In 1998, AbtElectronics.com was launched and became one of a handful of authorized online retailers for brands like Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Bose and Onkyo. A recent article from the Chicago Tribune stated, "Abt's keys to success are the family's almost fanatical devotion to quality service and competitive pricing, its development of a higher-end niche, its in-the-trenches mode of management and its down-to-earth, low-key approach to selling and showroom decor.