Before the advent of mega-malls and big box retailers, consumers shopped at local businesses that were fixtures in their communities. In the U.S., these communities were found on ‘Main Street’ and in the UK, ‘The High Street.’ Customers feltlike they were part of a family – and their loyalty was a given.
Today, as consumer culture changes, most of those local retailers (and banks) have been replaced by malls and national chains. The personal connections once....