Showrooming is a significant issue for brick-and-mortar retailers. A recent study found that 52 percent of consumers use their smartphone to research products while shopping in-store.
Retailers have to figure out how to add value to consumers’ use of mobile phones. An article on MediaPost’s website tackled the issue, finding that the consumer process used to be a linear path: awareness, consideration, intent and buy. That’s no longer the case. It’s now a comprehensive, multichannel journey: consumers draw from various elements — media, people and devices — to decide what and where to buy.
With the right tools, however, retailers can turn “showrooming” into a “show business,” converting the “showroomers” into shoppers.
MediaPost offers some tips on how brick-and-mortar stores can be the final destination in a shopper’s multichannel journey:
- Create a digital environment within the store by integrating social media, such as Foursquare and QR codes, to help connect with consumers.
- Build brand presence in the way that people shop, such having a mobile app with virtual check-in, in-store checkout and the ability to order products not in the physical store’s inventory.
Retailers may also want to consider offering incentives like coupons on their shoppers’ mobile phones. Sending a coupon to a consumer can get them into your store and while they’re there, they may make impulse purchases, increasing their total spend on each visit.
Source: MediaPost, May 2012
