Between 11:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., millions of users scroll feeds, posts, and personalized ads on social media. It is during these hours that ghost shopping is born, an increasingly widespread behavior that leads to impulsive and unplanned expenses, often made without full awareness.
The line between entertainment and purchase has become thin: a video, a review, or a time‑limited promotion makes the “Buy Now” button a spontaneous gesture.
Why it happens mainly on social media and at night
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Late scrolling and psychological vulnerability
Evening hours, when we are more tired, less focused and perhaps alone, favor impulsive decisions. An article in Stylist magazine notes that online shopping at night is on the rise, precisely because the scrolling cycle leads to insomnia and therefore to greater vulnerability, in search of immediate gratification. stylist.co.uk
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Social media as stores open 24 hours a day.
Platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook integrate direct shopping functions. Evening scrolling easily turns into a full cart: a mechanism highlighted by a study published on PubMed Central, which shows how continuous interaction with social media increases the propensity for impulse purchases, generating a greater volume of purchases given the constant availability to buy.
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Targeted advertising and extreme personalization.
According to research from the Finnish University of Jyväskylä (News-Medical.net, 2024), users with lower self‑control are more exposed to targeted ads that appear during moments of distraction or fatigue, precisely because ads are increasingly personalized and adapted to our personal algorithms, making them more similar to the advice of a friend than to a real marketing action
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The growth of social shopping.
A 2024 report by Horizon Media, a global leader in data‑driven media and marketing, indicates that one in four users purchases directly from social media, often without leaving the platform (PR Newswire). In other words, social networks are replacing traditional digital shops: a convenient phenomenon, but risky for savings.
The economic risks of nighttime shopping
Ghost shopping may seem harmless, but over time it undermines personal financial stability:
• Invisible expenses: small purchases that go unnoticed but accumulate.
• Post‑purchase regret: the morning after, with a clear mind, it is very likely that buyer’s remorse from impulsive purchase occurs.
• Decline in financial awareness: the cycle scroll → impulse → purchase weakens the ability to plan and prioritize economic goals.
How to defend against ghost shopping
Countering nighttime social purchases does not require drastic renunciations, but awareness and daily strategies. Here are five simple but effective actions:
- Set a digital curfew. Disable social and shopping app notifications after a certain hour, to reduce visual stimuli and temptations during the evening.
- Postpone the purchase by 24 hours. When you like something, add it to favorites and wait a day before buying it: in most cases the impulse fades.
- Limit the digital budget. Set a spending cap or use prepaid cards with limited amounts dedicated only to online purchases.
- Make your goals visible. Remember why you save: linking expenses to concrete goals, such as a trip or a personal project, helps prioritize value over impulse.
- Learn about digital marketing mechanisms. Knowing how algorithms, flash offers, and personalized advertising work reduces the power of persuasion.
Nighttime social shopping is an increasingly widespread behavior, but not inevitable.
Knowing the psychological and digital mechanisms that fuel it helps turn the smartphone from a tool of impulsive spending into a resource for conscious planning.
In 2025, saving also means knowing how to scroll consciously and inhabiting the digital world with the tools needed to understand it.
Improve your financial skills by consulting the Museum of Saving’s site (www.museodelrisparmio.it) and participating in its financial education activities, often available also online.
November 5, 2025