Why showrooming will be important over the 2012 holidays

Like it or not the showrooming trend isn't going away. As mobile devices become more prevalent, more shoppers are comparing prices via mobile while in-store. But this doesn't have to be a bad thing - in fact, there are ways to use showrooming to a brand's advantage.

by Kristina Knight

Kristina: How can retailers use showrooming to thir advantage over the coming holiday season?

Eric Bosco, ChoiceStream COO: An important defense against 'showrooming' is go beyond response driven advertising to get consumers to their showroom, and advertise to make consumers aware of the unique benefits of purchasing the product locally. Obviously being price competitive, or being willing to partake in a price matching program, goes a long way. Some retailers might even encourage customers to showroom and match the price found online. If for business reasons a retailer can't be price competitive, then they should be actively advertising the value of other benefits such as service, warranty, custom fitting, and 30 day no hassle exchanges. These are also very powerful incentives to keep the consumer's business. For most retailers this means shifting their advertising messaging from "buy these products at our store" to "here's why you want to buy from us."

Kristina: What can brands do now to ensure they're presenting the right message to consumers?

Eric: Many holiday shopping decisions that deal with what to buy are made at the last minute, hence the typical pattern of heavy advertising from black Friday to Christmas. However, the decision of where to buy due to perks, service, and discounts is a longer awareness cycle. I'd encourage retailers to start running ad campaigns immediately to raise the awareness of why people should by a particular product FROM THEM.

You can read part 1 of my chat with Eric and ChoiceStream, including his thoughts on brand safety over the holidays here.