Shoppers have to realize that once the mom-and-pops are gone, they are gone. For those of you that vacation in the Hamptons, take a look at all the chain stores that have over the years replaced all of the more interesting and local flavor that unique local stores bring to our lives. Now East Hampton looks like Soho with the exact same retailers that we can shop in the city. What’s the point? These mom-and-pop stores deserve to be supported and not just to be browsed. We all enjoy good food at so many of the great restaurants that have opened in the area and we are generally happy to pay the crazy prices as we realize they have to make their money in approximately three months. Shouldn’t we do the same thing for stores?

This is a challenging problem for many retailers, and while there are no easy answers, guilt and/or confrontation won’t be very helpful. I do think retailers can close more showrooming prospects by personalizing their interaction. By reminding the prospect of the history of the store and thanking them for visiting the store. By being extremely knowledgable about the product and alternatives that the prospect might see online before they even look it up. And lastly, good old-fashioned selling — ask for the sale. Emphasizing that they can take the purchase home immediately and perhaps even offering further discounts on complementary products. You won’t win them all, but a knowledgeable and engaged sales associate can go a long way to converting showrooming prospects.

Good article, Bob. There’s validity in all your points when put in the context of the situation at hand. The whole buy local movement is valid, but only when the local merchants are actually competitive with the larger retail environment. The local merchants need to step up their game to compete. We all know price is only one thing, but becomes the big thing when the store experience is flat. Maybe these independents need to be a little more critical of their retail concept, store experience, selling skills, merchandising approach and more. If an independent thinks they’re going to compete on price, they’ve lost the game before it’s started.

Find a value equation that makes it irresistible to buy while in-store. Create a bundle that you cannot buy online. Pair the product with something unique that complements the routine. This satisfies the treasure hunt mentality for the consumer and assures them that they’ve saved some money and gotten an experience. List products that are unique that are difficult to find online. While this takes time to curate, you’ll be happier you did it. The big online guy doesn’t carry everything. There are so many boutique brands that you would benefit from a relationship with. Focus on the relationship with the customer. Local stores will be the first to tell you that knowing their customer beats the online shop everyday because the connection between consumer and merchant makes a relationship. Find convenience moments that remove the last bits of showrooming in the most hardcore online buyers. Make it convenient for them to be in your store — physically or virtually. Offer them the ability to complete their sale any way they like. In person, on… Read more »

Keep it positive. As Max says, make it about the great service and the experience. Free shipping and/or delivery is a great idea. Price matching can be done on a case by case basis. And, a few signs around the store saying “Thank you for shopping locally!” wouldn’t hurt either.

Of all the suggestions here, home delivery is the only one that has legs — very weak ones though. Free delivery is commonplace online except (usually) for very small orders or bulky/heavy items, so even that won’t have much impact.

The reality is that mom-and-pops can no longer sustain a business selling commodity items.

For local businesses to have a future they must minimize commodities that are subject to price competition. Service and the human touch will resonate with some shoppers, but as Bob heard, not with a growing cadre of shop local, buy online consumers. Righteousness and morals are easy for shoppers when it doesn’t impact them, but when it affects their wallet or inconveniences them, principals are easily forgotten.

Unfortunately there is no one-size-fits-all answer. As the article notes, different customers respond to different things. For some, a gentle reminder in the form of a sign that shopping local means supporting local families may be enough. For customers who are most concerned about price, offer price matching if your margins can handle it. Another way to combat showrooming as a local retailer is to source locally. If your products are purchased from local makers and manufacturers it’s easier to form exclusive partnerships and make sure your products aren’t appearing anywhere else at a lower price. We never want to tell a potential customer they are being rude — that will never end well. As others said, keep it positive. But also be flexible.

These mom-and-pop stores are trying to hold onto the past and stop the move into the e-commerce revolution that is already here. These stores need to embrace the revolution and list their products online (like on Amazon or Walmart.com), as well as having product in their store to get a larger share of eyeballs. Their greatest asset is that they have the product in their store right now. Charging fitting fees, guilt signs, etc. are not solutions but simply customer-losing propositions.

There are no quick fixes or easy answers to these challenges, but I strongly believe that there are two keys to overcoming these look local but buy online shoppers: assortments and experiences. Developing carefully curated assortments that minimize commodities is step one. Local retailers who fill their stores with boutique assortments that reflect the nuanced tastes and preferences of their local clientele will better differentiate from their online competitors. Secondly, local shops must look for ways to make their stores an indispensable part of the buying journey. A local garden shop in my neighborhood seems to have figured this out, and they are positively thriving. Read their fascinating — and educational — story here.

This is definitely a challenge for local mom-and-pop retailers. I do believe you have to make a positive statement or you will ultimately lose the customer. Yes, you could have some well-placed signs reminding people to buy local and why. That may sway some shoppers, but not all. The in-store experience and product assortment are absolutely key. In this case, it sounds like Bob is telling us these retailers have figured out how to deliver a great experience, but after spending considerable time with a customer they still snap a photo and leave without a sale. Some amount of price matching will be necessary — there’s no avoiding that. Price isn’t everything to everyone, though, so there has to be something unique about the experience or the product to make someone want to buy it NOW. IF the strategy is to just sell products available in big chains, then that feels like a losing strategy long-term. There has to be something unique. Each year my family vacations in the White Mountains region and we do… Read more »

I don’t think the negative methods described in the article will work. Consumers don’t respond well to negative comments, and they are more likely never to go back to that store. There are more positive approaches to retaining the consumer and gaining the sale before the consumer buys online. One approach is to stock unique items that cannot be purchased online. The second is to provide the knowledge experience that the shopper will not get online. Many categories of items require fit, knowledge of materials, technology or other attributes that are difficult to deliver over the Internet and not in person. Third, the item is available instantly from the store as opposed to waiting for delivery in one or two days. And the store can provide an entertaining experience instead of being isolated with an online sale on a device. If the customer still decides to buy online, there is little the store can do. The customer will respect the effort put in by the retailer and will likely come back again, the next time… Read more »

I think we have to be careful here. Before Amazon, there were a lot of reasons people would look at something then not buy it in the store. That’s human and there’s a clear portion that attempting to fight it will offend shoppers. What’s also not figured into this discussion are the number of shoppers in these stores who checked it out online before coming into the store to pick it up — they won’t make it evident that’s what they did. And estimates are that there are far more of these than we know. All that said, every retailer’s strength must be making themselves a place people want to shop. Do that well, and you’ll win in the long run. I noticed a local pet food store in Portland put up an outdoor sign saying “We’re a lot more fun to shop than online.” It’s true. And, despite a small PetSmart outlet within 2 blocks, that store IS fun to shop at and they continue to do tremendous business — it’s where we buy… Read more »

Fees? Signs? Telling them they are rude? No, this wouldn’t be right at all. Mom and Pops need to focus on changing themselves to meet today’s shopping methods, not the other way around. Once upon a time, horses and mules tilled farmer’s soil. Today John Deere & Caterpillar do that. Once we saw newspapers on every door step. Today, most people get their news online. Times change. It costs some their business. Others find opportunity in it. As with every company, they need to keep up with the times and with trends. Fewer people are buying soda these days. Are Coca-Cola and Pepsi going out of business? No. They are refocusing on healthier drinks. Did Kellogg’s go out of business because people aren’t eating their sugary cereals as much anymore? No, they bought healthier brands like Kashi. Mom & Pops can’t fight the internet. Many big box stores are having the same problems. For years I’ve thought companies like Best Buy should reserve space to become a showroom for the products they carry and change… Read more »