Value. We have many definitions, meanings, abstractions, philosophies on it... I'll cut the unessentials and cut straight to what practical AKA what's important right now... relating to our survival needs and entrepreneurship.
"Think hard and determine what’s really essential and what you can do without." ~ Getting Real, 37signals
This quote points to what is really valuable which focus on essentials (either what people need or what people want right now... the necessities) and ignore the wasteful, unnecessary and unconvenience.
Look back on the gold rush days on San Francisco, California back on the late 19th century... who made more money? The gold-miners? Nope!
It's the wily merchants who sold them the necessities of the pots, washers, pick-axes, and shovels who made a lot by taking advantage of the demand by gold-miners (...and also exploiting the gold-miners emotion of greed too).
So what really is value? Value are "necessities" that are "essential", "indispensable", in demand (meaning people want it right now... preferably with convenience) and it's also something tied to people's day to day activities (daily habits).
What creates demand for something of Value is not just interest... but also fulfilling a need that yearns and are desperate to be fulfilled and to be at ease.
Value is not just about figures and numbers... their is a psychology behind it... like a lack and a yearn to fulfill that lack. Another word for that lack is... "desire!"
You could add desire to the meaning of "Value" too.
This is in my opinion... what "Value" is. Well... a somewhat educated guess-timate.
This the core what drives the market, economy... and your daily habits in online shopping too!