The average American loses this much to impulse purchases annually. E-commerce platforms use psychological tactics to exploit our cognitive biases. Second Thought helps you fight back.
What Second Thought Does
An AI-powered browser extension that intervenes at the critical moment of impulse purchases
Real-Time Intervention
Intercepts checkout attempts on major e-commerce sites and provides instant analysis before you buy.
AI-Powered Analysis
Uses Cerebras AI to analyze purchase necessity based on your financial profile and goals.
Opportunity Cost Calculator
Shows what your money could grow to if invested: 5, 10, and 20-year projections at 7% return.
Predatory Pricing Detection
Identifies fake discounts, urgency manipulation, and psychological tactics used by retailers.
24-Hour Cool-Down
Enforces a waiting period for non-essential purchases with reminder notifications.
Personalized Guidance
Tailored insights based on your financial goals, income, and savings targets.
How to Install
Download the Extension
Click the "Download Extension" button above or clone from GitHub:
git clone https://github.com/AqilaRifti/second-thought.git
Open Chrome Extensions
Navigate to chrome://extensions/ in your Chrome browser
Enable Developer Mode
Toggle "Developer mode" in the top right corner
Load the Extension
Click "Load unpacked" and select the extension/ folder from the downloaded files
Start Shopping Smarter
Visit any e-commerce site (Amazon, eBay, Walmart, etc.) and browse products. Second Thought will intervene when you try to checkout!
See It In Action
📱 Scenario 1: Impulse Electronics Purchase
You: Browse Amazon for a $300 smartwatch
Second Thought: Intervenes with:
- AI analysis: "This seems like a want, not a need"
- Opportunity cost: $1,161 in 20 years if invested
- Predatory tactic detected: "Fake urgency (Only 3 left!)"
- 24-hour cool-down activated
Result: You reflect, realize you don't need it. $300 saved → $1,161 in future wealth! 💰
👟 Scenario 2: Legitimate Purchase
You: Need to buy work shoes ($80)
Second Thought: Recognizes necessity based on your profile, shows opportunity cost but doesn't block, suggests checking for better deals
Result: You proceed with an informed decision ✓
🚨 Scenario 3: Predatory Pricing Detection
You: Find "70% off" deal on clothing
Second Thought: Reveals:
- Original price was inflated (fake discount)
- Urgency timer is manipulative
- Actual value is questionable
Result: You avoid the scam and save money! 🛡️
Measurable Impact
(preventing just 10% of impulse purchases)
(at 7% annual return)
(compound growth over time)
Built With
How It Works
1. Detection
Content script monitors e-commerce sites and extracts product details (name, price, description, urgency indicators)
2. Analysis
Sends product info to our API powered by Cerebras AI for instant analysis based on your financial profile
3. Intervention
Displays a beautiful, non-intrusive panel with AI insights, opportunity cost, and predatory pricing warnings
4. Protection
Activates 24-hour cool-down for non-essential purchases with reminder notifications
5. Learning
Tracks your decisions and refines recommendations using Opik observability and LLM-as-judge evaluations
6. Growth
Helps you build long-term wealth through better spending decisions, one purchase at a time
For Developers
The extension connects to our API for AI-powered analysis
API Endpoint: https://second-thought-azure.vercel.app
GitHub: github.com/AqilaRifti/second-thought
Test Coverage: 85 tests passing with property-based testing
Built for Hackathon
Competing in two categories:
Best Use of Opik
Comprehensive observability with full request tracing, LLM-as-judge evaluations, and experiment tracking
Financial Health
Empowering better financial decisions through opportunity cost visualization and consumer protection