Besides the challenges of showrooming (consumers’ use information gathered at a store and then buying online at the best price), retailers must also now deal with the need for convergence: enabling shoppers to seamlessly begin and complete the purchase process. This is quite a complex undertaking — for bothe traditional retailers AND their online counterparts..

Consider these observations by Claire Cain Miller and Stephanie Clifford, reporting for the New York Times: “While visits to E-commerce sites and apps on tablets and phones have nearly doubled since last year, consumers are more frequently using multiple devices to shop. In many cases, they are more comfortable making the final purchase on a computer, with its bigger screen and keyboard. So retailers are trying to figure out how to appeal to a shopper who may use a cellphone to research products, a tablet to browse the options, and a computer to buy.”

As shown below: “At eBay, if shoppers log in on one device, data like credit card details and saved items will be available on all their devices.” Click the image to read the full NY Times story.

Source of montage: New York Times Company