It’s been a rough week at the office and nothing seems to be helping — not even that relaxing glass of wine after dinner or the tub of ice cream.
So what’s a good, capitalist American girl to do about her middle-of-the-week blues? Why, go shopping, of course!
Sure, it’s a bit of a stereotype but apparently a good dose of shopping really can go a long way to making people feel better. They call it “retail therapy.”
That’s according to an article in the June issue of Psychology and Marketing called “Retail therapy: A strategic effort to improve mood.” The article was discussed on a recent blog post by Eric Barker, author of the well-known blog Barking Up The Wrong Tree and columnist for Wired Magazine.
The research says that “retail therapy” means trying to cheer yourself up by spending money on “self-treats.” Impulsive buying or mindless shopping done specifically to make yourself feel better usually doesn’t make you feel guilty about it. Rather, it can have a lasting positive impact on mood.
This is good news for marketers. Experts agree that it’s important for retailers to capitalize on this form of self-medication.
“Retail therapy does, in fact, work,” one expert said. “A smart retailer might want to think about a marketing campaign offering their buyers a little retail therapy coupon or having a retail therapy sale!”
Source: Bakadesuyo, June 2011
