Once upon a time, women managed the family finances, making decisions about home purchases, clothing, food and other necessary items. If a storeowner provided poor service, there wasn’t much the customer could do. She might gossip with the neighbors about it, or perhaps discuss it over a cup of coffee. But ultimately, there was little competition for the storeowner’s goods and the complaints of one person had little impact. Life – and profits - for the storeowner went on as usual.

Fast forward to 2007. Technology has changed the face of consumerism, empowering shoppers to be smarter, more demanding and more resourceful. With literally hundreds of retailers providing the same products at similar pricing, today’s consumers have endless options and can tailor purchases based not just on price or product availability, but on other variables like return policies, ease of online purchasing and payment options.

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