Big fashion houses like Burberry are finally innovating, and that's exciting for haute couture shoppers.
For the style-conscious consumer, the accessibility of sample-sales from flash-sales sites like Gilt and RueLaLa make bargain shopping a lot easier. Who doesn't love a product that is up to 70% off from your favorite luxury retailer?
For the deal-conscious consumer, group-buying sites like GroupOn and LivingSocial are making it easy for shoppers to snag the best local deals and discover their favorite new local joints. Come on, a $30 sushi meal for $15? It's fresh sashimi and Inari all week for me!
For the vintage- and indie-lover, ModCloth is right up your alley. Too bad it's only good for women's wear, otherwise I'd be a frequent shopper of their uber-hip clothing.
For the handmade community, Etsy is definitely the marketplace for consumers that want something a bit more original, a bit less automated, and certainly (in most cases anyways) not mass-produced.
For the super individualistic consumer, co-creation startups like Chocri, Shapeways, Ponoko, GemKitty, CustomMade and Blank Label allow you to design your own chocolates, widgets and accessories, jewelry, furniture and dress shirts.
There has been quite a turn away from brick-and-mortar and now everything awesome is digital. This is what shoppers have been waiting for -- more attention, more accessibility, more affordability, more personalization, more innovation.
This era of Web 2.0, which in turn created consumer and shopping 2.0, has certainly put more focus on the consumer and what the consumer wants, not what businesses want consumers to want. Consumers aren't subject to the will of retailers. Retailers are bending over to serve their customers as best as they can.
What has been worth the wait for you? What is available now that really gets you excited? What are you still waiting for?
Danny Wong is the co-founder of Blank Label, a co-creation startup, specializing in personalized men's dress shirts for the new-age male.