A new report on holiday shopping found that 65 percent of Internet shoppers plan to browse items online and then head to a store to make their purchases.
The report from the management and information technology consulting firm Accenture dubs the practice “webrooming,” according to the industry web site Internet Retailer. The phrase is a play on “showrooming,” which refers to people who browse in stores but purchase online.
The Accenture report was based on an online survey of 500 U.S. consumers conducted in September. It found that 47 percent of Internet shoppers plan to research online and then buy in a store to avoid shipping costs. In addition, 47 percent said they wanted to touch and feel a product before purchase.
According to the survey, 42 percent of the survey respondents plan to spend at least half of their holiday shopping dollars online.