Kenneth Glad
Modern shoppers are constantly looking for quick ways to get a fast digital thrill. Millions now spend hours scrolling, tapping buttons, and filling online shopping carts without any intention of buying a single thing. A strange new internet habit takes that desire to a whole new level.
People are downloading mobile apps designed to process entirely fake orders for food and luxury goods. Platforms like FoodNeverComes pretend to dispatch takeout meals, pretending to satisfy nearly a million cravings so far without sending a single bite.
Other services like Dopamine Shop feature fake storefronts packed with absurd choices, ranging from a pet rock priced at 99 cents to the moon listed for 99 million dollars. Users never enter payment details, and no physical packages ever show up at the front door.
Selecting items and placing orders releases dopamine, the brain chemical responsible for motivation and anticipating rewards. The trend centers around three key psychological steps: anticipation, selection, and a sense of confirmation.
The peak thrill hits right before delivery, which means these platforms offer all the excitement of shopping without taking any money whatsoever from your bank account. Similar habits already exist on Pinterest, where people for long have been planning dream homes they will never build, or on travel planning sites where users map out fantasy vacations.
The trend originated in South Korea, according to The Conversation, but US-based developer Fenwick Holdings LLC now owns Dopamine Shop, signalling that the phenomenon is spreading globally. Digital cigarette simulators like No Smoke Zone, also known as Virtual Smoke, describe themselves as a way to enjoy the “relaxation of smoking – without nicotine or harmful effects.”
Hidden tracking risks
Harmless fun often carries unexpected consequences for digital privacy and tracking. Many of these free platforms rely on Google AdSense cookies to record online browsing habits and build detailed consumer profiles.
Selecting a fake coat or taco today could easily mean seeing real-world advertisements for those exact items tomorrow, as third-party advertisers use your browsing history to target you.
Simulated habits might also act as gateway behavior that leads to real financial spending, especially since these platforms feature gamification elements drawn from video games.
Previous research on social casino games revealed that playing simulated games encouraged users to try actual gambling. One 2014 study following 409 social casino players showed that 26 percent eventually moved to real online gambling within six months. Another 2016 study of 521 users found that 19 percent directly attributed their real-money gambling to social casino apps.
A 2018 study involving 1,178 German teenagers aged 11 to 19 similarly found that free simulated gambling predicted real-money gambling a year later. Whether fake food deliveries lead to real spending habits remains unknown due to a lack of direct research, but the psychological pattern looks remarkably familiar.
