E-commerce and the mobile internet allow for shopping at any time and in any place with ever-expanding options and customizations. Marketing and consumer incentives are expanding to digital spaces as personalized advertising and tracking of digital consumer behavior become available. This is changing our consumption behavior and possibly underlying attitudes, motivations and needs.

A variety of options and efficient consumption possibilities make shopping more convenient and timesaving. Online shopping allows you to do your shopping quickly and comfortably from home, with your purchases delivered conveniently to your front door. On the one hand, this can facilitate access to sustainable products. On the other hand, increased consumption levels can lead to greater environmental pollution. Personalized online advertising can provide additional purchase incentives. At the same time, digital spaces offer various opportunities to acquire knowledge and information on the topic of sustainability and to establish networks. Thus, they have the potential to reduce consumption to a sufficient level, as sustainable consumption behavior becomes more accessible and easier to implement. The dissertation in environmental psychology examines psychological factors that play into rebound effects and sufficiency in consumer behavior. The project investigates how digitalization changes consumer behavior – and, in connection with this, how to design it to strengthen sustainable consumer behavior. It does so in survey and experiments, as well as in joint projects with the department “sufficiency marketing”.