Offeritis

Offeritis is a neologism used in marketing and consumer behavior to describe a perceived compulsive response to the abundance of promotional offers, coupons, and time-limited deals. It is not a medically recognized disorder but a term used to discuss patterns of overwhelm and fatigue in markets saturated with promotions.

Etymology and usage: the term combines offer, referring to promotions, with the suffix itis, commonly used to denote inflammation or a persistent condition. In discourse, offeritis is discussed as a phenomenon affecting both consumers and marketers.

Symptoms and presentation: reported symptoms include heightened alertness to deals, frequent checking of shopping apps, impulse purchases followed by regret, decision fatigue, and avoidance of promotional messages after repeated exposure. In marketing practice, offeritis may manifest as diminishing returns from discounts and increased noise in promotional channels.

Causes and mechanisms: contributors include aggressive targeting algorithms, competitive discounting, gamified savings mechanics, scarcity and urgency cues, and notification fatigue from platforms. Cognitive overload, reduced perceived value of individual offers, and decision paralysis are cited as underlying mechanisms.

Diagnosis and epidemiology: there are no formal diagnostic criteria. Researchers assess perceived offer overload through surveys and behavioral data, examining changes in purchase intentions, coupon usage, and engagement with promotional content. Evidence remains limited and context-dependent.

Management and mitigation: for consumers, strategies include curating feeds, setting notification preferences, and unsubscribing from excessive promotions. For marketers, recommendations emphasize relevance, quality over quantity, frequency control, and rigorous A/B testing. Platforms may implement rate limits to reduce spamming.

Prognosis: as promotional environments intensify, offeritis may persist unless exposure is effectively managed. Properly targeted, well-timed offers can restore engagement, while excessive promotion risks desensitization. See also marketing fatigue, information overload, and choice overload.