Starting Point: Where people start their search (to buy something or find something).
Decision Engine: Where people make a decision.
Buying Point: Where people actually buy.
What are all the reviews at Amazon for?
Amazon is both a decision engine and a buying engine. They are trying to wean off starting engines like Google and that is why they first tried A9 and now are trying devices in customers' hands.
If you step out of your attempt to defend the poster of the first article you'll realize that her article (not her, just the article) is very short-sighted.
The Internet is destroying entire industries - yet she thinks fashion internet startups should instead compete in the real world.
That makes no sense. We should all play to our strenghts. While she's trying to do backend stuff and help existing Fashion companies, some 'only 3 to 8%' earning Internet startup is going to disrupt the entire industry.
A hacker, in my opinion, is not meant to figure out how to solve the problems the existing industry power players created or want solved.
A hacker, again in my opinion, should solve the most elegant things and solve things for actual people.