Shopping for an appliance, for instance, a microwave, is a familiar task. How you shop for that microwave, however, is distinctly different in 2018 than it was in, say, 1998. In 1998, you would have visited your local appliance retailer and purchased the model that fit your needs and budget. Perhaps you would have visited a few other locations to compare prices and features. In 2018, your first stop is probably your internet browser, where you toggle between practically innumerable tabs in your pursuit of the best deal. Why pay more for the same thing? You want the lowest possible price, using the least effort, to get the best microwave. Your goal is efficiency — doing more with less. The same is true of an industrial process.
