Have you ever seen
something you wanted in a shop, tried it, checked the price online on
your smartphone, found it was cheaper, and walked out? Welcome to the
world of "showrooming".
"The staff at Jessops would like to thank you for shopping
with Amazon" read the sign in a shop window shortly after the British
camera chain went into administration.
It was a dry reaction to a growing problem for "bricks and
mortar"-focused retailers. Showrooming is said to have exacerbated the
decline of high-profile brands like Comet.
Gadget stores, bookshops and the cosmetics industry are all
losing sales to showroomers, but solutions have proved hard to find.
Kelly Buckle, 23, of Birmingham, sometimes spends more than
£200 in a single shopping trip - but never actually gets as far as the
checkout.
"I can go in and smell a perfume and then find it online for £30 less," she says.
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