Online consumption
So this week, I shall be exploring the practical issues that are a consequence of excessive digital consumption. Firstly, can purchasing goods online become addictive? I personally will admit to my EBay addition. The site offers audiences with an interactive market place where buyers can purchase great value products and sellers can pretty much get rid of anything.
EBay’s success is driven by the growth of ‘have it now’ digital consumption. From my own experiences, building up your feedback rating can become fairly addictive. The savings are amazing, when my friends head down to the local Top Shop, I can search for the same branded goods on EBay for better value.
Seller’s trustworthiness depends on their Ebay feedback scores. In terms of building up reputation: 69% of buyers chose to make purchases from reputable sellers, for example 90% positive feedback (ISTC-CNR, 2009).
Acceleration of consumer desire
EBay offers consumers the chance to acquire desired goods more easily. The extensive product range that is on offer further encourages audiences to process digital virtual representations and suspend moral blocks.
Consumer desire is a cyclical process, once the desired product has been purchased, the consumer with further desire for a more exclusive good. Dreaming about a product can be more satisfying than the ownership of the product itself.
When an item is promoted on a website, the key element that will accelerate the consumption process is reputation. There is an increased role for PR as trust and reputation for online websites such as EBay will have a significant impact on consumer consumption.
Privacy
Browsing history and online behaviour is a key site for data gathering, the EBay organisation however, claim they record the history of your purchases for consumers future purchasing benefits and will not disclose personal information to other organisations.
