Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

We learned over the weekend how prominent mobile devices were in the Black Friday shopping melee. And while a growing number of purchases are happening on mobile devices, smartphones are primarily being used by consumers to find store locations, check hours information and do price comparisons while in stores.

In a new mobile shopping study, using Prosper Insight survey data, the IAB examined the attitudes and self-reported behaviors of different age groups. It found shopping activity that was broadly consistent but varied somewhat by age category, with 18–34-year- olds emerging as the most aggressive group when it comes to mobile “showrooming.”

The IAB defines “showrooming” very expansively to refer to in-store mobile price comparison activity and not necessarily in-store shopping with a premeditated intent to buy online (e.g., via Amazon). Using this definition, the IAB analysis found that the majority of those doing in-store mobile price comparisons were still inclined to buy in physical retail stores....

Smartphone savings programs, in-store Wi-Fi, and better customer service are some of the ways offline retailers are leveraging their advantages.

E-commerce businesses have upended the retail industry and put bricks-and-mortar companies on the defensive.

But now, many offline retailers are moving to capitalize on their offline advantages. Retailers are actively harnessing a trend that's actually far more popular than online buying, and always has been — 'reverse showrooming' — when people research products online and then ultimately buy in-store....

A new report from Verdict, reported here, labels 'showrooming' as a myth, basing this on the finding that only 2% of respondents had bought an item online while at a retailer's store. I'm not convinced, having seen plenty of evidence of the growing use of mobiles when shopping offline, whether to purchase there and then or to check prices from rival retailers. So is it a myth? Let's have a look at the evidence...