Consumption Junction

Shoppers aren’t too concerned with getting items at a low price. Instead, they’re looking for “superior quality products”—something consumers are increasingly prioritizing when looking to purchase.

Last year it was showrooming – the practice of checking out merchandise in a store, then ordering it online, usually from some place else.

Retailers hate that and geared up this holiday season to try and counter it with aggressive online deals of their own. But consumers are on to a new trend – webrooming – according to a new survey from Harris Interactive.

Webrooming is just the reverse. A consumer will use a desktop or mobile device at home to check out deals, then head for the store to make the purchase.

Mobile devices have made it possible for people to shop anywhere, anytime, and apparently, they’re taking advantage. According to Millward Brown Digital, people who shop from their mobiles visit more retailer sites than those who shop from their PCs (6.2 retailer visits per month on mobiles versus 2.9 on PCs). Mobile shoppers also use search engines and social media sites more than PC shoppers do. With all that opportunity to capture mobile purchases (or lose them to rivals), there’s all the more reason for retailers to make sure their mobile strategy is airtight.

The Roman gold pendant in the shape of a phallus that was discovered in 2011 in Hillington, Norfolk, has become such a popular exhibit at the Lynn Museum that replicas will be sold at the gift shop.