Webrooming--wherein consumers research a product online, then buy it in a store--is trend to watch in 2013; 69% of Americans report having webroomed, versus 46% who have showroomed--bought a product online after viewing it in a store: Harris Poll

Cindy Allen

NEW YORK , December 3, 2013 (press release) – Harris Poll Finds Webrooming is a Trend to Watch

If showrooming was a holiday trend to watch in 2012, then webrooming (wherein consumers do their research online and then head to the store to actually make a purchase) is one to watch in 2013, according to a recent Harris Poll following up on research first implemented during last year's holiday season and revisited earlier this year. As of this holiday season, nearly half of Americans have showroomed (46%), up from midyear (40%) and up slightly from 2013 (43%). But if it's a pure numbers game, webrooming would appear to come into this pairing at an advantage, as roughly seven in ten Americans (69%) indicate having done this.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,250 U.S. adults surveyed online from November 13-18, 2013 by Harris Interactive.

Two great tastes that taste great together

To be clear, these two consumer behaviors are far from mutually exclusive - in fact, those who have done one are more likely to have done the other as well, when compared to general population. Six in ten webroomers have showroomed (59%, vs. 46% of Americans overall) and nearly nine in ten showroomers have webroomed (88%, vs. 69% of total Americans). Additionally, men are more likely than women to have both showroomed (53% and 40%, respectively) and webroomed (75% and 63%, respectively).

Consumers going full circle

But where are consumers spending their online and in-person shopping time? Looking first at showroomers, Walmart (24%) and Best Buy (21%) are the top destinations for their hands-on time, followed by Target (9%).

Male showroomers are roughly twice as likely to visit Best Buy as their female counterparts (27% men, 14% women), while women are roughly three times as likely to visit Target (14% women, 5% men).

Once they get home and are ready to make their purchase, though, there's one clear destination standing out over the others, with roughly six in ten showroomers (59%) identifying Amazon as the online retailer they most frequently purchase from after visiting a store - about ten times as many as select Walmart (6%), the next highest response.

While the majority of showrooming excursions end on Amazon, the highest percentage of webrooming trips (again by a dramatic margin) begin there, with 48% of webroomers naming it as the website they most often visit to examine a product before purchasing it in-store.

And after their online investigations are complete, where are webroomers most likely to go to make their purchases? Where else? Right back to Walmart (26%), Best Buy (11%) and Target (11%)!

Walmart seems to be most successful at transitioning their online visitors into in-store purchasers, as two-thirds (67%) of those webroomers who typically do their investigating at Walmart online say they usually go on to make their in-store purchases at a Walmart brick and mortar store.

"When it comes to the battle for consumers' holiday shopping dollars, all retailers are upping their games," says Mike de Vere, President of the Harris Poll. "Online versus brick and mortar retailers each have their own advantages, and poaching customers from competitors is all about playing to those strengths. Want to skip the crowded stores this holiday shopping season? Online is a clear answer. Feel better about being able to take your purchase home with you immediately? Brick and mortar stores have you covered. We'll be continuing to watch these trends and the ways in which retailers try to impact them."

Money matters

And how much are online and in-store retailers poaching from one another? Showroomers say that the last time they purchased a product online after checking it out in-store they spent an average of $174.00. That's a pretty penny, but it's down in comparison to both the average showrooming expenditure from last holiday season ($211.80) and webroomers' average spending this year ($203.90).

Showrooming women are more likely than their male counterparts (73% and 64%, respectively) to have kept their most recent bill at $100 or less, while men are more likely to have spend over $100 (36% men, 27% women).
Retailers matter: showroomers who do their scouting at Best Buy go on to make the steepest online purchases ($250.80 on average, compared to $128.90 among Walmart showroomers and $81.20 among Target showroomers).
Similarly, webroomers who most often make their final purchase at Best Buy ($372.90) spend more, on average, than the combined spending of those who most often buy at Walmart ($105.60) and Target ($93.30).

Purchase preferences

Preferences between online and in-store purchases are not a simple one-or-the-other choice, of course - for one thing, there are a lot of in-store options - "Big Box" stores, retail chains such as Apple Stores or Gap, and local, one-off stores or small chains. It also depends on what type of product they're buying.

Online is the top choice for books, with 41% identifying online as their preference for book purchases.
"Big Box" stores are the top selection when it comes to purchasing both large (54%) and small (52%) household appliances, along with personal electronics (38%), desktop or laptop computers (37%) and pet supplies (25%). "Big Box" stores also tie for the top spot with local, individual stores or small chains when it comes to purchasing groceries (34%).
In-store purchases at retail chains are the top preference for clothing (37%), shoes (35%) and smartphone/cell phone (35%) purchases.
 

TABLE 1

HAVE EVER SHOWROOMED

By Trend, Generation, Gender & Webroomers

"Thinking about shopping, have you ever visited a brick and mortar store to examine a product before purchasing it elsewhere online?"

Note: Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding.  

TABLE 2

HAVE EVER WEBROOMED

By Generation, Gender & Showroomers

"And now, we'd like you to think of things the other way around. Still thinking about shopping, have you ever gone online to examine or research a product before purchasing it in person, at a brick and mortar store?"

Base: All U.S. adults

Note: Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

TABLE 3

BRICK & MORTAR STORE MOST FREQUENTLY SHOWROOM AT

Top Responses by Trend, Gender & Webroomers

"Which brick and mortar store do you most frequently visit to examine a product before you purchase it online elsewhere?"

Base: U.S. adults who have showroomed

Note: Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding. * signifies less than 1%; -- signifies 0%

TABLE 4

ONLINE RETAILER MOST FREQUENTLY PURCHASE FROM AFTER SHOWROOMING

Top responses by Trend, Webroomers, & Where Showroom

"And, which online retailer do you most frequently purchase from after visiting a brick and mortar store?"

Base: U.S. adults who have showroomed

Note: Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding. * signifies less than 1%; -- signifies 0%  

TABLE 5

WEBSITE MOST FREQUENTLY VISIT TO EXAMINE A PRODUCT BEFORE PURCHASING IN STORE

Top Responses by Gender & Brick and Mortar Destination

"Which website do you most frequently visit to examine a product before you purchase it in-store?"

Base: U.S. adults who have webroomed

Note: Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding. * signifies less than 1%; -- signifies 0%

TABLE 6

BRICK AND MORTAR STORE MOST FREQUENTLY PURCHASE FROM AFTER WEBROOMING

Top responses by Showroomers, & Where Look Online

"And, which brick and mortar store do you most frequently purchase from after researching a product online?"

Base: U.S. adults who have showroomed

Note: Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding. * signifies less than 1%; -- signifies 0%

^Note - low base size (<100); results should be treated as qualitative, or directional, in nature  

TABLE 7

MONEY SPENT ONLINE LAST TIME SHOWROOMED

"Thinking of the last time you purchased a product online after examining it in a brick and mortar store, how much did you spend online? If you are not sure, please provide your best estimate."

Base: U.S. adults who have showroomed

Note: Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

TABLE 8

MONEY SPENT ONLINE LAST TIME WEBROOMED

"Thinking of the last time you purchased a product in-store after researching it online, how much did you spend on the in-store purchase? If you are not sure, please provide your best estimate."

Base: U.S. adults who have webroomed

Note: Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

TABLE 9

BRICK AND MORTAR STORE MOST FREQUENTLY PURCHASE FROM AFTER WEBROOMING

Top responses by Showroomers, & Where Look Online

"And, which online retailer do you most frequently purchase from after visiting a brick and mortar store?"

Base: U.S. adults

Note: Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding

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