Small local retailers have been at a disadvantage since the Internet changed the way the world shops. The little store around the corner could not compete online with national retailers, but eBay’s recent acquisition of local search engine Milo may level the playing field in the near future.

David Ramadge, head of small and medium business development at eBay and vice president of sales and marketing for Milo.com, says the parent company wants to put every product on every shelf in every store on the Internet. “Small and medium-sized businesses can benefit most from Milo because they don’t always have the money to invest in complicated technical solutions,” he says.

The first step in connecting independent retailers with shoppers is a free beta plug-in called Fetch. After a one-time, three-step installation process, retailers can upload their local inventory to be shared online with real-time availability. Fetch software automatically updates inventory through the POS.

San Francisco-based Honeys & Heroes, a trendy baby and children’s boutique, has been using Milo/Fetch since March. Honeys & Heroes “didn’t have to touch it — it runs itself,” says Alanna Klein, who opened the store after stints as a children’s buyer for Macy’s, Old Navy and Gap.

There was an extra challenge for Fetch where Honeys & Heroes was concerned. “We create our own UPCs rather than use the ones bigger retailers use,” Klein says. With a tweak or two, Milo/Fetch was able to use these unique UPCs to upload and track the boutique’s inventory.