5 Ways Snapchat Can Help Retailers Kill ‘Showrooming’

5 Ways Snapchat Can Help Retailers Kill ‘Showrooming’

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Five ways brands can use Snapchat to take back control of the retail experience.




Showrooming – a term known to every retailer as the death sentence to his or her business. A consumer walks into a store, falls in love with a product, whips out her phone, finds a lower price online, and leaves the store, interested but empty-handed.

Amazon and other apps have made showrooming substantially easier for the consumer, and with this comes an increasing number of businesses closing their stores for good, or forced to move online to compete with online-only stores.

How can a retailer that requires foot traffic and in-store browsing compete with its lower-priced online counterparts?

Enter Snapchat

The social network famously known for its disappearing pictures and youthful user base has seen exponential growth across all demographics. Its privacy-conscious user base loves the ephemeral aspect of Snapchat and up until recently, Snapchat had no formal advertising unit. However, those nascent advertising units and additional rumored ad offerings are often limited to big brands and heavy spenders.

The use of Snapchat for business doesn’t have to be reserved for those brands willing to shell out sums of cash for the exclusive ad units. Smart retailers can take advantage of the platform’s uses, benefits and unique features to drive store visits, increase brick-and-mortar sales and boost customer engagement.

Here are some methods that retailers of all sizes can employ to kill showrooming in their stores, take back control of the retail experience and increase sales as a result.

#1 In-store only coupons with a surprise offer

Retailers can use Snapchat to send consumers a coupon snap. This snap could be for 10%, 25% or 100% off an item — the amount unknown to the user — and the perishable nature of Snapchat requires the user to open the snap at the register (or burn their lone replay) in order to redeem the offer. This requires the consumer to pick out an item, take it to the register and then open the snap. Remember, consumers are at the point of purchase looking to cash in on their offer, so even if the coupon is for the lower amount, are they really going to walk out of line to put the item back, after they have fallen in love with it? Regardless, you have just obtained that store visit, which could equate to sales.

#2 Scavenger hunt, Snapchat-style

Every marketer loves gamification. Want to launch a limited-edition item that is highly sought-after by your consumer base? Why not establish a “scavenger hunt” around your store through Snapchat. Send a snap of landmarks around the area the exclusive product is located in and allow your consumers to try and find the secret item. Your consumers will need to remember the location of the snaps and stay glued to their app for the next updates.

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