Showrooming is the New Normal -- So Use It to Your Advantage -- Say Media

quotYou gotta tame the beast before you let it out of its cagequot amp8211 Derek Zoolanderamp8220We love showroomingwhen Target gets to book the saleamp8221 says Casey Carl president of multichannel at retail giant Target amp8220For retailers to survive and thrive in the future weamp8217ve got to up our game play to our strengths and seize the upper hand by enhancing both our physical stores and digital channelsamp8221 Targetamp8217s not alone in this relatively new attitude about the phenomenon known as showrooming Shoppers are busy looking for the best deal and more and more are using their smartphones and tablets for showrooming Theyamp8217re checking prices and product information while shopping in stores and this has significant implications for retailers Their biggest fear is this Shoppers will comparison shop amp8220in the storeamp8221 and then order online for a better priceIn fact it may turn out that showrooming is not as bad as some retailers thought it would be Deloitte39s 2013 Annual Holiday Survey found that 44 percent of consumers use their smart phones for reading reviews 36 percent use them for receiving discounts and coupons and 32 percent use them for scanning product barcodesTargetamp8217s on to something This holiday season it looks as if BestBuy is taking a similar route in an attempt to work showrooming to their advantage The company recently launched a new holiday TV ad campaign featuring four celebrity storytellers amp8211 Will Arnett LL Cool J Maya Rudolph and Jason Schwartzman reading tales of potential holiday shopping nightmares prevented by the magic of Best BuyThis is in sharp contrast to some of the early reaction to showrooming Many retailers were caught off guard a few years back when the consumer practice gained in popularity Perhaps the most amp8220famousamp8221 example of the panic setting in for some retailers came from this example A specialty food retailer based in Brisbane Australia posted a sign in the window warning shoppers that the store would impose a 5 fee for people who are quotjust lookingquotObviously threatening your customers is not the path to success Instead smart retailers understand that although consumer behavior constantly changes certain solid marketing principles still apply Concepts like loyalty adding value and creating a great customer experience will win the day In other words it takes work to earn and keep your customeramp8217s business amp8211 but in the long run itamp8217s well worth itWhatamp8217s more it may turn out that retailers donamp8217t have to resort to automatic pricematching to combat the negative effects of showrooming A recent study from Columbia University and loyalty management company Aimia Inc supports this Shoppers show a strong willingness to join loyalty programs in exchange for rewards delivered via mobile The study goes so far as to identify five types of mobileassisted shoppers and offers insights to retailers on how best to market to each shopper type Thereamp8217s good news for brands that invest on this front More than half of mobile shoppers are more likely to purchase a product instore when their mobile device helps them find online reviews information or trusted adviceThe omnichannel or multichannel consumer is here to stay and retailers have a choice amp8211 either threaten customers so they never return to your store again or embrace the mobileassisted shopper and get creative Toys R Us plans to embrace the mobile shopper this holiday season with what they believe is a winning formula strong instore experience and a successful Internet business In fact the company says there are amp822081 different ways we can get product to the customeramp8221 Good thing because when it comes to toys no parent wants to see OUT OF STOCK on their computer screen amp8211 especially during the holiday seasonSavvy retailers are busy enhancing the instore experience offering free WiFi to make the information shoppers are seeking available and creating instore exclusives Theyamp8217re finding that shoppers linger longer and the data collected is helping with future targeting and special offers via mobile coupons amp8211 and they39ve joined the chorus of amp8220We Love Showroomingamp8221Beverly Macy is author educator and thought leader in social and digital business and a frequent contributor to Say Daily She is also the author of The Power of RealTime Social Media Marketing and the host of Social Media Radio Say Media is a digital publishing company that creates amazing media brands Through its technology platform and media services Say enables its portfolio of independent content creators to build passionate communities around key consumer interest areas such as Style Living Food and Tech For more information visit wwwsaymediacomRead all Say Media39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Say DailyCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates at MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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