The Long Tail
By now most people are familiar with the concept of “the long tail” — Wired magazine editor Chris Anderson’s digital-era economics theory that busi-nesses with significant distribution capability — like online businesses — can sell a greater number of items at small volumes than of popular items at large volumes. Anderson argues — and not many people have argued back — that products that are in low demand or have low sales volume can collec-tively make up a market share that rivals or exceeds that of the relatively few current bestsellers and blockbusters, if the store or distribution channel is large enough.
Read More »