fashion

'Showrooming' is the latest annoying shopping trend.

 

There’s a new annoying shopping trend and we’re all probably guilty of it.

It’s called ‘showrooming’ and it’s happening in stores across Australia every single day.

‘Showrooming’ is the act of trying something on in-store and then buying it online at a cheaper price.

Yep, we’ve probably all done it at least once or twice.

According to finder.com.au, almost one in three Aussies (31 per cent) – equivalent to 5.9 million – have been showrooming.

And a further 14 per cent, wish they had thought of the idea.

Angus Kidman, editor-in-chief at finder.com.au, says savvy shoppers are happy to go the extra mile to get the best price.

“Just 10 or 15 years ago Aussies were much more limited with where they could shop from. Unless you wanted to negotiate or walk from store to store to compare costs, prices were pretty final and the pool of retailers was more or less confined to our shores,” he says.

“Today you can be in a store, trying on a jacket and in the very same spot, you can Google it on your phone for a better price.”

Kidman says if you walk into any store, you’re bound to see people taking pictures of items with their smartphones or scanning barcodes, just to make sure they find the exact same item online.

“In this retail climate businesses might want to consider price-match guarantees or putting in competitive deals to keep consumers spending in their store.”

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So while showrooming is bad for retailers, it’s bloody great for our bank balances.

Listen The Mamamia Out Loud enter heated debate as to whether or not it’s problematic to try on lipstick in a store. Post continues after audio…

If you want to get stealthy and try showrooming yourself, Finder has provided the following tips:

1. Try it out
If it’s clothing, try it on. If it’s an appliance, electronics or makeup, test the products if you can.

2. Take a few pics
Take a few pictures of the item including product information. Details of the product are especially important as there can be many variations and you want to make sure you’re getting the same one. Try and avoid the store’s barcode or style number and look for the brand’s own information.

3. Consider shipping fees
When comparing costs you need to consider all factors, and this includes shipping. What could appear cheaper might go out the window once you add international shipping fees.

4. Be cautious with electronics
Bear in mind that electronics from overseas will run on different voltages. So while you’re scoring a discount, you might need to buy an adapter, or worse, a transformer, which could outweigh your savings.

Are you guilty of showrooming? Let us know in the comments…