According to a new study by the US Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) more than half of all adult shoppers under 55 conduct product research on mobile devices while shopping in physical stores.
The practice is called ‘showrooming’ and the IAB defines it as “comparing prices on a mobile device while in a retail store before purchasing.”
While it is a US study we should take notice of the trends, as local retailers have noticed it is also happening here more frequently in New Zealand:
The study surveyed a sample of over 23,000 18+ adults and had a margin of error of -1% with a confidence level of 99%.
Why should you care?
As we enter the holiday season, retail competition is high and consumers are likely to be wary of how much they are spending — this will lead to more showrooming. Retailers need to ensure they have appropriate budgets for mobile campaigns, have mobile-friendly websites and have trained in-store sales staff on how best to deal with showrooming customers.
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Glenn is a Partner and Senior Consultant who has had a very successful career building growth companies in the private equity arena. He has a wealth of experience in both the digital space and strategy development. Prior to becoming a partner in SureFire Glenn built one of the largest digital teams in New Zealand for a NASDAQ listed global online marketing company & Google's largest premium partner.