna says.

They also work with popular online influencers and get them to post affiliate links. This means that if you want to look like your favorite influencer or celebrity, you can buy what they’re wearing “with just a few clicks.”

Ultimately, they make things “very easy to buy” and often have storefronts on popular social media sites like Instagram and TikTok.

Additionally, there is the issue of affordability.

Many drop their prices so low that “we say, ‘Hey, why not’ when it’s cheaper than a sandwich or a coffee,” says Ms. La Manna.

Entrance heaters

Physical stores use other techniques to entice customers to buy.

For example, Ms. La Manna says the heat changes when you enter the store, so you’re “invited into a warmer environment.”

Stores are also laid out in a specific way, often placing less expensive items near the checkout counters and easy outfit packages next to each other.

The dopamine hit

With a lot going on in the world, we might be more likely than ever to fall into the spending trap.

“The world is really heavy and people are struggling. Buying fast fashion or buying stuff gives us a momentary dose of dopamine, and of course we need it – when we’re in pain, when we’re feeling down, (do shopping) is an easy one to reach,” says Ms. La Manna.

Even though she’s been practicing “slow fashion” — trying to buy less and more consciously — for years, Ms. La Manna says she still has moments when she feels like buying something would make her feel better.

But she says it’s possible to get much-needed doses of dopamine elsewhere — including being active in your community or taking your time to find something you really, really want (ideally second-hand!).

Why is it important?

Besides being bad for your wallet, La Manna says overconsumption is also bad for the planet and the garment workers who make your clothes.

She says many major fashion companies fail to pay their garment workers a living wage – with many unable to feed their families, living in poverty and lacking paid leave.

The overproduction of clothing also harms communities in the Global South who have to deal with huge piles of unwanted items, she says.

The majority of clothes taken to charity shops or recycling bins do not end up being resold. Instead, they are shipped largely to places in the South, where communities are “left to deal with a problem that is not theirs.”

For more information on slow fashion, Ms. La Manna suggests checking out The Or Foundation, Remake and the Clean Clothes Campaign.

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