Stores including Kmart Corp. , Spiegel and Ace Hardware were among the first to offer free, brand-name Internet service. The free ISPs that haven't done real well, so far, are the ones that stray from this business model. Neither of the sites required users to look at advertisements. They want to build an audience online, communicate with them online and sell them something online. A free ISP is a perfect way to do all three.
Retailers benefit in even more ways.