Algorithms control the shopping cart – this is how online platforms transform shopping decisions

Online shopping is no longer a mere transaction, but an impulse system

Online shopping is now much more of an experience than a need-based decision. The consumer journey is lined with targeted advertising, personalized newsletters, push notifications and social media recommendations. All of this is imperceptibly shaping the content of our basket – and with it our consumer identity.

Chinese giants, global impact: Temu and Shein

The video indirectly but clearly shows: platforms such as Temu or Shein have radically transformed Hungarian online shopping habits. Low prices, fast delivery and free returns seemingly remove all obstacles from the path of shopping – while leaving behind unsustainable overconsumption, dubious products and serious environmental burdens.

The cruel reality of fast fashion

While more and more people are buying new clothes on a weekly basis, according to our data, we wear a fast fashion item only seven times on average – before it ends up in the trash. The return spiral doesn’t help either: every fourth customer returns at least one piece of clothing, and every sixth returns shoes – this means hundreds of billions of dollars in losses globally every year and a huge ecological footprint.

Do we really decide – or does the algorithm?

According to NAPICSÁRT data, the most popular online products are travel, household goods and event tickets, but clothing products continue to dominate – especially among women. The problem is that these purchases are often based not on real needs, but on impulses generated by algorithms.