The retail industry is constantly evolving and new buzzwords emerge every year. Two such terms that have gained popularity recently are "Showrooming" and "Webrooming." Showrooming refers to the trend of customers visiting physical stores to examine products but purchasing them online. At the same time, webrooming involves researching products online before making a final evaluation and purchasing in-store.
The shift in consumer shopping habits, fueled by the widespread use of technology, has led to customers comparing prices and reading online reviews while shopping. Keeping up with these changing customer expectations can be challenging for small business owners, especially with limited budgets.
This article will dive into showrooming and webrooming and these new customer behaviors. Showrooming describes the phenomenon of consumers visiting brick-and-mortar stores to inspect products but ultimately purchasing them online. This has turned local stores into showrooms for online shoppers. Webrooming, on the other hand, grew in popularity as consumers turned to the internet for product research and picked up in-store to avoid shipping costs and times.
According to a Retail Dive study, 75% of consumers are researching a product online and buy it in-store. Retailers can capitalize on the rise of webrooming by offering better in-store and hybrid customer experiences, knowledgeable sales staff, and click-and-collect options.
Showrooming and webrooming have evolved from the increasing accessibility of technology, and both have benefits for retailers. Showrooming reduces the need for storage space, lowering rent and other overhead costs, while webrooming removes the frustration of long shipping times and extra shipping costs. Retailers can turn these pain points into opportunities for their stores and boost their business in the process.