A totally new world has emerged as a result of the epidemic caused by the coronavirus. This is a reality that we are still getting used to, attempting to comprehend and decipher, and, to some extent, making peace with. The introduction of Covid-19 has resulted in a shift away from traditional showrooming toward the use of webrooming in the fashion sector. Showrooming is the activity of evaluating products in a typical brick-and-mortar retail store and then purchasing it online, sometimes at a reduced price, as online shopping enables the client to access more discounts. This practice has been around for quite some time.
Webrooming, on the other hand, is a term for a mode of shopping that begins with window shopping online and then continues with purchases made in physical stores. Customers typically enjoy this kind of shopping since it enables them to touch, feel, and try on the things before actually purchasing them.
Both of these ideas are the product of shifting shopping behaviors on the part of consumers. The majority of consumers buy with their smartphones in hand, instantly compare product pricing using online peer reviews to develop their opinions, and have precise preferences for the kinds of things they wish to purchase online as well as in stores. This group of modern consumers acquires and makes use of information in order to make decisions and formulate views. Their unique principles extend far beyond the act of shopping; rather, they permeate every aspect of their lives, from the activities they partake in, such as eating and shopping, to the places they visit and the kinds of vacations they take, as well as the way they view the relationship between their professional and personal lives The new generation of consumers was raised in the technological embrace of their parents and has grown up with a smart phone in one hand and an ultra-fast internet connection in the other.
Because of the epidemic, we now shop very differently. The epidemic has caused many goods to be moved online, despite the fact that the more traditional alternative of buying in showrooms did have its own allure. In days gone by, people enjoyed going shopping because being able to touch, try on, and judge the quality of different garments provided them with a sense of “value for money.” Shopping in stores was everyone’s favorite activity, for a variety of reasons, including the salesperson’s ability to persuade a client to make a purchase, which in turn boosts sales, and the consumer’s ability to freely try on the clothes that they are interested in purchasing. We are all in agreement that going shopping in real stores was also a wonderful way to unwind with friends.
Web shopping offers customers the convenience of shopping without the anxiety that comes with the risk of contracting an infection. Additionally, shopping has developed into a more social activity, one that includes all members of the family, and it has become significantly more frequent. And in these unstable times, instant pleasure is becoming more important than the accumulation of assets for the generation of shoppers known as millennials. Webrooming should preferably be done in both of the following ways: First, by creating an online version of a physical retail store. Taking images of the actual store or making use of graphic design software are both viable options for accomplishing this goal. Because of this, the merchant is able to communicate with a greater number of potential customers. In spite of these technological advancements, consumers may still prefer to try on products before they actually buy it. This indicates that they may sometimes prefer showrooming over webrooming because it not only enables them to check the products physically, but it also enables them to avail themselves of online discounts.
Some consumers may prefer to assume that the decisions they make when shopping (such as whether to shop in-store or online) are only the product of logical considerations of the various alternatives that are accessible to them. The reality, on the other hand, is very different; to a certain extent, one’s emotions influence the decisions that they make. Last but not least, regardless of whether one favors webrooming or showrooming, the Indian shopper will continue to evolve along with technological advances, and brands will need to keep pace in order to remain competitive, relevant, and lucrative.
Reference:
Jain, Babita. “Webrooming or Showrooming?” Fibre2fashion.com, Fibre2Fashion, 20 Apr. 2021, https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/8994/a-transition-to-online-or-a-decline-webrooming-or-showrooming.
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