US-IT-INTERNET-RETAIL

TO GO WITH AFP STORY US-LIFESTYLE-IT-INTERNET-RETAIL BY ROB LEVER This November 19, 2012 photo illustration shows several smartphone apps available to shoppers on an iPhone4s in Washington, DC. - Anyone with a smartphone can now be savvy shopper for the holiday season. With mobile Internet and apps, it becomes easy for someone in a retail store to compare prices on specific items, and make a quick decision to buy or leave, or to instantly purchase on a mobile device elsewhere. The term for this is "showrooming," a practice which traditional retailers dread, and which is now surging with the growing use of smartphones and tablets. A survey by the research firm IDC indicates that some 48 million shoppers, or about 20 percent of the US adult population, will "showroom" during the upcoming holiday shopping season, up 134 percent from a year ago. IDC predicts showrooming will influence up to $1.7 billion in holiday retail purchases. AFP PHOTO /Karen BLEIER (Photo credit should read KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images)