The acronym R.O.P.O (Research Online Purchase Offline) is used to define the practice whereby people research a product online and then choose to purchase it offline.
This practice is very much related to consumers’ increasingly frequent habit of searching for information, advice, and reviews of products online before purchasing them.
According to data released by Google, in May 2011, about 80 percent of online shoppers before finalising their purchase researched data and information as well as compared products online.
This trend is particularly prevalent for specific product categories such as apparel, footwear-those categories in which live product testing still plays a crucial role.
In this regard, a study published by Forrester Research is interesting, according to which R.O.P.O is more widespread in Italy, compared to other countries such as Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands, with as many as 37 percent of Italians practicing it.
Among the reasons that, after an online search, lead consumers to buy offline are:
- opportunity to see/test the product before purchase
- Take the product home immediately after purchase
- Low confidence in online marketing
- product availability.
The R.O.P.O practice is opposed to what is called “T.O.P.O” (Try Offline -Purchase Online) and is sometimes referred to as “Webrooming.”
From the perspective of an omnichannel strategy, it is evident how brands and companies must necessarily also consider this type of practice in order to better preside over every touchpoint of the customer journey.
