Watching shoppers snap and walk out
The quick draw of an iPhone to take a photo is also a giveaway.
"You can't stop them," says Mr Gordin, who has been in the retail game for more than 30 years and is chief executive of Bike Force Australia, a bricks-and-mortar chain with 20 bike shops across Australia as well as an online store.
"They will take photos with their iPhone and write down things, they'll come in with a piece of paper, walk around the store ... and then just walk out."
The scene has become commonplace around Australia's shopping strips, and is a constant lament of retailers who feel they are being taken advantage of as consumers use their stores for research but do their shopping online.
There is some hope that the tide might turn as the dollar has sunk 15 per cent against the value of the US dollar since April, crashing through parity to be US90¢ and looking like it will fall further.
This has made goods offered online on mainly US websites suddenly more expensive against the same or similar product bought from an Australian shop or website, the relative price gap is closing and after woeful trading conditions for the past two years retailers are praying this will bring local shoppers back to their doors.
However, economists and online experts have cautioned domestic retailers that a falling Australian dollar might not trigger a big consumer switch to buying local.
This is because it seems it's not only pricing that has hooked Australian consumers on surfing overseas sites for deals.
"There is no doubt that one of the key factors that gets consumers spending online internationally is the relative pricing, but it's also the great range available, which is most often far broader internationally than is available in Australia," said CBA retail analyst Andrew McLennan.
"There are brands you just can't get in Australia, there are ranges you simply can't get in Australia."
NAB senior economist Gerard Burg said the spike in Australians shopping at overseas online sites from 2010 was accompanied by a rally in the Australian dollar from US80¢ to parity.
But it also was accompanied by the proliferation of iPhones and iPads connecting consumers to the online world in greater numbers and, importantly, while actually shopping locally.
Recent research from Ernst & Young shows many Australians don't mind where they buy their goods from. Talk of supporting local online stores is just lip service for many, with almost half of those shoppers surveyed saying they didn't care if a site was overseas or local and that value for money as well as fast and reliable delivery times were more important.
Delivery times are becoming the real killer to local stores.
"A lot of these overseas online players have far better developed online capabilities," Mr McLennan said. "So you end up getting products that you purchased overseas quicker than you can get it from domestic online retailers.
That's something Mr Gordin knows all about.
No matter where the Australian dollar sits, often he can't beat delivery times from online stores in Britain that can ship faster to his own backyard than he can.
In the meantime, he must just grin and bear it as he watches his customers snapping away with their iPhones.
"I'm a consumer as well and I understand why they choose to buy overseas. What we need to do is try to educate them that Australia is now in the throes of being more internationally competitive."
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
Showrooming, or 'price checking', is when shoppers inspect products in a physical store—often photographing items with their phones or taking notes—and then buy the item online from overseas retailers. Bike Force Australia CEO Bill Gordin describes it as customers roaming stores, snapping photos and walking out. Retailers say this behaviour reduces in‑store sales and adds pressure on margins.
The Australian dollar fell about 15% against the US dollar since April, sliding through parity to roughly US90c, which has made some US‑listed online goods relatively more expensive for Australian shoppers. That movement narrows the price advantage overseas sites once had, but it hasn’t eliminated other factors that drive cross‑border shopping.
Not necessarily. Economists and online experts cited in the article warn that while currency shifts matter, they may not trigger a big consumer switch. Shoppers value product range, brand availability and delivery speed as much as price, so a weaker dollar alone may not be enough to reverse the trend of buying from overseas sites.
Key reasons include a broader range of products and international brands that aren’t readily available in Australia, plus superior online capabilities and faster, reliable delivery from some overseas retailers. CBA retail analyst Andrew McLennan and other experts note range and logistics often outweigh price for many shoppers.
Delivery times are becoming a major competitive issue. The article quotes analysts saying overseas players often have better online infrastructure and can deliver faster than some domestic retailers. Bill Gordin also notes some UK online stores can ship to his local customers faster than his own supply chain.
Retailers such as Bike Force Australia (20 bike shops around Australia plus an online store) are trying to educate customers about improving local competitiveness and rely on service and local stock. However, Bill Gordin acknowledges they can’t stop customers from price checking and must adapt to changing consumer behaviour.
Recent Ernst & Young research cited in the article found many Australians don’t mind where they buy from; almost half of surveyed shoppers said they didn’t care if a site was overseas or local. Instead, value for money and fast, reliable delivery were more important drivers of choice.
Investors should watch currency movements (which affect comparative pricing), retailers’ ability to offer wide product ranges, improvements in e‑commerce platforms, and logistics/delivery capabilities. These factors influence domestic retailers’ competitiveness versus overseas online players and can impact sales and margins in the retail sector.
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