In the Battle Against Showrooming, Best Buy will Match Online Prices
By Karla Robinson
October 16, 2012
October 16, 2012
- Even as Best Buy attempts to talk down the effects of “showrooming,” the company is looking to step up its competition with online retailers like Amazon by matching prices.
- Around 40 percent of Best Buy shoppers leave the store empty-handed, and the company hopes to increase the close rate this holiday season. Details of the price-matching program have yet to be established though, and some products may be excluded.
- While both Best Buy and Toys R Us deny the severity of showrooming, Walmart has embraced the trend.
- “Let’s be the best showroom,” Walmart CEO Mike Duke says. “Let’s be the best place where customers want to go and get the experience.” The retail giant is working on a same-day delivery service for this holiday season, available to customers in select markets.
- “Research on showrooming suggests that while only a fraction of shoppers use mobile phones in stores to compare prices, many do go home and check what competitors are charging online,” reports the Wall Street Journal. “A survey by retail consultancy AlixPartners this summer found that in the prior 12 months, 33 percent of respondents — and 43 percent of electronics buyers — bought something online after checking it out in a store first.”
- Big chains have caught a small break as Amazon is now required to charge sales taxes in some states.
- “Aware that they need to adapt aging business models to the realities of mobile- and computer-aided shopping, [big chains] don’t want to overreact or lose sight of what made them successful — that is, selection and service,” explains the article.
No Comments Yet
You can be the first to comment!
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.