Flip Off Showrooming Using Second Opinions

Consider a flip-around tactic which can work for all sorts of retailers, although I’ll start by using a health care example: Let’s say you run a medical clinic and face the reality of prospective clinic patients going online to see if they can diagnose and treat their physical maladies on their own before consulting with you. “Health Online 2013,” a project of the Pew Research Center says 35% of American adults use the internet to try to figure out what medical condition they, a family member, or someone else might have.
     As the medical clinic operator, do you have a problem with that? If so, instead of considering this internet research as a customer traffic bottleneck, think of it as qualifying the prospects for your services. The patients who do come to your clinic arrive with motivation and information. To be sure, the information might be erroneous. In the Pew study, about one out of five online diagnosers followed up by talking with a clinician who did not agree with the diagnosis or gave a different opinion. That’s where the shoppers’ motivation comes in. You can document your value by satisfying their drive for accuracy. In fact, you might decide to encourage shoppers to do their research before coming in.
     This flips showrooming around. Instead of consumers coming to you to get information and then purchasing elsewhere, the consumers get their information and then come to you. You’re charging for a second opinion. Staying with health care examples, ExpertConsensus is an example of one way to do this. A patient diagnosed with lung cancer can contract with ExpertConsensus to convene a panel of top specialists to critique and possibly suggest augmentations in the treatment plan developed by the patient’s physician.
     Giving second opinions is nothing new or unusual in product and services retailing. Consumers shop around and ask for free quotes. They’re collecting second, third, and fourth opinions. The true value-added from additional opinions is the consumer’s peace of mind that they have made a great purchase decision.
     Generalizing beyond health care, use the flip-around of showrooming to highlight the post-purchase extras your store has to offer which are challenging to find online. Setup at the home or business. On-site training, for a fee or as part of a large purchase. Without grandstanding, display your expertise. You might not get this one sale, but the consumer will build admiration.

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Sell Second Opinions 
Showboat a Bit with Showrooming Shoppers