Business Law

Shopping Under the Influence – Drunk on Amazon

Drunk Amazon Shopping

Online shopping has never been faster, and more convenient, especially with Amazon. The slowest aspect of internet shopping is often (besides a bad connection) the decision-making process, and with Amazon, there is always a long list of similar products to choose from. This makes the purchasing decision even tougher, as we’re often bogged down with product after product.  Enter booze — which apparently inhibits decision-making just enough to allow you to engage in more one-click shopping than perhaps your sober counterpart would. Which is why it should come as no surprise to hear that drunk Amazon shopping is a thing, and the tech and business newsletter, The Hustle, conducted a survey to prove it.

The Hustle surveyed more than 2,000 alcohol-drinking adults and found that on average, shoppers spent more than $400 per year on items bought when they were intoxicated. They also found that Amazon was the “drunk shopping” platform of choice, perhaps due to their quick and easy features that make drunk shopping that much easier.

Now, do us a favor and think back to the last drunk purchase you may have made. Everyone has their own stories of drunken regret. Blame it on the alcohol, right? In fact, just this weekend, I watched one of my friends buy pounds of Lucky Charm Marshmallows from Amazon off his Apple TV after one-too-many beers. All it took was another friend mentioning that Amazon sells them and less than three minutes later, the purchase was confirmed. How convenient.

The Most Popular Drunk Online Shopping Spots

The survey also found that 85 percent of drunk shoppers use Amazon, followed by Ebay at 21 percent and Etsy at 12 percent.

It would be interesting to see these companies take this data in order to find ways that enable them to further capitalize in e-commerce via drunk purchases. They could start using Google’s Recaptcha service to identify drunk shoppers like it identifies robots, and then start suggesting the items no one else would really buy sober, almost like an alternative to a clearance section or a Nordstrom Rack.

How Instagram Could Capitalize on Drunk Shopping

The survey also found that people mostly buy clothing when they’re drunk. This could mean big bucks for Instagram soon. They’ve recently implemented a feature called “Checkout” that allows users to purchase items directly from the app. So far, only a few brands have begun using the feature, but most of them are clothing brands like H&M and REVOLVE. Only time will tell if the app can compete with an e-commerce giant like Amazon, but drunk buys are a safe bet on Instagram.

Ready to Dive into the World of E-Commerce?

If you’re ready to cash in on an e-commerce venture of your own, perhaps one that offers a sobriety test before users can click “buy”, make sure to get in touch with the attorneys at RM Warner Law to get your e-commerce venture up and running the right way. Contact us at 1-866-570-8585 or complete our online form today.

Raees Mohamed

Raees is a Founding Partner at RM Warner PLC, a corporate and Internet Law firm that caters to startups and entrepreneurs. He is also an adjunct professor of law in the acclaimed Innovation Advancement Program legal clinic at the Sandra Day O’Connor College Of Law in Phoenix. There, he teaches law students how to counsel local entrepreneurs as Rule 39 certified student-practitioners. Raees believes the push for the advancement of innovation and a culture of entrepreneurship should come from academic institutions.

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