Retailers Good Guys…But “Online Cheaper”

Schrewd consumers try it on with retailers: heading in-store for advice but buy online.

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1 in 4 consumers head to electronic retailers like The Good Guys, JB Hi-Fi and Betta electrical to get freebie advice and to get up close and personal with the latest tech – but refrain from making a purchase instore.

Consumers head online to purchase gear like smartphones, iPads and notebooks “for a cheaper price”, new research by Canstar Blue has confirmed.

GEN Y were the biggest culprits (44%), as were price conscious consumers from NSW (34%)

However, retailers are well aware of the situation where consumers are trying it-on and is “a significant challenge” in the price-sensitive market, says Canstar’s Rebecca Logan.

“Many bricks and mortar outlets have raised this as a concern and certainly from the results of our survey, you’d have to say it’s a very real one.”

This behaviour sparked the concept of try-on fees which were raised last year as a way of halting the trend that is bad news for bricks and mortar retailers.

The trend is also likely to “shape how we shop in the future,” Logan warned.

However, it may not be all bad, as there is no evidence the consumer didn’t purchase from the same retailer’s online website in some cases, a Canstar spokesperson told SmartHouse.

The survey also does not indicate whether consumers went to domestic sites on internatonal discounters like eBay and Amazon to get the best deals.

Canstar Blue surveyed 2500 consumers on their satisfaction rating on leading electronics retailers and The Good Guys came out tops for value, range, layout and catalogues for the second year in a row.

Retravision wasn’t far behind, followed by JB Hi-Fi, Dick Smith and Harvey Norman.

Over 1500 of those quizzed made a purchase from a CE Retailer in the last six months