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Understanding the pre-shopping ROBO mentality

10 Feb 2010

The term "ROBO" (Research Online, Buy Offline) was coined by Yahoo to describe the growing number of consumers who research online but buy offline. Online "pre-shopping" has become a common activity prior to a variety of purchases. According to Forrester, online research will influence US$1 trillion in offline sales by 2012, making it imperative that retailers understand the full impact that their online presence - as well as those of their competitors - may have on consumer in-store behavior.

Understanding ROBO behavior is particularly important when selling "big-ticket" items. Big-ticket purchases require more research and consideration due to higher price points and their high degree of personalization. Furniture, mattresses, appliances, flooring and home decor are all examples of products that consumers are spending a significant amount of time researching online prior to purchase.

What should retailers be doing to better understand and meet the needs of ROBOs while they are in this "pre-shopping" mindset? Whether the ultimate purchase is made online or at a local store, retailers needs to take the necessary steps to ensure they are providing a seamless cross-channel customer experience that ultimately makes a sale. When executed well - and with ROBOs in mind - e-commerce sites can become a critical tool to help stores compete both locally and chain-wide.

Read the full article here.