Definition:
Showrooming is a shopping behaviour in which a person examines or tries a product in a physical store and then buys it online. The visit helps them assess qualities that a digital product page may not fully communicate, such as size, texture, colour, operation or fit.
The online purchase may take place on the same retailer’s website, the manufacturer’s site or another ecommerce. Showrooming therefore does not necessarily mean that the visited retailer loses the sale, although it changes how credit is assigned across touchpoints.
How showrooming works
The journey can vary, but it commonly includes these stages:
- Discovery: the shopper encounters the product through advertising, recommendations, search or an in-store display.
- Physical evaluation: they visit the store to see, try or compare the product and resolve questions.
- Digital research: they use a mobile device or another channel to check prices, availability, reviews, terms and alternatives.
- Seller selection: they consider total price, delivery time, trust, warranty, returns and associated services.
- Online purchase: they complete the order online and select home delivery, collection or another available fulfilment method.
This process may happen during one visit or over several days. It forms part of a customer journey in which physical and digital channels contribute to the same decision.
Why consumers practise showrooming
- Product inspection: it allows shoppers to verify qualities that are difficult to judge from images or descriptions alone.
- Price comparison: it makes it easier to compare price, delivery charges, promotions and total cost.
- Availability: a store may provide a place to try an item even when the preferred variant is not immediately available.
- Additional information: reviews, comparison services and technical specifications extend the information provided in store.
- Convenience: online purchasing may offer home delivery, more payment methods or the option to finish the order later.
Price matters, but it is not the only reason. Trust in the seller, speed, the returns policy and the service received can also determine where the purchase is completed.
Showrooming, webrooming and ROPO differences
- Showrooming: the main evaluation takes place in a physical store and the purchase is completed online.
- Webrooming: research takes place online and the purchase is completed in a physical store.
- ROPO: describes the effect of researching online and purchasing offline; it overlaps with webrooming but is used particularly to analyse digital influence on physical sales.
- Omnichannel shopping: combines coordinated touchpoints from the same organization; it may include showrooming or webrooming but refers to a broader strategy.
Showrooming and webrooming describe different directions in the journey. They are not channels or business models, but behaviours that can occur within an integrated experience.
Effects of showrooming on retailers and consumers
- Fragmented attribution: the store contributes to the decision even when the transaction is recorded as a digital sale.
- Competitive pressure: shoppers can compare sellers, prices and terms immediately.
- Value of the store: display, advice, product trial and immediate availability become measurable parts of the journey.
- Greater choice: the shopper combines physical and digital information but must also assess costs, warranties and reliability across offers that may not be equivalent.
For a retailer, risk increases when the physical experience provides value and another company captures the transaction. There is also an opportunity: when inventory, accounts, promotions and service are connected, the sale can be completed through the most convenient channel without losing the customer relationship.
How retailers can respond to showrooming
- Coordinate prices and terms: explain genuine differences between channels and avoid inconsistencies that undermine trust.
- Display current inventory: allow shoppers to check availability, variants and lead times before or during a visit.
- Improve product information: provide QR codes, technical details, comparisons and verified reviews.
- Enable assisted selling: give staff tools to access the catalogue, locate stock and complete digital orders.
- Unify the customer relationship: recognize accounts, preferences, promotions and support across touchpoints.
- Offer flexible delivery and collection: combine ship-from-store, reservation, collection and cross-channel returns.
- Add value in store: provide demonstrations, advice, setup, repair or other services that complement the product.
An omnichannel strategy does not try to prevent comparison. It aims to reduce friction and retain relationship context when the decision moves from the store to the Internet or in the opposite direction.
How to measure showrooming
- In-store product enquiries: use of internal search, QR codes or specific product pages during a visit.
- Linked digital orders: online purchases associated with a store, employee, reservation or identified session.
- Journey conversion: the proportion of physical visits followed by a digital conversion within a defined window.
- Availability and lost sales: orders completed online after a preferred variant was unavailable in the store.
- Surveys and controlled tests: customer-reported information and comparisons between stores, periods or experiences.
Measurement is not complete by default. Device changes, purchases from other sellers, consent and identification limits prevent every transaction from being attributed. Conclusions should combine digital data, store information and privacy requirements.