What manufacturers, retailers, and dealers failed to notice is that the power strugle they're engaged in is an irrelevant one.
Customers are now in control.
The factors that the customer values are convenience, easy decision-making, good value, high quality, exquisite customer service, and product availablility. Which of these factors is most important to which customers will depend upon the respective customer and the context. In today's time-starved world, convenience and product availablility are often the top criteria.