The changes in retail are entering a new phase, which is central to customers' buying behavior. No longer will customers go to a (web) shop to find products, but they will look for products which might become a (web) shop. This is the basis of the platform economy as we see it now growing in China and the US. Customers want to buy products, which changes the role of the store, but also the role of manufacturers. This we are already seeing in the Chinese online forums of Alibaba.