Portrait of a shopper, showroomer

While, in the past, showrooming was called window shopping, it's interesting to note that through the 1990s women spent more than 48 hours per year 'window shopping' (some would say, showrooming) each year. Now, with retailers going online and mobile, shoppers have even more choice.

According to SeeMore Interactive, while one-third of Americans made at least one mobile purchase over the past six months, its interesting to note that two-thirds have used one or more devices - mobile, computer, etc - to research purchases prior to buying and while shopping in-store.

Meanwhile data out from Harris Interactive indicates Dad might be showrooming his own gifts this Father's Day. According to a recent Harris Poll both men and women continue to showroom at a growing rate. For men, Best Buy and WalMart are their top picks for showrooming; woman are most likely to showroom at WalMart. Men, however, seem to be saving significantly more by showrooming. The research shows mens' average savings to be $210 while women are saving only about $137 by showrooming.

With showrooming so popular and online marketplaces like Amazon making it simple to save even more money, how can retailers compete? About half of shoppers say they would make the purchase in-store if the store would price match online stores. In-store pickup and simpler return policies might also help.

What might Dad be showrooming for this year? Offers.com reports Dads show the most interest in clothing (39%), gift cards (30%) and tools (18%) this year.

Image via Shutterstock

Tags: ecommerce, ecommerce trends, Harris Poll, Offers.com, online retail trends, SeeMore Interactive