Credit, internet and customer relations have brought the shopaholic to Denmark

Shopping abuse has generated both Hollywood movies and self-help books. Some people compare it with abuse that needs therapy. Others pass it off with a laugh.  But just how widespread is the phenomenon of compulsive buying in Denmark?

Based on two decades of own research in compulsive buying in Germany and Austria, Professor Lucia A. Reisch and Associate Professor Wencke Gwozdz from CBS Center for Corporate Social Responsibility have now studied the tendency to buy compulsively in a representative sample of 1,015 Danes. The study shows that in Denmark the percentage of people that can be classified as “compulsive buyers” (5.8 %) is about the same as in other European countries. However, the Danes differ slightly with respect to shopping compulsion from the consumers south of the border.

- This study shows that the typical Danish shopaholic is a woman between 25 and 44 years of age – while in Germany and Austria, the typical shopaholic is female and younger than 25. We are planning a follow-up study later this year. It will be interesting to look into who this Danish shopaholic is and why there is an age difference between the countries, says Wencke Gwozdz.

Do you own more than 20 pairs of shoes?

And do you still need to swing by the fabulous shop around the corner a couple of times a week?

If you control your own finances, there is a greater chance of you buying a new pair, than if you share your finances with someone else. 

- The study shows that people living in relationships with shared finances are less inclined to buy compulsively than the ones who administrate their budget alone. As has been found in other countries, being single, level of education and income have no remarkable influence of the tendency to buy compulsively, says Wencke Gwozdz.

The Internet has brought consumption into people's homes

It has never been easier for people to satisfy their hunger for new clothes. Internet shopping has made it possible for the consumer to shop outside opening hours, and the credit cards and the charge accounts make it possible to shop for more than you can afford. Another question was whether a 24 hour shopping opportunity via the internet and easy access to money via credit and customer cards supports overconsumption. Some results of the study support this assumption: For instance, people with a higher tendency to compulsive buying tend to have more customer cards. 

The two researchers will conduct a follow-up study later this year (and possibly more in the upcoming years) to get more insights of compulsive buying in Denmark, to look into intercultural differences and similarities and to learn more about the development of shopaholism in Denmark over time.

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