The idea of impulse shopping has been a concept ever since the creation of mass consumerism in the United States.
According to AP News, 70% of the US economy is taken up by consumer spending as of 2024. In 2025, the National Retail Federation forecasts that retail sales during 2025 will grow between 2.7% and 3.7% over 2024 to between $5.42 trillion and $5.48 trillion. In the US, 40% of all the money spent on e-commerce is attributed to impulse purchases. Impulse shopping is a direct correlation to the state of the US economy because of how integrated e-commerce is to American business.
Impulse shopping is the act of buying a non-essential product as result of various personal emotions that make us want to buy more. Stress often leads individuals to buy way more then they planned on spending. It can become so detrimental that it can even cause people go into financial crisis.
According to a NerdWallet 2025 Savings Report, conducted online by The Harris Poll, more than 1-in-5 Americans, about 22%, have made impulse purchases that have significantly impacted their finances. The survey interviewed over two thousand people as to what they were saving for.
With the already expanding growth of various social media platforms, it’s never been easier for your phone to be your own personal mall. Take TikTok as one of the leading examples of online shopping and electronic commerce. While the platform is primarily content driven, there is also an emphasis on buying. When looking at the dedicated shop section in TikTok, you will see tons of products like small microphones or phone chargers. However, almost every product you see is not original products and are instead coming from creators participating in affiliate programs.
While this impacts the average working adult, this also impacts college students. According to a research paper published by the ISRG, or International Scientific Research Group & Publishers, it states that with the equal amount of 1,500 women and male college students, 30% spend less than $500, 45% spend between $500 and $1000, and 25% spend over $1000.
Valencia College students shared some thoughts on how impulse shopping is potentially affecting students. Valencia College Business major Dakota Ośelmo says that retailers such as TikTok shop and Temu can entice students into buying more than what they should.
For those students struggling with spending habits, Valencia College partners with Financial Learning Ambassadors to address impulse buying and more. Visit their Instagram or website for more information or to attend future workshops.
