Know the tricks
Shops studied you. Study them back.
Online shops use well-known design techniques to make buying feel urgent and easy. None of this is secret, and none of it is your fault. Once you can name a trick, it loses most of its power.
The countdown
A timer ticking down, “sale ends tonight”, “deal expires soon”.
Ask yourself: would I still want this tomorrow at full price? Real deadlines exist, but most timers reset or return next week.
Give it 24 hours. If the deal is gone, another one will come.
“Only 2 left”
Low stock warnings, “12 people are looking at this”, “almost gone”.
Scarcity messages appear on items that restock constantly. The warning is there to rush you, not to inform you.
Decide as if stock were unlimited. Would you still want it?
The crossed-out price
A high “before” price next to the real one, making the deal look big.
The anchor price is often invented or was charged briefly. You are not saving 400 kr. You are spending 600 kr.
Judge the price you actually pay, not the discount.
The free-shipping threshold
“Add 50 kr more for free delivery.”
The extra item you add to “save” 39 kr on shipping usually costs more than the shipping itself.
Pay for shipping or pick up in store. It is often the cheaper choice.
One-click checkout
Saved cards, buy now buttons, Apple Pay, MobilePay. Paying without ever seeing the total.
Every removed step removes a moment where you could change your mind. Friction is annoying, but it is also where thinking happens.
Add your own friction: pause before you pay, even for small things.
Ads that follow you
You looked at a chair once, and now it is on every site and feed you open.
Retargeting is designed to make a passing thought feel like a lasting desire. Seeing something everywhere is not a sign you need it.
If you still want it after a week without the ads, it might be real.
Points, streaks and rewards
Loyalty points, spin-the-wheel discounts, “you are 200 points from gold status”.
These turn shopping into a game you can win. The prize is always more shopping.
Notice when you are playing their game instead of making your choice.
Want the research behind this? About Pause has the sources.