The Weekend Read✨The Psychology of Modern Shopping: From High Street to Hashtags

Hello!

Back in 1981, Kennedy Fraser, a fashion critic for The New Yorker magazine published an essay with a rather futuristic title: Electronic Shopping. At the time, shopping mostly meant Saturday afternoons on the high street, queueing for a fitting room under bright lights. The ‘electronic’ part felt more Tomorrow’s World than today’s world, yet Fraser was astonishingly prophetic.

She suggested that shopping in the future wouldn’t just be about what we bought, but how we experienced the act of buying. Kennedy said shops would become a kind of theatre: part retail, part performance, places where we didn’t simply buy, but we participated. We wouldn’t just go for the goods, we’d go for the spectacle.

Fast-forward forty-plus years and in 2025 we have Amazon Prime delivering day and night, social media influencers convincing us to buy a serum we didn’t know we needed, and luxury flagship stores designed more like museums than shops. Fraser’s vision has come to life, perhaps more vividly than she could ever have imagined.

So, in this weeks’ The Weekend Read, we’re going to take you through the past four decades of shopping, from the rise of online shopping to the tradition of the high street, from glossy Instagram ads to the psychology of impulse buys. And we’ll ask this question, how have retailers been pulling our strings all these years? Have we noticed? And more importantly, what does the next chapter look like?

The 1980s Vision of Shopping in the Future

If you remember the early 1980s, shoulder pads were wide, perms were big and shopping mostly meant a trip into town. Department stores were where we shopped, and if you were lucky, your local high street still had a variety of butchers, bookshops, and clothes shops. The most advanced form of remote shopping was the home catalogue; the glossy pages of Freemans and Littlewoods where you circled your Christmas wish list, and the Argos bible sat on the dining room table.

Kennedy Fraser boldly predicted, considering there wasn’t even the internet yet, that shopping would become a hybrid of retail and theatre. Shops would no longer be judged merely by what they sold but by how they staged the selling. She drew parallels with plays and theatre productions and suggested that shopping would follow suit. We’d still be buying our bread, shoes and lipstick, but the setting would matter more. Shop displays would become more dramatic, more immersive and the act of shopping itself would become more of an experience.

For readers in 1981, this must have sounded very futuristic. But Fraser wasn’t imagining robots whizzing around aisles or holograms beaming out from shelves, she was talking about something more subtle, that shopping would be a performance and we would willingly take part in it.

Fast forward to now, and we can see just how sharp her vision was. From the grand staging of Selfridges’ Christmas windows to the carefully curated Instagram feeds of online brands, retail is now all about the spectacle. Fraser spotted it before the rest of us had even realised that buying could be entertainment.

From the High Street to the Internet

Fraser couldn’t have known it at the time, but the very decade her essay appeared saw the birth of a new kind of shopping mecca: the shopping centre. Suddenly, buying wasn’t just about ticking errands off a list, it was about entering a climate-controlled world of food courts, neon signs and huge choice. We didn’t just go for shoes, we went for the day out. By the 1990s, we had another revolution, home shopping channels. Do you remember QVC and Ideal World? Smiling presenters could persuade you that you urgently needed a steam mop, a cubic zirconia bracelet and a car cover all at the same time. 

Then the internet arrived. Amazon and eBay started selling to us in 1995 and they quietly became the world’s most powerful shopping companies. By the early 2000s, online shopping was less of a novelty and more of a necessity. And finally, social media. Retailers discovered that the best shop window wasn’t a glass frontage on Oxford Street, but your Instagram feed. Here, the rise of the influencer started, part salesperson, part performer, part lifestyle guru. Shopping was no longer just an individual act, but a communal experience played out on stories, reels and hashtags. Where once you asked a shop assistant if the shoes looked good, now you ask thousands of strangers online to ‘like’ your choice.

In 2025, the theatre of shopping exist in both physical and digital form. Walk into Harrods and you’ll find marble floors, perfumed air and displays so immaculate they could double as an art installation. Log onto your phone, and you’ll be swept into algorithm-curated feeds of must-have items you didn’t know you needed. 

The Psychology of Shopping: How They Get Us Every Time

Most of us like to believe we’re rational shoppers. We walk into a shop or click onto a website with a clear mission to buy milk and bread, and yet somehow we also leave with a glittery candle and a cardigan that is not needed. How does this happen? It’s not our weakness, it’s by design.

Retailers, both physical and digital, have mastered the art of subtle persuasion. In stores, it’s about atmosphere. Have you ever wondered why supermarkets put the bakery near the entrance? The smell of warm bread is one of the most powerful triggers of appetite. You go in for broccoli, yet you also leave with a muffin. Department stores keep cosmetics right at the front, a spritz of perfume and a slick of lipstick and suddenly you’re in the mood to browse.

Online, the tactics are slightly different. Algorithms learn what makes us tick and more importantly, what makes us click. The ‘customers also bought’ section is retail psychology in disguise, playing on our fear of missing out. Countdown timers, limited stock alerts and abandoned basket emails are the digital equivalents of a shop assistant hovering behind you, asking if you’re still thinking about it.

And then there’s the psychology of colour and layout. Have you ever noticed that sale signs are always red? That’s no accident as red triggers urgency. IKEA makes you walk through its store like you’re navigating a maze, which is deliberate too. The more twists and turns, the more ‘stuff’ you’ll stumble upon. Online, the endless scroll serves the same purpose. There’s no natural end to browsing, which means you’ll keep going until something shiny stops you.

So next time you find yourself walking out with a scented candle or adding a pair of earrings to your online basket at midnight, don’t beat yourself up. You’ve simply been sold to by clever marketing.

Generational Habits: How Our Age Shapes the Way We Shop

Shopping, much like fashion, is generational. The way we browse, buy and even justify our purchases has as much to do with our age as it does with our taste. Retailers know this and they tailor their tricks accordingly.

Take today’s twenty-somethings. For them, shopping online isn’t just convenient, it’s second nature. They’ve grown up with smartphones in hand, scrolling through apps between lectures or on the bus home. TikTok hauls and Instagram unboxings aren’t advertising, they’re entertainment. For this generation, the line between shopping and socialising is so blurred that clicking ‘add to cart’ often feels like joining a trend or being part of a community. The shop floor is their feed, and the shop assistant is an influencer with good lighting.

Now contrast that with the 50+ shopper. Many still prefer the reassurance of a bricks and mortar shop. It’s not only about trust, but also about the ritual and the ability to see and touch a product. For them, shopping is often social too: a Saturday trip into town, a coffee with a friend, a chat with a friendly cashier who recognises them. The high street offers something the internet can’t quite replicate: atmosphere, human contact and a sense of occasion.

And then there are the in-betweens, the thirty and forty-somethings who sit between the two worlds. They’re as likely to be found speed-scrolling on their phones at midnight as they are wandering around John Lewis on a Sunday morning. For them, shopping has become both a time-saver and a pastime, depending on the day.

The fun part is seeing how these generational habits overlap. Grandparents are WhatsApping links to their latest online bargains and teenagers are insisting on a pilgrimage to Westfield shopping centre. Retailers are wise to this mixing of habits, so they cast a wide net. The same brand will run a glossy flagship store in London whilst also perfecting its next day delivery service for the impatient scroller.

The High Street vs. The Algorithm

Whether it’s the stylishly dressed mannequins of a department store or the pixelated glow of an app, retailers are in the same business: keeping our attention just long enough to make a purchase. What’s fascinating is how the strategies differ between the high street and the online world, yet at their core, they’re working towards the same goal.

On the high street, the game is about loyalty and habit. Loyalty cards are a prime example. Who hasn’t found themselves buying an extra coffee just to collect that elusive tenth stamp? Supermarkets were among the first to cotton on, turning Nectar and Clubcard points into miniature economies of their own. The Back to School displays, the Halloween pumpkins stacked high and the Christmas window shows that they attract crowds, so strategies are designed to embed shopping into our lives.

Online, the strategies are subtler and more personalised. Algorithms quietly track our every click, swipe and pause, turning our behaviour into data. Where the high street hands you a loyalty card, the online retailer hands you a curated feed. Instagram knows the exact moment of your day when you’re most likely to impulse purchase that candle.

Scarcity is another shared tactic, though the staging differs. In shops, it’s the limited edition trainers that sell out in hours. Online, it’s the flashing countdown timer reminding you there are only 2 left in stock. Both create urgency, both prey on FOMO, the only difference is whether you feel it standing in a queue or staring at your phone.

And then there’s upselling. On the high street, it’s the well-placed rack of socks or chocolate bars near the till. Online, it’s the ‘customers also bought’ carousel, suggesting a matching belt or yet another gadget you didn’t intend to buy. The principle is the same, don’t let the shopper leave with just the one item they came for.

At first glance, high street and online strategies might seem worlds apart, one rooted in tradition, the other in technology. But look closer, and you’ll see they are strikingly similar. Both rely on routine, persuasion and a gentle push towards spending a little more than you planned. The real difference is visibility. On the high street, you can see the display, smell the pastries and hear the music. Online, the tactics are hidden in code, silently pulling your strings.

How Have You Been Shopping All These Years?

If you’ve been around long enough to remember the days before online checkout baskets, you may remember the thrill of a Saturday trip to Woolworths, the smell of pick ’n’ mix mingling with vinyl records. Did you even notice back then how the brightest displays seemed to lure you in? Or how the latest craze seemed unavoidable once it hit the shelves?

If your shopping years began in the age of dial-up internet, you might remember the novelty of ordering something online and then waiting two weeks for delivery. Did you recognise that those flashing limited stock banners were designed to make you buy faster?

And if you’re of the generation whose first shopping trip was virtual rather than physical, ask yourself this: has the constant scroll of online stores changed the way you think about buying altogether? Do you shop with intention, or do you let the algorithm plant suggestions until they feel like your own ideas?

It’s an uncomfortable thought that many of our choices may not entirely be our own. The truth is, whether in store or online, retailers have always been skilled at nudging us gently off course. That extra item at the till, the pop-up sale and the bundle deal are all cleverly placed to keep you coming back for more.

This isn’t about shame. Every impulse buy, loyalty card and midnight scroll is part of the same ploy. The question is do we realise this is happening?

The Next 10–30 Years: What Comes Next?

If the last forty years have shown us anything, it’s that shopping is never static. Already, we’re seeing hints of what is to come. Artificial intelligence is becoming the new shop assistant, whispering personalised suggestions based on every click, scroll and word we mutter near our phones. Can you imagine a future where your wardrobe is automatically refreshed with clothes in colours that flatter you best, delivered before you even realise your old jumper is fading. Convenient? Absolutely. But how comfortable are we with a retail world that knows our needs before we do?

Then there’s immersive retail. Virtual Reality stores are emerging where you can wander through digital aisles wearing a headset from the comfort of your sofa. Picture trying on a coat in a virtual mirror, twirling to see how it falls, then pressing a button to have the real item dispatched. Will this make the high street redundant, or will physical stores double down, offering experiences you simply can’t get through a headset, the music, the shoppers and the thought of stumbling upon something unexpected?

Sustainability will shape the future too. Fast fashion has faced increasing criticism as shoppers start to question the cost of convenience. In thirty years, will we still be scrolling endless feeds of £10 dresses, or will we demand more thoughtful, circular systems of retail from renting, recycling and repairing?

What’s certain is that shopping will continue to blur the lines between the physical and the digital experience, between the need and the want and between choice and persuasion. Fraser saw that shopping is never just about acquiring things, it is about the experience of acquiring them. As technology evolves, the question isn’t whether this will continue, it’s how many of the decisions will be our own?

So in ten years’ time, will we be clicking, swiping, strolling, or maybe even stepping into a virtual world when you buy a new pair of shoes? 

Final Thoughts: Your Future Shopping Habits

Maybe shopping has never really been about the things we take home, but the meaning we attach to them. A jumper becomes comfort, a perfume becomes identity and a new phone becomes progress. And while technology will always try to anticipate our desires, the real choice still rests with us. We can decide whether to click, whether to stroll, whether to buy, or whether to pause. Perhaps the future of shopping isn’t about resisting every nudge, but about recognising the theatre for what it is and choosing the role we want to play. After all, the most powerful part of the experience has never been the product, it’s the fact that, in the end, we still get to decide. Next time you go shopping, whether it's online or on the high street, think consciously about how the store or brand you are shopping with are trying to sell to you. Will this make you think twice going forward? And will you be saving a little more in the future?

Enjoy your weekend! In next week's The Weekend Read, we'll be talking about how to create your ultimate Autumn/Winter capsule wardrobe.

Best wishes,

Jenny & Judi xx

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Jenny Goldsmith

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