3 Reasons Why Webrooming Can Be Brick and Mortar’s Answer to Showrooming

With the emergence of e-commerce as a formidable channel of retail cannibalizing store sales, showrooming rose from being an “industry buzzword” to something that every brick and mortar retailer had to carefully observe. But is it really as bleak as it sounds for brick and mortar retail? – Let us scratch beneath the surface and look beyond buzzwords that seem to dominate conference conversations and examine the reality.

For most product categories, experiencing a product in-store has its own benefits. While the experience piece is true of apparel retail categories, the confidence of buying the right products is important in a grocery retail scenario. According to various Forrester Forecasts, direct online sales will account for 10%-11% of the total sales in retail. And this number goes up to 15% if we exclude grocery. Which clearly shows that certain categories (books, electronics) are the ones riding the “online retail wave”. For pretty much everyone else, brick and mortar is the preferred channel of choice. While categories like books and electronics might find it easier to penetrate the customers’ share of wallet, apparel and grocery might be the ones that brick and mortar hold on to strongly.

Multiple areas are experiencing substantial interest in in-store technologies. From shopper tracking to geo-location, wifi-enabled environments, digital trial rooms and digital signage – this is where the action is. Solutions like in-store tablets and clienteling, which offer a single view of the customer at the hands of the store associate, are leading to very personalized retail experiences in-store. And let us remember, this engagement is by a real human being who communicates with the consumer one-on-one, and can use technology to appear to know what the consumer wants, without actually knowing the consumer personally!

Retailers are beginning to realize the importance of not letting organizational silos disrupt the customer experience. It is thus, no more about “departments”, a la e-commerce, marketing and store operations. Rather it is about capturing customer-centric data from all channels – transactional (e-commerce, in-store) and non-transactional (web, social media and location data) and converting them into insights that are “usable” at the right time, at the moment of truth. By knowing what products customers searched for online, added to their wish lists, and which brands they recommended/shared with their friends, retailers can ensure store associates bring those up in conversation and help “fulfill a customer need” rather than “sell products to meet incentives.”

Each of these 3 reasons point in one direction: customers might (probably will) use the internet for research on a lot of products, but they still will choose to finally buy in-store. And even if they don’t, there is enough data and intelligence out there that can be leveraged to drive that purchase.

Whether ‘Webrooming’ becomes as dominant as ‘Showrooming’ remains to be seen. Regardless though, with increasing amounts of technology and intelligence at the hands of the brick and mortar stores, the evolution of retail sales and retail customer engagement is going to be immersed in activity! Stay Tuned!

Webrooming is the practice of researching products online before purchasing them in-store. It benefits brick-and-mortar stores by driving foot traffic and allowing customers to experience products firsthand.

 

2.How can retailers leverage webrooming to increase in-store sales? 

Retailers can leverage webrooming by providing accurate online product information, offering in-store pickup options, and creating seamless online-to-offline shopping experiences.

 

3.What strategies can brick-and-mortar stores use to encourage webrooming? 

Strategies to encourage webrooming include offering exclusive in-store promotions, enhancing online product descriptions, and providing real-time inventory availability on their websites.

 

4.How does webrooming enhance the customer shopping experience?

 Webrooming enhances the customer shopping experience by allowing customers to research products online, compare prices, and then physically examine the product in-store before making a purchase.

 

5.What are the differences between webrooming and showrooming? 

Webrooming involves researching online and buying in-store, while showrooming involves browsing in-store and purchasing online. Webrooming drives foot traffic to physical stores, while showrooming often benefits online retailers.

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