Clayton Dorris said, “I ‘showroom’ big box nearly everyday, but if a brick business offers a better customer service experience then I will buy there.”
Nice to know we may be making headway!

And Tom @bassnote said, “I used to showroom, but don’t anymore. If I need something, & can wait, I pretty much buy it online. If I need it now, I’m local.”
“I already know I can find it cheaper online, why look it up? If you can’t wait, then get it at a local retailer.”
“That being said, there are some things that can’t be bought online easily. Things that aren’t mass produced. Local does 4 that”

Fascinating perspective.

Thanks, Retail Owners Institute, for sharing your own campaign idea. I think it could be extended out to social networks and emails to customers as well.

Rob, I like the idea of a “Give us a chance!” campaign. Thanks for sharing the reasons that influence your thinking, too.

“Say you spot a customer in your store who is price-checking your merchandise, and is actually on the ecommerce website of an online retailer. Approach the customer, and encourage the customer to put the product into the online Shopping Cart.

Why? Because only then can the customer see what the total cost of buying it online would be. Only after the product is in the Shopping Cart are the costs of shipping and sales tax added in. That is the price the customer needs to compare.

So, encourage the customer to get complete price information. And, at that point, when both the customer and retailer see the total online price, then an actual comparison can be made.

Some customers discover that they won’t be saving much, if anything, by buying online. Essentially, this retailer uses showrooming as a “teaching moment.” He helps the customer discover for themselves what their actual cost would be.

Even Better: Do the Showrooming FOR the Customer
What if you can’t intercept every showrooming customer? After all, they often try to be discreet about it! Or, it might feel too confrontational for you. Here’s an idea: provide the price comparison for them!

– Pick a product that you feel is most vulnerable to being showroomed.
– Go online, find that same product, and put it in the Shopping Cart.
– Use a local ZIP code for the shipping address.
– Proceed to Checkout, so you can see the total actual price (including shipping, tax, etc).
– Take a screen shot of the Checkout screen.
– Use the screen shot to create a “shelf talker” to display alongside the product.
– Do this for as many products as you wish.

This is what the big guys call “price transparency.” We think of it as retailers working smarter, not harder. You’re giving the customers what they want, which in this case, is the facts about whether they could save money by buying online. Happy “Proactive Showrooming”!!

1. I’m there and I can walk out with the item.
2. The opportunity to compare created an opportunity to build a relationship and I’m spending $ with people I know.
3. I understand that more of my money stays local when I spend it with you. (I know that mostly because I listen to Becky, but hey).

Those are my thoughts. Create your own personal “Give us a chance!” campaign. Let folks know that you know they are showrooming and take advantage of it.

Dan, thanks for the inspiration to write this, and for all you do with your own local business. I hope lots of people get those lovely navy blue gift bags under their tree this Christmas. :)