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#The Increasing Importance of Showrooming and Webrooming

The Increasing Importance of Showrooming and Webrooming

The widespread pandemic has forever changed the way people used to shop and has given rise to opportunities that were unknown to the buyers and sellers in the retail industry. The retail world is seeing a massive transition of customers from in-store shopping to showrooming and webrooming. The two much-hyped words require deep understanding to ensure the success of a retail business in the post-pandemic era.

What are showrooming and webrooming?

Even though showrooming and webrooming are on the opposite sides of the customer behaviors spectrum, they’re the two activities that have advanced from the growing accessibility of technology. They’re cut out of the same cloth.

According to Investopedia, Showrooming is the practice of visiting a retail store to research merchandise before buying it online at a lower price. This customer habit is a result of heavy discounts accessible only through online purchases. Contrary to popular belief, showrooming has helped retailers adapt to customers’ changing needs, which has ultimately given rise to a new phenomenon called webrooming.

Webrooming implies customers browsing the merchandise online before purchasing it in a brick and mortar store. It allows customers to thoroughly research the product before buying them, breaking the barrier of the limited information available at the store. Moreover, it has eased the process of returns and refunds. As per a Harris survey, 69% of Americans webroom while 46% of them, showroom.

Some of the primary reasons that have popularised webrooming:

  • Retailers adopting multichannel strategies to stay relevant.
  • Focus on better customer experience at the store
  • In-store pickup options
  • In-store entertainment and events to improve brand loyalty
  • Proximity marketing offering mobile app discounts to customers buying in-store.

The pandemic has surely changed the way people think and customers who were previously fond of in-store shopping are now forced to stay at home due to the fear of getting infected. Additionally, shopping has become more social, involving all family members and significantly more frequent. Webrooming is possible by offering an actual retail store on the web. This should be possible by taking photos of the store or by utilizing graphic designing. This empowers the retailer to connect with a bigger customer base. Be that as it may, regardless of these technological headways, customers actually may like to try on products before they get it – this implies they may incline toward showrooming once in a while over webrooming as this permits them to check the items physically but also allows them to avail online discounts.

How can retailers benefit from showrooming and webrooming

1) Adopt multichannel approach

Offering a comprehensive customer experience across various channels is one critical approach to urge customers to draw in with your brand both on the web and offline. Despite the fact that customers like to research on the web, practically half like to buy in-store. Businesses can consider upskilling their workforce with an online Digital Marketing course to ensure proper use of the multichannel approach.

2) Offer great customer experience

Human connection is as yet an indispensable driver behind why customers like to buy items in-store versus on the web. Extraordinary assistance can go far to draw customers and keep them. Retailers can exploit this information by expanding the association between sales staff and customers, ensuring that the staffs are well trained on both, products and customer service best practices.

3) Come up with customer engagement practices

There is a huge opportunity in the form of in-store app discounts that could be taken advantage of. 

Retailers can come up with ideas to ensure customer engagement like asking them to like the Facebook page or take photos with the apparel, and use your hashtag on Instagram. Likewise, urge customers to review both their shopping experience and your items. 

4) Convert Your Store Into a Showroom 

More brands are accepting the showrooming pattern in a real sense – they’re opening item display areas as opposed to conventional stores. 

Retailers are opening display areas to permit customers to touch and feel their items then delivering their purchases right to their doorstep. No more hauling around weighty shopping sacks.

5) Keep customers engaged even if they are not in the store

Your relationship with your customers doesn’t have to end once they leave your shop. Rather than sitting ideal, keep them connected through a couple of various strategies, including: 

  • Set up a loyalty program to compensate customers who make numerous buys with promotions, limits, and gifts 
  • Construct a post-buy correspondence intend to utilize messages, standard mail, online media, or different intends to keep in contact with customers so you stay top of the brain 
  • Use email advertising to get more customers into your store

One can go through the Digital Marketing tutorial to understand the different channels marketers can make use of while ensuring a multichannel approach and providing exceptional customer service.

Conclusion

For retailers to adjust to a changing consumer dynamic where cell phones are driving footfalls and sales, assembling strategies that take into account both ‘roomers’ behavior, capitalizes on technology to not only drive information and footfalls but one that also provides instant access and value-added services as a differentiator is a key to sales success.

by Neelabh Verma

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