Retailers try to get personal with shoppers -- latimes.com

f there is a silver lining to the current recession and any signs of hope for a fashion retail environment that has been hammered by the Internet, it may be this: Shopping is about to get interesting again.

The homogenous, global brand-building of the last decade that has made the Gucci boutique in Beverly Hills identical to the one in Bangkok is starting to fade. Retailers are in the process of shifting from being brand and product-centric to being market and consumer-centric...