Because the Internet makes it easier to aggregate information and commerce capabilities for an entire business community, these new intermediaries are bringing buyers and sellers together online. But most industries have a lot more than that. Customization and personalization are fine for customer retention but not so good for customer acquisition. Of course not. Witness the proliferation of mass-media ads for Web sites during the current holiday shopping season.
Mass marketing is also a necessity for the captains of online industry.
In E-commerce, branding and mass marketing are more important than ever. The Net is like TV with 10 million channels. You can't just hope that someone surfs by. Certainly, it's an innovative model that wouldn't be possible without the Web. Online auction sites such as OnSale and eBay have also been successful and have their place for some types of products.