E-commerce? No E-sitters: Online Shopping—A Curse or a Grace?

The rapid growth of e-commerce has transformed consumer behavior, offering convenience while simultaneously influencing lifestyle and psychological well-being. This study examines the integrated impact of online shopping on physical, mental, social, and financial aspects of individuals, with a specific focus on behavioral changes associated with frequent e-commerce usage. Data were collected from 124 respondents through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Descriptive statistics revealed that a majority of respondents belonged to the 18-25 age group (70.2%), indicating that young adults are the most active participants in online shopping. The analysis highlighted moderate agreement that e-commerce contributes to impulse buying (M=2.27) and increased screen time (M=1.99), and affects financial management (M=1.98), while having a lesser overall impact on stress coping behavior (M=1.59). The reliability of the questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.819) confirms strong internal consistency, and factor analysis identified four principal dimensions - physical, mental-emotional, social-financial, and coping-awareness - explaining 55.81% of total variance. Furthermore, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) results indicated that online addiction and impulsive buying tendencies were more strongly associated with reduced physical activity and irregular sleep patterns than demographic variables such as gender or age. The findings suggest that while e-commerce provides efficiency and emotional gratification, it also promotes behavioral dependency and altered consumption patterns. The study underscores the need for awareness programs and self-regulation mechanisms to balance convenience with long-term well-being.