Showrooming Customers and the Future of Online Price Matching

• The list of online retailers that Target will match the prices of is relatively small: Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us.
• Price matching doesn't include Amazon's third-party Marketplace items.
• Price matching is only within a seven-day window.
• Many of Target's products are private label and, as such, won't be affected by the policy.
• The policy requires in-store customers to request the refund through the guest services desk, which could cause many customers to not even bother.

Even with these factors, I believe Target won't be alone in this move and online price matching won't be a temporary trend among retailers. Price matching isn't the only answer to combat showrooming and meet or exceed customer expectations, however. As the retail world shifts from multichannel to omnichannel and the lines between physical and digital continue to blur, retailers will have to move to a more comprehensive model across all touchpoints to continue to service their customers and survive.