Research supports the argument that the way we pay for a product changes the way we perceive it. More specifically, credit cards prime people to focus less on the costs of the item and more on the benefits. Using plastic decouples the expense of the purchase so we tend to buy more when we can charge it.89 Newer innovations like digital wallets take this a step further so payment—at least at the time of purchase—is even less painful. Are these formats going to create problems if they prime us to think more about short-term gratification and less about the long-term hit to our budgets? Do marketers have an obligation to try to prevent these problems?

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