Consumers no longer need to head to the mall to find an escape from their days, especially not in today’s world where an ever-present social media feed provides everyone a click away from the styles they love most.
According to data from an online consumer survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Rakuten among female adults in the U.S., with shopping available right at their desks, young professional women are furthering quiet quitting with “quiet shopping.” Nearly 30 percent of women reported they typically find themselves shopping for fun the most during the hours of one to five in the afternoon — landing right in the middle of a typical workday.
Quiet shopping, which Rakuten defines as “shopping online during standard work hours,” is most prevalent among Gen Z women with 41 percent of survey respondents admitting to partaking in the activity compared to 24 percent of Millennial women and 23 percent of Gen X women.
To explain why this consumer behavior trend has seen a notable uptick, Bella Gerard, Rakuten’s shopping and trend adviser, told WWD that “as we’ve seen with the quiet quitting trend, many corporate employees are looking for ways to have a healthier work-life balance and avoid burnout. Participating in trends like quiet shopping offers shoppers an option that doesn’t require physically leaving their desks and heading to the mall during work hours. We know people scroll when bored at work, so it’s not surprising that they might do so until coming across an item they feel is worth buying. From there, doom scrolling shifts to quiet shopping, all from the comfort of their desk.”
Moreover, Gerard said it’s worth noting that social media has played a part in accelerating quiet shopping as many use scrolling as a means of getting a mental break during the day. She pointed to many of the top social media platforms that are “making concentrated efforts to promote in-app purchases” including TikTok Shop and Instagram Shopping, which she said is “making in-the-moment online shopping more tempting than ever before.”
“The popularity of TikTok trends like shopping hauls and OOTDs (outfit of the day) has undoubtedly inspired a sense of urgency when it comes to shopping,” Gerard said. “It’s not unusual to come across a convincing review whilst scrolling and feel compelled to purchase the recommended product in that moment.”
Notably, finding shopping recommendations is top of mind for consumers with nearly 30 percent of women surveyed (40 percent of Gen Z women, 34 percent of Millennial women and 23 percent of Gen X women) reporting they are using AI as a hack.
At the same time, “social media provides a place to share shopping habits with other like-minded shoppers, forming a community around the shared shopping experience. Many content creators are able to use their influence on their followers to inspire their communities to purchase specific items, just by making a quick post,” Gerard said.
Considering how quiet shopping might reflect the current economic climate and consumer stress, Gerard said “it’s hard to say what people’s personal motivations are for shopping because it really varies from person to person, but certainly shopping can bring a sense of joy and excitement into your day to day – in the actual online purchase and then in receiving the item.”
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