Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
As anyone who's attempted to navigate a high-end brand site could tell you, luxury retailers aren't great at the Internet. Which is a shame because as webrooming (researching product online before buying in store) rises in popularity, these brands are not seeing the inevitable return in sales.
According to Luxury Daily, "in-store sales guided by digital will likely surpass the 50 percent mark this year, and mobile will be a major engine of that growth." Too bad many retailers aren't capitalizing on the shift. L2′s Omnichannel Retail Report 2014 mentions real-time inventory visibility, geolocation, and in-store pick-up options as just a few of the missed opportunities. And while several brands are making adjustments (Gucci e-commerce features inventory look-up; Tiffany & Co. offer online appointment booking), many remain in the dark ages. —Lauren Berger
· Showrooming Fears Displaced by Webrooming Cheers: L2 [Luxury Daily]
· This Is How Much Money Showrooming Will Probably Save You [Racked]
· Sorry, Showroomers: Google Ads Have Arrived on Mobile [Racked]