Brick-and-mortar retailers without an aggressive and large online presence are becoming more irrelevant each year. Are they even still around? By aggressive I mean price. By large, I mean a web site that compels people to come in, stay, shop, tell friends, and come in again. Shopping is as much a social act as it is an economic one, and I don’t mean chit-chatting with friends as you amble through the mall. The socializing as it relates to buying means that people find out about products – and the best deals – by talking to each other. Yet another reason for web sites to accommodate dialogue with their visitors. If the customer is always right -- and is online hunting discounts -- what does that tell you?
