The end of show-rooming, or the beginnings of the ecosystem war

  With better store experiences, price match guarantees, ship-from-store innovations and using the concept of “stores in store”, the impact of show-rooming appears to have been stemmed towards the latter half of 2013. News about Best Buy having some success this past holiday season is all around us. The keyword in the opening paragraph is “appears”. Price and convenience were the obvious factors to be satisfied this holiday season. Customers needed a reason to walk in. And once they walked in, the most pressing factors that led them to the competition were countered effectively. Great promotions brought them in, and then improved store experiences with price guarantees (and fast shipping if required) kept them from walking out. The holiday season is also a time when most purchases can’t wait so that may have been an added ingredient to the successful recipe of the 2013 holiday season. The key question is: Did we witness a successful counterattack or did we just see the beginnings of a long strategic war? Who will emerge with a comprehensive and decisive response to the world of traditional and transactional shopping? In today’s digital economy, purchases are not isolated, and loyalty is not just about the latest coupon savings. In fact the battle of show-rooming is just starting.     The recommendations economy The battle of show-rooming needs us to insert ourselves in the recommendations economy, long before the consumer hits the catalog. An Omni Channel shopping experience attempts to help solve this problem by guiding decision making without being too […]