Smartphones are leading to smart shoppers: study

Washington

NOT long ago, the sight of shoppers swiping and typing on their smartphones at the mall was the stuff of retailers' nightmares. The logic was that these people were doing what is known in the industry as "showrooming" - browsing the stores to touch and test a product, but buying the item online through another retailer where they could get better prices.

But smartphones and other Web-enabled gadgets are no longer seen as a major threat of brick-and-mortar stores, and a new study by Deloitte helps illustrate why. Deloitte's consulting arm surveyed thousands of shoppers and found that those using digital devices while they shop in physical stores go from browsing to buying at a 20 per cent higher rate than other shoppers.