Meaning of showrooming

Showrooming increase in online stores. It consists of going to the physical store to see and try the product to later carry out the purchase through the website at a smaller price than in the physical business. Therefore, in general, this practice occurs when high price products or items come into play.

In Gowtech we know that this habit has a significant percentage of all online sales of the different ecommerce. This new custom has created a new consumer profile , called “ Showroomer ”, even some investigations indicate that some of these users make the purchase from the same mobile phone in the store where the product is watching. According to one study, one in five people carries out this trend.

This causes many stores to become “exposure rooms” of products, where the user can try it for later online purchase.

The profile that these types of consumers have are young, with a medium high purchasing power, user of technology and seeking information on internet products, especially in forums, blogs and social networks.

According to some studies, the "showroomers" buy mostly in multichannel shops, that is, brands that have physical and online store, in order to check the product quality in the establishment. In this case, if the company does not want that customer to acquire a product of the competition, it will help that user to make the purchase via online through QR codes where they can go directly to the web, in addition to being well adapted to the mobile or even an application where the search and purchase of the product is simple for the user.

To be able to capture this type of consumers we have two methods:

  • The beacons: they are devices that have a Bluetooth signal that has the ability to link to mobile phones to facilitate purchases.
  • CRM: With this method, what we do is to collect data on consumers' purchase habits. Through this method, the customer card is detected by the router. Which means that once it enters, an identification number is created that allows you to track the person who sails. In addition, the strong point is that on many occasions an email or access to social networks is requested. And this allows to know the user in depth.

Ideally, it is analyzed if this trend is working with your business, in order to create new strategies to capture customers.

On the other hand, showrooming is taking over the market of certain products , especially electronics, since the degree of competition is greater and also the possibility of comparison between products and the possibility of finding cheaper prices. This can be contrasted with the Amazon giant, which, although it sells all kinds of products, are precisely in the most standard products such as books, movies and electronics where most sales continue to make, benefiting from a wide offer at competitive prices.

In this way, it is important to detect which are the most susceptible articles to develop certain strategies:

  • Take the client out of your price scheme : in these cases where the main objective is the search for the best price, we must reduce that price sensitivity. For example, offering a complementary product at a special price or creating product packs.
  • The value of the purchase experience : a gratifying and valuable purchase experience will increase the value perceived by the customer. Contact with the dependent is the big difference with respect to the attention that can be received in online channels, since human interaction is a more reliable and easy purchase.
  • Maintain updated information : for many customers the information is more important than the price, so it has to be easy to find, to be accessible to all types of customers.
  • Add value to purchase : carrying out demonstrations or events in the physical establishment to get the attention of potential customers, since they are benefits that arouse the exclusivity of the client and their loyalty.
  • Product exclusivity highlights : you always have to have products that are difficult to find elsewhere.
  • Know the competition: studying the possibility of making counter offers for a limited time or number of customers.
  • Implement loyalty programs : allowing the personalization of offers and promotions.

All these strategies will help you deal with this phenomenon that arrives strong, so as not to lose sales and/or customers of your business.

Do you want to know more about new shopping trends? Do not stop reading the following post on Shoppable TV , Live Shopping and the Ropo effect .