Is Showrooming a Problem for E-Tailers?

Similar to showrooming at physical stores, consumers are shopping at some websites, but then going to other sites to make a purchase at a cheaper price. That's the view of John McCarvel, president and CEO of Crocs, in explaining why internet sales in the Americas region fell 32.8 percent in the third quarter. "We're certainly pleased to see that on Amazon.com in July, 23 of the top 100 styles sold were Crocs," McCarvel said on a conference call. "However, we believe we're seeing some of the same showrooming challenges impacting Crocs' direct growth of our own already significant e-commerce business."