Do budgeting apps always improve consumers' financial decisions? Contrary to common beliefs, the use of budget apps can increase spending, especially at the end of the budget period. The authors of this article propose five interventions to mitigate the acceleration of spending and help FinTech apps better serve consumers' financial needs.
In many countries, most transactions are still made in cash. Yet, keeping cash in your wallet can be quite cumbersome. Notes are light and easy to carry, whereas coins are heavy and bulky. Does the inconvenience of carrying coins have an effect on how easily we spend them?
Consumers regularly track their expenses and assign them to categories like food, entertainment, and clothing, which is popularly known as mental accounting. Our research shows that consumption biases that result from mental accounting are not prevalent in Easterners due to their holistic thinking style, whereas Westerners exhibit such biases due to their analytic thinking style.
What goes through your head when choosing between different payment options?
