Survey: 6 in 10 shoppers ‘showroom’ in store

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Fifty-seven percent of consumers use their smartphones to assist shopping activities in store. According to new data from CFI Group's report "Holiday Shopping 2014: Shutting Down the Showroom Effect," which surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers and is sponsored by EBay Enterprise, 60% of survey respondents compare retailer's prices to their online competitors, while 63% use their phones to check prices at other local stores.



Electronics retailers are at the highest risk for suffering lost sales due to showrooming. Asked specifically what type of goods they showroom, 70% of consumers who have engaged in the practice said electronics, followed by apparel and accessories at 47% and toys at 43%. Price was the most commonly cited reason for showrooming, but a growing number of consumers (26%) cited convenience.



Consumers point to in-store help, or a lack of it, as a reason they turn to their mobile devices. Of those surveyed, 76% said they've never received assistance from a tech-enabled associate on the store floor, and of the quarter of shoppers who did receive tech-enabled assistance from a store associate, 55% said the assistance they received did not help them make a purchasing decision.



Fifty-four percent of shoppers use both retail-specific apps and mobile websites while shopping in store. Nearly half of all shoppers said they expect to receive a savings between 11 and 25% when showrooming, meaning an in-store sale could be saved by offering even a small discount via apps or social.



"New showroomers are born every day," said Sheri Petras, CEO of CFI Group. "As mobile devices become even more engrained into consumers' daily lives, even those who don't realize they're showrooming are taking to their mobile devices in search of the best deal on a desired product. The real challenge for retailers this season is to how to improve brand fidelity."