Getting advice in a local store and then buying online for less? Painful for retailers.

Around one in three consumers in Germany has sought advice in a brick-and-mortar store and subsequently purchased the corresponding product online after comparing prices. This is the result of a representative YouGov survey commissioned by the German Press Agency. In retail, this behavior is also referred to as "advice theft."

Almost half of respondents either completely (21 percent) or somewhat (25 percent) reject such behavior. In contrast, nine percent are more likely to seek advice in a brick-and-mortar store and then purchase the corresponding product online. Five percent of respondents completely support this. 34 percent were undecided (answer: "partly/partly").

"If I, as a brick-and-mortar retailer, invest a lot of money in store rent and competent staff, it is of course very painful if customers only take advantage of the advice and then shop online with other providers," said Stefan Genth, Managing Director of the German Retail Association (HDE).

However great the pain may be in each individual case, the reverse phenomenon occurs more frequently. Customers gather information online and then purchase locally. "Customers decide for themselves where they want to gather information and where they want to shop," Genth said. This is the basis of free and fair competition.