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Chapter
ChapterTitleTitleTitleNews
Chapter
Will showrooming spark The survey of 500 U.S. consumers
concluded that showrooming has
retail innovation? become an entrenched behavior;
55 percent of respondents admitted
having showroomed at least once;
only 8 percent stated they do not
ith the 2013 holiday season in the rearview mirror, it is now the engage in the activity.
task of economic analysts to crunch shopping data and pinpoint
potential new consumer trends. One such trend is showrooming Internet analytics firm comScore
W and the effect it had on brick-and-mortar retail sales over the Inc. revealed more conservative
holidays. showrooming metrics in its July
2013 survey, State of the U.S. Online
Showrooming is a growing phenomenon that involves consumers who peruse Retail Economy in Q3 2013. The
physical stores and simultaneously use smartphones to browse virtual stores for report said only 34 percent of U.S.
the same merchandise, only at cheaper prices. When consumers use shopping consumers are showroomers, and
excursions as a way to purchase better deals online, it is seen as a threat to the of that percentage, the majority
already slim margins of brick-and-mortar retailers. showroom only occasionally.
Djamel Agaoua, Chairman of mobile advertising firm MobPartner, said that However, the survey also found that
mobile devices "will radically change both online and physical retail over the showrooming via smartphones had
next few years." "increased significantly" during the
second quarter of 2013, up from 41
The latest data percent to 49 percent.
According to mid-December 2013 research from Paris-based MobPartner, 75 A proactive approach
percent of U.S. consumers were intent on using mobile devices to plan holiday
shopping, with showrooming being among the primary activities. The behavior Perhaps the most surprising finding
is apparently more popular with men than women, 61 percent to 51 percent from the comScore research was
respectively, according to the study. that 44 percent of showroomers
never planned to buy from the
physical stores where they engaged
in showrooming.
It is that sort of alarming statistic
that spurred big-box discount
retailer Target Brands Inc. to issue
a letter to its merchandise suppliers
in January 2012 suggesting they
create special products that would
compare favorably to competitors'
online products, both in quality
and pricing. Target also floated the
idea of a subscription service that
would motivate consumers to shop
at Target for regularly purchased
goods.
More recently, electronics retailer
Best Buy Co. Inc. launched an
advertising campaign in October
2013 that touted Best Buy as "Your
Ultimate Holiday Showroom." Best
Buy enlisted celebrities, including
Will Arnett and LL Cool J, to
highlight the Best Buy experience,
both online and in-store, with its
"low price guarantee" and in-store
pick-up of products ordered online.
According to a Dec. 26, 2013, Ad Age
article, Boston-based social media
analytics firm Crimson Hexagon
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12
12
ChapterTitleTitleTitleNews
Chapter
Will showrooming spark The survey of 500 U.S. consumers
concluded that showrooming has
retail innovation? become an entrenched behavior;
55 percent of respondents admitted
having showroomed at least once;
only 8 percent stated they do not
ith the 2013 holiday season in the rearview mirror, it is now the engage in the activity.
task of economic analysts to crunch shopping data and pinpoint
potential new consumer trends. One such trend is showrooming Internet analytics firm comScore
W and the effect it had on brick-and-mortar retail sales over the Inc. revealed more conservative
holidays. showrooming metrics in its July
2013 survey, State of the U.S. Online
Showrooming is a growing phenomenon that involves consumers who peruse Retail Economy in Q3 2013. The
physical stores and simultaneously use smartphones to browse virtual stores for report said only 34 percent of U.S.
the same merchandise, only at cheaper prices. When consumers use shopping consumers are showroomers, and
excursions as a way to purchase better deals online, it is seen as a threat to the of that percentage, the majority
already slim margins of brick-and-mortar retailers. showroom only occasionally.
Djamel Agaoua, Chairman of mobile advertising firm MobPartner, said that However, the survey also found that
mobile devices "will radically change both online and physical retail over the showrooming via smartphones had
next few years." "increased significantly" during the
second quarter of 2013, up from 41
The latest data percent to 49 percent.
According to mid-December 2013 research from Paris-based MobPartner, 75 A proactive approach
percent of U.S. consumers were intent on using mobile devices to plan holiday
shopping, with showrooming being among the primary activities. The behavior Perhaps the most surprising finding
is apparently more popular with men than women, 61 percent to 51 percent from the comScore research was
respectively, according to the study. that 44 percent of showroomers
never planned to buy from the
physical stores where they engaged
in showrooming.
It is that sort of alarming statistic
that spurred big-box discount
retailer Target Brands Inc. to issue
a letter to its merchandise suppliers
in January 2012 suggesting they
create special products that would
compare favorably to competitors'
online products, both in quality
and pricing. Target also floated the
idea of a subscription service that
would motivate consumers to shop
at Target for regularly purchased
goods.
More recently, electronics retailer
Best Buy Co. Inc. launched an
advertising campaign in October
2013 that touted Best Buy as "Your
Ultimate Holiday Showroom." Best
Buy enlisted celebrities, including
Will Arnett and LL Cool J, to
highlight the Best Buy experience,
both online and in-store, with its
"low price guarantee" and in-store
pick-up of products ordered online.
According to a Dec. 26, 2013, Ad Age
article, Boston-based social media
analytics firm Crimson Hexagon
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