Hometown heroes: how regional retailers make it on the web
In every market there are successful small chains that are local fixtures, often run by the same family for generations. But those local chains that survived the emergence of category killers like Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Best Buy now find that their long-time customers are shopping online at Amazon, Zappos and Blue Nile. How are local retail chains using the Internet to retain their customer base? And how do they design e-commerce sites to take advantage of their long-standing relationships with their customers?