1/4 of British consumers confess to “Showrooming”

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8 Jan 2013

Research by Foolproof has revealed that the practice of “showrooming” could be an additional woe that High Street retailers have to cope with after a stellar Christmas for online.

“Showrooming” is where a shopper visits a Bricks and Mortar store to examine a product before comparing prices on a mobile, often in the shop itself, before making the purchase

In a survey, Foolproof discovered that 24% of all UK shoppers ‘showroomed’ in the lead-up to Xmas 2012.

They also discovered that:

40% of showroomers (or 1 in 10 of all shoppers) say they bought items from a competitor – either in-store or online – after comparing prices via their mobile when visiting a store.

39% of 18-39 year olds surveyed said that they actively engaged in showrooming over the Xmas period (compared to just 18% of shoppers over the age of 40).

A 10% sales ‘leakage’ from showrooming activities would have meant that around £500m of sales were switched between retailers in the final weekend before Xmas alone.

Over 20% of people say they went into a store just to check out something they planned to buy online.