![]() ![]() There is a popular legend associated with Vilfredo Pareto, a philosopher and sociologist, born in Italy in 1848. Before we jump into it let’s briefly review the emergence of the long tail phenomenon. But there is a dark side to the long tail. It's a positive phenomenon and a boon for both the producers and consumers. This phenomenon of going after the niche audience came to be known as the long tail. Their differentiation is access to the combined audiences and practically unlimited inventory. They could carry thousands of documentaries or movies for a variety of niche audiences. This is what the online entertainers like Netflix did. But when the limited audiences across geography are combined, there would be enough numbers to justify showing that documentary. It may not be possible to rent enough movie theaters to showcase a critically acclaimed documentary due to limited local audiences. Suddenly there was infinite shelf space, unlimited movies and millions of music tracks available for audiences of all kinds. This all changed when online retailers like Amazon, entertainment providers like Netflix and music stores like iTunes entered the market. Before the online revolution, the economy was dedicated to scarcity of shelf space, movie theaters, TV channels and anything that required physical space. ![]() There were not enough channels on TV to broadcast all the available programs. There were not enough movie theaters to carry all the movies to all the audiences. There was not enough room for Walmart to carry every available CD or DVD. The recommendation kick started a new interest in the ten year old book - making it a bestseller!īefore online retailers, the market was driven by hits and bestsellers. This was possible for Amazon as it was not renting any physical space like Barnes and Noble and it’s algorithm was smart enough to recognize similar taste in the reader. When Into Thin Air started selling online, Amazon’s recommendation engine also suggested Touching the Void. It was possible because both the books were available on in 1998. Into Thin Air, the book that came out in 1998-99 was a bestseller but Touching the Void, the other book that was ten years older also became a bestseller in 1998-99! How was that possible? There won't be any reason for Barnes and Noble to carry the older book continuously for 10 years due to limited shelf space and more importantly due to limited potential to sell.Ĭhris Anderson, the editor of the WIRED magazine, discussed what happened in his seminal 2006 article. The book that was a moderate success is forgotten. The above tale sounds pretty believable, correct? Two books in the similar genre - one is a moderate success and other is a bestseller. Unlike Touching the Void, the new book became a bestseller. There was no reason for Barnes and Noble to store Touching the Void, a ten year old book that was just a moderate success. There were other books on mountain climbing on the same shelf as Into Thin Air but Touching the Void was not displayed. The same Barnes and Noble in the small town of Imaginary City displayed it prominently. This book is also about an excruciating near death mountain-climbing experience. It’s 1998 and another book is published by the name of Into Thin Air. Few people bought it but it’s not a bestseller. The book generated good reviews and was displayed prominently in a Barnes and Noble in a small town by the name of Imaginary City. It’s a true account of an excruciating near death experience in the Peruvian Andes. The book is written by Joe Simpson, a British mountain climber. It’s 1988 and a book is published by the name of Touching the Void. ![]()
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