As reported by RETAILWIRE April 18, 2014
It was in 2012 when showrooming – using a mobile device to do
comparison shopping while in-store – became all the rage. It seemed that
no price-sensitive retailer was immune to losing sales to Amazon and
other online discounters in this way, but Best Buy in particular was
called out by the media as an easy target.
The consumer electronics chain seemed to be on the defensive when, in
August of that year, the newly appointed CEO, Hubert Joly boldly
declared showrooming to be an asset rather than the enemy. Once
customers enter the store, “they are ours to lose,” he said.
Results of a just-released IBM study indicate that Best Buy and others
may in fact be learning to turn showrooming to their advantage. While
the number of showrooming shoppers rose in 2013 to 8 percent from 6
percent the prior year, the amount spent due to the practice dropped
drastically. In 2012, nearly half of online purchases were attributed to
the practice; that figure fell to 30 percent in 2013, according to IBM.
Best Buy is a formidable online retailer in its own right, but …..Read the complete article
