New search. Add to Cart. Quick checkout. Shopping has been done increasingly online in the past few years. According to Invesp, more than half of Americans with internet access have shopped online in the past month.

     “I like to shop online, it’s quick, easy, and I don’t have to go anywhere. It’s convenient,” says senior Alyssa Ireland. 

     Ireland isn’t the only person who uses online shopping, according to Invesp, 83% of people who have online shopped are satisfied by their experiences.

     Invesp’s statistics show that 78% of online shoppers don’t look at an item in-store before buying it online, instead looking at the pictures of the item and going off them. “Usually if I buy things online, I don’t go out of my way to see them in-store. If I buy it, I go off reviews and pictures of the item. Community reviews are really helpful because I can tell if a product is going to be good quality based on people who have bought it before me,” says Ireland.

      In a year of online shopping, a habit dubbed “analysis paralysis” by Psychology Today can leave consumers reluctant to make decisions like going out to eat, or choosing which shirt to add to their cart. Square claims that this stems from, “the fear of making a wrong decision, compounded by the stress of the pandemic.” 

     “I tend to weigh my options carefully when I buy things, if it has low ratings or very few ratings, I tend to stay away from it, but I don’t have any trouble deciding whether or not to buy things most of the time”, says Ireland. 

     Psychologist Barry Schwartz agrees that having more freedom can cause “paralysis, rather than liberation,” a common concern with the freedom of choice because of increased options from shopping.  

     Even among people who overcome analysis paralysis, there is the possibility that people become “less satisfied,” in their choice, according to Schwartz. Ireland agrees with this, “sometimes I made the wrong choice, either because I chose the wrong size shoes, or because my shirt was a different color than I expected. If it’s a big deal I’ll usually return the item, either to exchange it for the right size or just to get my money back if it was a real dealbreaker.” Usually Ireland purchases items they want enough that they “ don’t mind the inconvenience of having to return things to get it right.”

     Businesses are attempting to lessen these fears for consumers, making it a point to ask customers for input and simplify displays to prevent customers from getting “stuck” on displays, spending less time contemplating, and more time at the register or checkout screen of their favorite store, according to Square.