More Than a Showroom ─ Strategies for Winning Back Online Shoppers

The growing phenomenon of showrooming plagues sales managers and small retailers in ever increasing numbers as technology has evolved to create smarter and more empowered consumers. Showrooming refers to the phenomenon of consumers – or potential consumers - browsing products in a retail store, and then ultimately purchasing focal product(s) online at a lower price through another vendor. Through exhaustive research we investigate this exploding trend and offer strategies, tools, and training approaches that can help to transform showrooming customers into in-store sales.

Through close systematic examination of the phenomenon we seek to offer retail managers and owners deep insight into how they can stem the loss of resources to showrooming. The authors provide insight and understanding of the critical role played by value added through customer service and expert salesperson knowledge. This book will help retailers understand how they can implement essential, incremental changes to infuse value in the customer experience and not only entice significantly improved in-store sales but also build core customer relationships and enhance loyalty.

Daniel G. Bachrach, PhD, is currently a Morrow Faculty Excellence Fellow and Professor of Management at the Culverhouse College of Commerce of the University of Alabama. Professor Bachrach is editor or coauthor of four books, including a leading Principles of Management textbook, Management 13e (Wiley Press); Transformative Selling: Becoming a Resource Manager and a Knowledge Broker (Wessex); 10 Don'ts on Your Digital Devices The Non-Techie's Survival Guide to Cyber Security and Privacy (Apress-Springer); and The Handbook of Behavioral Operations Management: Social and Psychological Dynamics in Production and Service Settings (Oxford University Press). His 40+ peer-reviewed articles have appeared in range of top-tier academic outlets, including Organization Science, Journal of Applied Psychology, Strategic Management Journal, Personnel Psychology, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.

Jessica Ogilvie is currently a doctoral student in Marketing at The University of Alabama. She received her B.S. in Finance and Economics from The University of Alabama where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in May of 2011 and her M.S. in Marketing from The University of Alabama in May of 2012. As a doctoral student her primary research interests include strategy and sales management. She has had research accepted at multiple conferences, both nationally and internationally. This includes, most recently, The 2014 Thought Leadership on the Sales Profession Conference at Columbia University. She has had research published in multiple academic journals.

Adam Rapp, PhD is a distinguished Professor of Sales Management at the Culverhouse College of Commerce of the University of Alabama. After earning his Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut, Dr. Adam Rapp spent time as a doctoral fellow at the University of Houston, where he researched and taught in the Sales Excellence Institute. Adam's research examines factors influencing the performance of front-line service and sales personnel. Adam has engaged in training and sales force competency mapping across several industries, including at companies such as Adidas, BASF, Ecolab, Swisher, Bayer, Berlex, Fraser Paper Mills, Vistakon, and Eisai Pharmaceuticals among others. He is an experienced corporate trainer in Sales Leadership, Team Performance, Human Resources Management, Sales Competency Building, Diagnostic Selling and Consumer Relationship Management technologies. Adam is currently Chair of Services Marketing at The University of Alabama and the UA Sales Program's Director of Research.

Joe Calamusa is currently a Professor of Marketing at The University of Alabama and the UA Sales Program's Managing Director. Joe has over 10 years of sales and sales management experience as the Corporate National Sales Manager for Peco Foods, Inc., a privately held poultry processor. Joe Calamusa started a private label grocery division that blossomed into over $150 million in annual sales to retail giants including Wal-Mart, The Kroger Co., Supervalu Inc., Safeway, Publix, Dollar General, and many others. Joe oversaw a national sales and broker network, and was responsible for the division's strategy, supply chain, development, and profitability. Joe has corporate training and coaching experience within the Consumer Packaged Goods, Health Care, Retail, Media, Industrial Technology, and Municipal segments. He also specializes in small business consulting projects within the Legal, Information Technology and Non-profit fields.