For retailers, the answer to the chicken-egg problem is therefore of little importance. The aim is to find buyers for the high-quality eggs. Direct marketers in particular are looking for ways to better market products from species-appropriate chickens, for example. A challenge that initially sounds like a very individual problem faced by a small sector. But the direct marketer's situation asks us to look at the whole thing more generically. And this is how the university town of Siegen formulated the question for the region at the beginning of 2016: “What can we do to support local retailers?” The answers surprised trade and politics.

CONCLUSION: THE CUSTOMER WANTS TO BUY LOCALLY — JUST NOT ALWAYS IN STORES.
Although every online trade statistic confirms the e-commerce boom, customers love local retailers and like to shop there, if only not, what would be? The competing online offerings have unbeatable advantages such as 24/7 opening hours, convenient and time-saving delivery at the front door, a very large selection, direct price comparison, and more. - Although these are all more technical aspects that initially have nothing to do with the retailers' actual offerings and business models, they matter to every consumer and make things more convenient.
Nevertheless, according to the results of the survey by the City of Siegen, the end customer also requires the transfer of values such as association, tradition, quality, reputation and ties to their homeland. It is emotional aspects that strongly connect local retailers with their customers.
The customer wants to know the meadow where the chicken is standing.

And what is to be done now?
The answer has now been found: A local web department store that combines all the advantages of large online offerings in one infrastructure and yet makes retail tangible on site. In 2016, there were only a few approaches that also technically reflected the idea of such a regional web department store. The business models were not convincing due to a lack of consistency and adaptability to the various regions.

DAY 1 FROM LOZUKA: 3.9.2016
In Siegen, the pilot project was successful with the help of very close cooperation with local actors such as the city and the mayor, the district and district administrator, local banks, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, 17 retailers and their interest groups. It is thanks to them that Lozuka - Buy Locally at Home - was able to go online in September 2016 after around nine months of development. Starting line-up: 17 retailers with 17,000 items in their product range.

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