There was a time when e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar stores existed in separate worlds. Then came high-speed wireless and powerful smartphones, and the retailing world has never been the same.
In the past, an example of online-offline crossover might be researching a purchase online and buying it in a store. But mobile apps that scan barcodes or recognize book and CD covers have turned that behavior on its head, creating a "showrooming" trend where people browse in physical stores and then buy from an online store. And some online retailers, especially innovators like Fab and One Kings Lane, are reporting that anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of their sales are done on mobile devices, depending on the time of year.
Retailers have fought back against showrooming, but there's more change coming. Person-to-person commerce from startups like Poshmark and Yardsale, enabled by smartphones' cameras, location features, and the trust provided by social-network connections, are upending established e-commerce players, prompting a big response from eBay.
As we survey the new landscape of commerce, shopping apps that are catching fire with consumers provide a window into fast-changing consumer behavior.
Amazon Price Check
This app allows you to scan an item's barcode and see Amazon's price for the item—while also feeding the price data back to the online retailing giant. It created a huge controversy on its release, with some retailers declaring it "evil" and fighting it with lasers that interfere with barcode scanning. Other retailers, like Target, have fought showrooming by asking suppliers for special versions of products that won't be sold elsewhere.
The impact: Made showrooming a hot-button issue.
Poshmark
With Poshmark's mobile app, your closet becomes a discount-fashion warehouse. Real-time "Posh Parties" bring the limited-time-sale urgency of daily deals, but with a social flavor.
The impact: By making clearing out your closet easy and fun rather than a tiresome, once-a-year chore, Poshmark is bringing entirely new inventory into the world of online commerce.
Fancy
Like Pinterest, Fancy lets you post and browse good-looking objects. But Fancy does a far better job of driving you to buy. The latest twist: Fancy now assembles boxes of surprising and delightful goods for a $45/mo. subscription, making it easier to fill your apartment and office with quirky fun. American Express recently put money in, and we've heard other investors are circling.
The impact: Brought shopping as entertainment in its purest form to mobile devices.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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