As we’ve blogged about before (see, for example, https://bermanevansretail.com/2012/07/05/more-retailers-engage-in-multiple-channels-as-a-response-to-showrooming), store-based retailers are working feverishly to combat showrooming, whereby shoppers visit stores to get more information and then purchase online.

Recently, as reported by eMarketer, InsightExpress “found that more than one-half of smartphone owners said they had used their device for ‘showrooming’ — looking at an item in a store before buying it online from a competitor at a lower price. The showrooming phenomenon exposes two potential vulnerabilities for  brick-and-mortar retailers. First, brick-and-mortar retailers likely have higher fixed costs than their Web-only rivals, making it hard to compete on price.  Second, they are dealing with consumers who are better informed, more demanding, and more aware of alternative sources of goods and services.”

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