Showrooming a Bigger Problem for Best Buy than Target, Grocery and Department Stores

Consumers use their smart phones for shopping in different ways, depending on the type of store they are in, a Nielsen survey suggests. 

Mobile couponing (either using or requesting a coupon) is most popular at grocery stores (41 percent of mobile shoppers reported using coupons there), department stores (41 percent), and clothing stores (39 percent). 

Larger purchases, or more complex products additionally tend to drive research and comparison pricing behavior. 

At electronics stores, the vast majority of smartphone shoppers read reviews (73 percent), compare prices with other retail outlets (71 percent) and scan QR codes to get more product details (57 percent).

That might suggest that Target's concern about "showrooming," where consumers investigate products inside a retail store, but then compare prices and buy online, is less a concern for Target than for Best Buy, for example. 

The survey suggests that consumers will do a bit of work to get a coupon for an item that is easy to understand, probably has a lower retail price and might be a repeat or frequent purchase. Consumers are likely to do much more research, and compare prices, for more-expensive, more-complex and higher-priced items.