Webrooming vs Showrooming
A recent study of 1,000 UK consumers concluded that 62% preferred to make big-ticket purchases in-store rather than online.
The ‘Webrooming vs Showrooming’ report was conducted by the e-commerce agency PushON.
www.pushon.co.uk/reports/Webrooming-vs-Showrooming-Report-by-PushON.pdf
Their research showed that the majority of those surveyed (82 per cent) believed that in-store purchasing gave them more security when buying expensive items, as they could see what a product looks like before committing to a purchase.
Almost half (47 per cent) of the shoppers liked to research a product online when deciding what to buy, but then opted to purchase in-store because they had the option to ask for help and advice from staff.
Furthermore, more than three-quarters (79 per cent) said they had seen an expensive product online that they have liked, but had gone in-store to make the final purchase.
When it came to how much consumers were willing to spend online, more than a third (39 per cent) said they were willing to spend a maximum of £1,000 online, but would feel safer handing over larger sums of cash in person.
Sam Rutley, managing director at PushON, said: “Consumers seem to feel very comfortable researching expensive products online, because they can compare a lot of options in a short amount of time without having to travel to lots of different shops. But the issue lies with when they come to make the final purchase, as many don’t currently feel confident doing this over the internet – mainly because they can’t see what the product looks like in real life.”
Mr Rutley added: “The way we shop is changing and online stores are playing a huge part in this transformation. But, High Street stores still hold a considerable amount of value, particularly with regard to high-value purchases.”
This research was published around the same time as the latest analysis from PwC and The Local Data Company (LDC) found that UK retail store closures reached their lowest level since 2010.
