"Showrooming" has been in the news a lot lately, as Best Buy executives have pinned their current woes at least in part on customers' using their stores to check out products they intend to buy from the chain's online competitors. A story in The Wall Street Journal explores whether there is anything bricks-and-mortar retailers can do to minimize the trend.
Part of the issue, according to the Journal, is that traditional retailers have historically been reluctant to let customers know that many of the items they sell are priced lower on their websites than in their physical stores. Facing the threat from Amazon.com, however, they are becoming bolder about directing shoppers to their online channels. Some then offer the shoppers the option to pick up those items in-store, thus avoiding shipping costs.
But is this enough to fight the attraction of "showrooming"?