App “Wallet, Please Wait” for getting purchase approval gains popularity
Attracted over 10,000 users within nine hours of launch
An app in China that asks strangers whether it is okay to buy something has become a hot topic. To curb impulse buying, users ask not only family and friends but also complete strangers for permission to make a purchase.
Post the item and price, and strangers vote
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) in Hong Kong, the mobile app “Wallet, Please Wait” is gaining popularity in China ahead of Singles’ Day, the country’s biggest shopping festival, on November 11.
The service is modeled on corporate spending approval procedures. Users can enter the item they want to buy, its price, why they want it, and cheaper alternatives, then ask family members or friends to review the purchase. They can also post their requests on a public bulletin board open to anyone. After a set number of users vote for or against the purchase, it is decided whether to approve it. Voters must also explain the reasons for their decision.
Stories from actual users have also drawn attention. One user asked whether it was okay to spend 60 yuan (about 12,000 won) on a barbecue dinner while unemployed. Strangers approved the purchase. One voter left a comment to the effect that “when life is hard, don’t be too strict with yourself.”
A request from a user who wanted to buy a carbon monoxide alarm for an elderly relative for 40 yuan (about 8,000 won) was also approved within minutes. Voters said it was an inexpensive but essential item.
Developed in eight days with AI assistance: “I often regretted impulse purchases”
The program attracted more than 10,000 users within nine hours of its launch. The number of participants later exceeded 300,000, and purchase requests reached about 370,000. The app was reportedly developed in just eight days with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) by Huo Shan (a pseudonym), a product manager in Shanghai. Huo said the service was created because Huo often bought things on impulse that were not needed and then regretted it.
Users say they feel more comfortable asking strangers whether to make a purchase than asking family or friends. They say people close to them may hesitate to criticize them, while strangers can offer relatively candid opinions. One user in Shenzhen said, “The process of writing a purchase request itself helps calm the impulse.”
Cutting unnecessary spending and pursuing more deliberate purchases
Some analysts say this trend is also linked to new ways of saving among young people in China. Li Chunling, a sociologist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, described it as a “new frugality” among China’s Generation Z. The tendency is to cut unnecessary spending while planning how to spend money on things that matter to them.
However, some have raised concerns that relying too heavily on other people’s judgments could weaken people’s confidence in deciding for themselves whether to make a purchase. Critics say a service launched to help control spending could instead lead people to outsource their judgment to others.
Hot Picks Today
Meanwhile, China’s Singles’ Day is a major shopping event launched in 2009 by e-commerce company Taobao. Online transaction value last year reportedly reached 1.6 trillion yuan (about 322.22 trillion won). This year’s event runs from October 15 to November 13.
This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.
© The Asia Business Daily. All rights reserved. Unauthorized AI training and use prohibited.
