Showrooming has been a concern for brick and mortar retailers, and Amazon is attempting to make it more of a concern in the near future.
Showrooming entails visiting brick and mortar stores for product selection, only to end up purchasing online. Some e-commerce sites have been making that task easier by allowing easier online shopping and purchasing from mobile devices, but Amazon is taking a new turn to step in at the critical moment of purchase.
According to a recent article, Flow is the newest addition to Amazon’s arsenal, allowing customers to scan bar codes of items they are shopping for, which in turn are used to look for that item on Amazon’s site and allow the consumer to make a mobile purchase, right then and there. Consumers also have the option to save the item to a wish list or share on popular social media sites.
This latest addition to Amazon’s ever competitive strategy is forcing retailers to make their move to mobile more quickly than before. Retailers who offer mobile apps that make the purchase process simpler and more accessible will be able to leverage themselves against Amazon in some capacity. But, with this new in store capability Amazon is rolling out, it will be interesting to see if it can take valuable dollars from brick and mortar retailers.
What are your thoughts? Do you think this new move from Amazon will hurt brick and mortars? Share your thoughts in the comments section and be a part of the conversation!
