Amazon.com, Inc.

Either through specialized expertise in stores, like lululemon and Under Armour, or by ease of access to a wide variety of products, like Amazon, this year's fastest-growing retailers are going beyond function to a more emotional connection as the key to rapid growth.

With the growing competition from Amazon.com across all sectors in which it competes, brands like Target, Best Buy, Walmart and others are looking to understand how to better compete against this ubiquitous retailer. Results from a new study show that many retailers have a way to go; specifically, for most brands measured, the local store outperforms its online counterpart.