1. How do the companies involved benefit from the innovations discussed in the case? Is it about more efficient transaction processing, better reaching out to customers, or both?

2. Use examples from the case to illustrate your answer.

3. “Shopping online can be social again, as it was in person,” says Wade Gerten, CEO of Alvenda. Do you think this is a stretch, or are we in the midst of a turning point in online shopping? Explain your answer.

4. Many of the applications discussed in the case are mostly used by the younger demographic, who grew up around technology. How do online behaviour patterns change as they become older, with more responsibilities, and more challenging jobs? Do applications like those discussed in the case become less important? More important?