Shopping online has been an option for quite some time already. However, during the Covid years, it became the new norm in a lot of households. In addition to being easy, it was the safe thing to do. Some people decided to stick to the new habit even after the restrictions have been lifted.

A 2021 survey revealed that one in two people admit their spending habits have been permanently altered by the pandemic. According to the Census Bureau’s data, during its first year, there was a 43% increase in e-commerce sales.

Zippia revealed that last year, as much as 21% of global retail sales were made online. The statistics don’t seem to be surprising, considering the number of online retailers—according to 2022 data, there were 2.5 million of them in the US, 9.1 billion globally.

Shopping online is also convenient because you can choose from stores from all over the world without having to lift yourself up from the sofa. Even if you decide to buy local, there is no need to drive around different locations to collect the various items you need—nearly everything can be delivered to your doorstep. (Invesp pointed out that 80% of consumers are more willing to buy certain products if they come with free shipping.)

But it’s not all about convenience. Research shows that after Covid, people continued to buy online because they found it enjoyable. Shopping is believed to make people happy (there’s even a name for it you’ve most likely heard—retail therapy), and using the web allows them to do it wherever and whenever they want to.

Nowadays, e-commerce amounts to nearly 15% of total retail sales in the US. The percentage has remained unchanged ever since the surge between 2019 and 2020. As for predictions for the future, Statista suggests that by 2026, nearly a quarter of global sales will be online.

The most popular products people go online to shop for seem to be clothing; they spend roughly 1.5 trillion dollars on it worldwide. Second on the list is electronics with a little over one trillion dollars. It is followed closely by footwear ($381.9 billion), while pet care ($280 billion) and toys ($104 billion) line up behind it respectively.

But why do people feel the need to shop as much as they do in the first place? The psychologist and author Regan A. R. Gurung covered the desire to buy more in Psychology Today. First of all, it simply feels good. Buying things can trigger the release of dopamine, which is known to make us feel good. Then there’s conditioning, an unconscious process affected by the abundance of ads around us, as well as an actual need for certain things.

Dr. Regan A. R. Gurung also indicated novelty as one of the reasons we constantly buy things. “Just like children who plead for a new toy only to then, weeks (or days) later, leave it unattended as their attention is drawn to a newer toy, adult attention is likewise drawn to novelty,” he wrote. Lastly, he pointed out that owning certain items can make us feel special, which is why we feel the need to get them.