Excessive shopping on the internet: recent trends in compulsive buying-shopping disorder

With the growth of e-commerce, many consumers have made a shift from in-store to online shopping, and some are at risk for developing online compulsive buying-shopping disorder (CBSD), which can be understood as the virtual equivalent of in-store CBSD or as a disorder due to addictive behaviors under the umbrella of problematic internet usage. Empirical data specifically concerning online CBSD are sparse. There exists some evidence for specific predisposing factors for online CBSD and certain motives to use shopping websites as a first-choice internet application. Experimental studies using subjective ratings and computerized behavioral tasks provide preliminary support for cue reactivity and craving responses and their interference with cognitive processes. Future research on online CBSD should focus on the underlying affective and cognitive mechanisms, and address the assessment, epidemiology, associations with other forms of problematic internet use, public health concerns and tailored treatment concepts.