The web certainly introduces consumers to more information and more options, faster and cheaper.

* Consumers can compare prices at more places quickly and without wasting gas driving around
* Consumers can read other people's opinions about many products before they buy so they don't waste money on something unreliable or something which doesn't actually fit the consumer's needs after all
* Consumers can more quickly find other options. You may have been looking for a Model X washing machine based on a friend's recommendations but discover that Model Y is 30% cheaper and does everything else you wanted.
* Consumers have more ways to get things--getting things through alternative ways like auctions (Ebay) or classifieds (Craigslist) are much eaiser and more mainstream nowadays than using face-to-face auctions or newspaper classifieds were in the past, in my opinion. The barrier between linking up private sellers and buyers has been reduced through the web.