This 'Social Commerce' is creating new and more meaningful ways for retailers to interact with customers "Search, communication and community have the potential to have an even more powerful impact on commerce when closely tied together."

The 'mass' is no more - the more you have learned to speak to specific identities, tastes, and demands better you will respond to the voice of the individual much more through collective understanding than loud undifferentiated promotion."  

And even as mass marketing cools, online shopping is becoming more prevalent than ever.