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The Long Tail: How Endless Choice Is Creating Unlimited Demand
What happens when there is almost unlimited choice? When everything becomes available to everyone? And when the combined value of the millions of items that only sell in small quantities equals or even exceeds the value of a handful of best-sellers? In this ground-breaking book, Chris Anderson shows that the future of business does not lie in hits - the high-volume end of a traditional demand curve - but in what used to be regarded as misses - the endlessly long tail of that same curve. As our world is transformed by the Internet and the near infinite choice it offers consumers, so traditional business models are being overturned and new truths revealed about what consumers want and how they want to get it. The world of books has been transformed by Amazon; the record business has been transformed by iTunes and Rhapsody; a similar transformation is coming to just about every industry imaginable. Wherever you look, modest sellers, niche products and quirky titles are becoming an immensely powerful cumulative force. Chris Anderson first explored the Long Tail in an article in "Wired" magazine that has become one of the most influential business essays of our time. Now, in this eagerly anticipated book, he takes a closer look at the new economics of the Internet age, showing where business is going and exploring the huge opportunities that for new producers, new e-tailers, and new tastemakers. He demonstrates how long tail economics apply to industries ranging from the toy business to advertising to kitchen appliances. He sets down the rules for operating in a long tail economy. And he provides a glimpse of a future that's already here.
Hardcover
First published July 11, 2006
About the author
Chris Anderson
159 books729 followersChris Anderson was named in April 2007 to the "Time 100," the newsmagazine's list of the 100 men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world. He is Editor-in-Chief of Wired magazine, a position he took in 2001, and he has led the magazine to six National Magazine Award nominations, winning the prestigious top prize for General Excellence in 2005 and 2007. He is the author of the New York Times best-seller The Long Tail, which is based on an influential 2004 article published in Wired, and runs a blog on the subject at www.thelongtail.com. Previously, he was at The Economist, where he served as US Business Editor, Asia Business Editor; and Technology Editor. He started The Economist's Internet coverage in 1994 and directed its initial web strategy. Anderson's media career began at the two premier science journals, Nature and Science, where he served in several editorial capacities. Prior to that he was a physics researcher at the Los Alamos National Lab."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 771 reviews
October 21, 2009
OK, this book gets down-graded because it is an excellent example of snake oil. Kool Aid.
Let me explain. I'm sure that some people love this book. However, Chris Anderson takes an excellent insight, then extends and extrapolates this insight all out of shape, drawing general conclusions about the whole economy that make absolutely no sense.
First, consider the source. Chris Anderson is the editor-in-chief of Wired magazine. If you've never read Wired, it is a huge media cheerleader for the high technology / IT industries. For example, the articles in Wired display consistent technological triumphalism, like a discussion of the "death of print books," without providing supporting data or a complete picture.
The Wired ethos permeates this book. Example: Anderson says that he can point to "hundreds" of examples of companies that typify the Long Tail approach, but spends the most page space on a select few: Amazon, Rhapsody, Google, etc. Anderson also focuses on music and books for examples, then makes generalizations about all business enterprises that have no economic basis for manufacturing or other non-entertainment industries. The chapter on aggregation seems to have the general message "push the inventory problems down to third party suppliers," yet this kind of strategy can lead to fundamental breakdowns in your ability to deliver unless you can scale like (guess who?) Amazon - especially when you are talking about cars, refrigerators, etc. that are real products.
After 100 pages I could not take this book seriously. It's a shame. The insight of the Long Tail, that you can make a business case for selling a wider diversity of products that aren't "mega-hits," makes a lot of sense. Web technology makes the selling of these products possible in a way that was not possible with brick-and-mortar stores. However, an understanding of how several successful businesses harnessed this idea is not directly generalizable to an entire economy. Making unsupported claims about supposed new "truths" does not make these claims actually true.
Let me explain. I'm sure that some people love this book. However, Chris Anderson takes an excellent insight, then extends and extrapolates this insight all out of shape, drawing general conclusions about the whole economy that make absolutely no sense.
First, consider the source. Chris Anderson is the editor-in-chief of Wired magazine. If you've never read Wired, it is a huge media cheerleader for the high technology / IT industries. For example, the articles in Wired display consistent technological triumphalism, like a discussion of the "death of print books," without providing supporting data or a complete picture.
The Wired ethos permeates this book. Example: Anderson says that he can point to "hundreds" of examples of companies that typify the Long Tail approach, but spends the most page space on a select few: Amazon, Rhapsody, Google, etc. Anderson also focuses on music and books for examples, then makes generalizations about all business enterprises that have no economic basis for manufacturing or other non-entertainment industries. The chapter on aggregation seems to have the general message "push the inventory problems down to third party suppliers," yet this kind of strategy can lead to fundamental breakdowns in your ability to deliver unless you can scale like (guess who?) Amazon - especially when you are talking about cars, refrigerators, etc. that are real products.
After 100 pages I could not take this book seriously. It's a shame. The insight of the Long Tail, that you can make a business case for selling a wider diversity of products that aren't "mega-hits," makes a lot of sense. Web technology makes the selling of these products possible in a way that was not possible with brick-and-mortar stores. However, an understanding of how several successful businesses harnessed this idea is not directly generalizable to an entire economy. Making unsupported claims about supposed new "truths" does not make these claims actually true.
October 9, 2007
Interesting Tidbits
- Three forces need to create the long tail:
1. democratize production: give average people the ability to create quality content (movies, music, blogs)
2. democratize distribution: technology to aggregate *all* the content in a genre (Amazon, Netflix, iTunes)
3. Connect Supply and Demand: filters to help people find the niche's they are interested in (Google, recommendations, best-seller lists)
- One quarter of Amazon's sales come from books outside its top 100,000 titles. Thus having a long tail adds ~33% to your bottom line.
- Ranking bestsellers across niche's genre's gives little value. Filters to rank items must be applied within each niche to become relevant. Goodreads could improve here.
- As the number of niche's increases, the ability of people to consume more content within the genre increases. This depends on the genre, but it gives me hope that we can increase the number of people who read through Goodreads, by creating better filters to connect readers of various niche's.
- each year 200,000 books are published in english, and fewer than 20,000 make it into a bookstore. Only 2% of the books published in 2004 sold more than 5000 copies, and can be considered profitable.
- There is another factor that determines why people create content, other than money: reputation.
- Ebay has 60 million active users
- Three forces need to create the long tail:
1. democratize production: give average people the ability to create quality content (movies, music, blogs)
2. democratize distribution: technology to aggregate *all* the content in a genre (Amazon, Netflix, iTunes)
3. Connect Supply and Demand: filters to help people find the niche's they are interested in (Google, recommendations, best-seller lists)
- One quarter of Amazon's sales come from books outside its top 100,000 titles. Thus having a long tail adds ~33% to your bottom line.
- Ranking bestsellers across niche's genre's gives little value. Filters to rank items must be applied within each niche to become relevant. Goodreads could improve here.
- As the number of niche's increases, the ability of people to consume more content within the genre increases. This depends on the genre, but it gives me hope that we can increase the number of people who read through Goodreads, by creating better filters to connect readers of various niche's.
- each year 200,000 books are published in english, and fewer than 20,000 make it into a bookstore. Only 2% of the books published in 2004 sold more than 5000 copies, and can be considered profitable.
- There is another factor that determines why people create content, other than money: reputation.
- Ebay has 60 million active users
September 25, 2011
I disliked this book for two reasons: I do not believe it represents any original ideas and it is, like most business books, horribly verbose. Yawn-zilla. Yawn-a-saurus rex. Avoid.
I take issue with the idea that this book even represents a body of original ideas. The long tail concept is very cute, but after reading it, I can't stop thinking about the story of Sears-Roebuck which Anderson writes about. The notion of giving people access to a plethora of products that were heretofore unobtainable has been done before, we're told. The conclusion I drew was that Amazon and other businesses like it simply do the same thing for the world today that Sears-Roebuck did back then, so that there's still nothing new under the sun. Anderson works backward, arguing that Sears-Roebuck represented an earlier, similar long tail phenomenon. The economics of "abundance" still seems to me to fall into the realm of orthodox economics of a kind Adam Smith would have well-understood: In competitive markets, price approaches marginal cost. Since bits are so cheap that we can take their cost to be negligible, we can provide more and more varied kinds of bits. Instead, Anderson seems to start by assuming this is something totally new and has to develop an elaborate mythology around it so that he'll have something to write about for 300 pages. Like the Black Swan, this book could have been 50 pages and offered as an ebook, satisfying Anderson's own long-tail definition by not fitting the typical pattern of other boring business books.
I take issue with the idea that this book even represents a body of original ideas. The long tail concept is very cute, but after reading it, I can't stop thinking about the story of Sears-Roebuck which Anderson writes about. The notion of giving people access to a plethora of products that were heretofore unobtainable has been done before, we're told. The conclusion I drew was that Amazon and other businesses like it simply do the same thing for the world today that Sears-Roebuck did back then, so that there's still nothing new under the sun. Anderson works backward, arguing that Sears-Roebuck represented an earlier, similar long tail phenomenon. The economics of "abundance" still seems to me to fall into the realm of orthodox economics of a kind Adam Smith would have well-understood: In competitive markets, price approaches marginal cost. Since bits are so cheap that we can take their cost to be negligible, we can provide more and more varied kinds of bits. Instead, Anderson seems to start by assuming this is something totally new and has to develop an elaborate mythology around it so that he'll have something to write about for 300 pages. Like the Black Swan, this book could have been 50 pages and offered as an ebook, satisfying Anderson's own long-tail definition by not fitting the typical pattern of other boring business books.
September 7, 2016
Coada lungă
oferă o perspectivă interesantă asupra provocărilor pe care le ridică digitalizarea, avântul de neoprit al tehnologiei și dezvoltarea piețelor virtuale în contextul economiei globale. Pornind de la principiile clasice ale interacțiunii dintre cerere și ofertă, Chris Anderson analizează cu luciditate modificarea legilor economice și orientarea din ce în ce mai accentuată a consumatorilor și producătorilor spre economiile de nișă, folosindu-se de exemplul unor proiecte de success – Alibaba, Amazon, Netflix, iTunes, YouTube etc.
Deși am citit cartea asta mai mult forțată de circumstanțe (work-related :-s), Coada lungă s-a dovedit a fi o lucrare impresionantă și cu valoare reală, un must-read pentru cei interesați de mediul virtual și implicațiile acestuia asupra afacerilor moderne.
Deși am citit cartea asta mai mult forțată de circumstanțe (work-related :-s), Coada lungă s-a dovedit a fi o lucrare impresionantă și cu valoare reală, un must-read pentru cei interesați de mediul virtual și implicațiile acestuia asupra afacerilor moderne.
June 6, 2009
I give up...I can't take any more of this horribly boring book. My economics textbook keeps my interest better than this, which is extremely sad. I'm giving it two stars instead of one only because it had a few good tidbits of information regarding the evolution of the music and publishing industries (there was some interesting stuff about things such as Myspace and Lulu that I hadn't heard before). None the less, this is another book about an idea that probably made a fascinating article in a magazine or a slightly interesting online blog, but expanding it into a book took it beyond its attention captivating capabilities. You could easily fit what the book addresses into a multi-page article without loosing any of the integrity of the theory (and without boring the reader to tears).
February 9, 2009
This book is an exploration of how niche markets are on the rise courtesy of better distribution. And that's a gross summary. Much discussion is given to the rise of the digital world and how it's expanded the marketplace so that there can be a Long Tail Distribution (for you statistics nerds out there)--- beyond the major hits, you can continue to sell (for example) less popular items, and lots of them. There are markets within markets.
A very conversationally written book, by the editor of Wired, it taught me a lot I didn't know about the digital age, the blogosphere, etc, and it's a fun read for entrepreneurs.
For some of us it was required reading for a class, but lemme tell you, it beat the hell out of a coursepack!
A very conversationally written book, by the editor of Wired, it taught me a lot I didn't know about the digital age, the blogosphere, etc, and it's a fun read for entrepreneurs.
For some of us it was required reading for a class, but lemme tell you, it beat the hell out of a coursepack!
February 5, 2018
I’ve read this book many years ago and revisited it now in 2018 as a way to see how many or little things have changed.
This is a book written when - quote - “YouTube was a 6 months old website”, and “Netflix will some day go into streaming rather than sending movies on DVDs”.
Definitely worth reading on the long tail theory which absolutely applies to today’s market and products. Heck we even see a long tail of products now (apps)!
This is a book written when - quote - “YouTube was a 6 months old website”, and “Netflix will some day go into streaming rather than sending movies on DVDs”.
Definitely worth reading on the long tail theory which absolutely applies to today’s market and products. Heck we even see a long tail of products now (apps)!
March 12, 2010
I’ve been reading what I like to think of as some “business-lite” books for school, pulling me (kicking & screaming) away from my beloved novels, fictional worlds, and imaginary characters. Apparently there is little or no place for novels in business. The good news is that these business-lite books are, by their very nature, super-readable and somewhat interesting. They are also (again, I guess by their very nature) the most repetitive books imaginable. While I like novels, and have even read some relatively challenging ones in my time, I’m not some brainiac devotee of Ulysses and Gravity’s Rainbow and Infinite Jest (never read any of ‘em), so I don’t think I’m holding any of these books to some unattainable standard. Plain and simple: these books repeat themselves like children’s literature. Like a nursery rhyme. Reading Chris Anderson’s The Long Tail was like reading Goodnight Moon with the words “long” and “tail” replacing the words “goodnight” and “moon.”
Some theories on this:
a) The Captains (not to mention the Lieutenants & Corporals & Privates) of Industry who read these books want to have the main points drilled and re-drilled through their brains for anything to stick well enough to be integrated into their “elevator speeches.”
b) These business-lite books all begin as tiny magazine essays, little newspaper columns, or short speeches that are then fleshed out into books, but never really have enough meat on their bones to fill out an entire book-skeleton. (Gross?)
c) The writers are bad.
d) The readers are stupid.
e) All of the above?
Actually, I think it’s sort of e), except that the writers aren’t really that bad and the readers probably aren’t that stupid (maybe a little on both scores but just a little). Mostly I think there’s simply not enough substance in any of these books to fill an entire BOOK. Essay, definitely. Pamphlet, sure. Book, nope.
This is not to say that these books are not interesting. Far from it. The Long Tail was actually very interesting and helpful in putting a lot of ideas into a cohesive and compelling theory. The central thesis is that in a world of easy digital distribution, choices are so abundant that the so-called "niches" are a source of incredible growth. (I can write this from memory, so maybe having the thesis drilled into my brain over and over was, in fact, useful.) With Amazon and iTunes and Netflix (Anderson LOVES those guys!), scarcity of shelf space is no longer an issue, so the online stores can stock everything, and be able to sell a wider array of products to fewer people and still make money. Anyway, I was fascinated by the combination of not just the economic and technological, but also the cultural, analysis. Or at least the economic and technological analyses opened lots of doors to further cultural analyses.
Thomas Friedman’s Hot, Flat, and Crowded worked sort of the same way – it felt particularly cobbled together from bits and pieces of pre-existing columns, but still had some thought-provoking moments. Those thought-provoking moments, however, were buried beneath a mountain of simplistic analysis and insanely repetitive writing. After the first 100 pages you can read one out of every four paragraphs and more than follow the arguments. If you think Anderson’s writing is repetitive, Friedman’s has the quadruple whammy of being doubly repetitive AND doubly simplistic. The Long Tail : Goodnight Moon :: Hot, Flat, and Crowded : Where's Spot?
And if Hot, Flat, and Crowded is like Where's Spot?, then Larry Weber’s Marketing to the Social Web is like a finger-painting on the fridge. It almost has those huge cardboard pages that tiny, chubby fingers can turn. As with the others, the ideas it contains are not bad, it’s just a book that should have been a 10-page paper. It probably WAS at some point. Why it needed to be torturously extended over 272 pages no one will ever know. Oh wait, I might’ve just figured it out: maybe it has something to do with selling a 272-page hardback book on Amazon for $16.47 and making a whole lot more moolah from it than a 10-page paper that you can maybe post on your blog or hand out to your friends at dinner parties or something.
So I get it, Larry Weber; I understand, Thomas Friedman; I see you, Chris Anderson. But it's almost enough to make a reader feel crazy. Every page is like, “didn’t I just read this?” and then sometimes you’re like “I AM READING A SENTENCE COPIED VERBATIM FROM THREE PARAGRAPHS AGO!!!”
In conclusion, The Long Tail is by far the least annoying of the three, and it is absolutely worth reading. Hot, Flat, and Crowded – if you ever read Friedman’s columns in the Times, skip it; if you don’t ever read those columns, then maybe skim the book. Marketing to the Social Web...I think you could probably get the salient stuff from just about any blog. Including this one, if you care to ask me.
"Marketing, Spot, marketing!"
Some theories on this:
a) The Captains (not to mention the Lieutenants & Corporals & Privates) of Industry who read these books want to have the main points drilled and re-drilled through their brains for anything to stick well enough to be integrated into their “elevator speeches.”
b) These business-lite books all begin as tiny magazine essays, little newspaper columns, or short speeches that are then fleshed out into books, but never really have enough meat on their bones to fill out an entire book-skeleton. (Gross?)
c) The writers are bad.
d) The readers are stupid.
e) All of the above?
Actually, I think it’s sort of e), except that the writers aren’t really that bad and the readers probably aren’t that stupid (maybe a little on both scores but just a little). Mostly I think there’s simply not enough substance in any of these books to fill an entire BOOK. Essay, definitely. Pamphlet, sure. Book, nope.
This is not to say that these books are not interesting. Far from it. The Long Tail was actually very interesting and helpful in putting a lot of ideas into a cohesive and compelling theory. The central thesis is that in a world of easy digital distribution, choices are so abundant that the so-called "niches" are a source of incredible growth. (I can write this from memory, so maybe having the thesis drilled into my brain over and over was, in fact, useful.) With Amazon and iTunes and Netflix (Anderson LOVES those guys!), scarcity of shelf space is no longer an issue, so the online stores can stock everything, and be able to sell a wider array of products to fewer people and still make money. Anyway, I was fascinated by the combination of not just the economic and technological, but also the cultural, analysis. Or at least the economic and technological analyses opened lots of doors to further cultural analyses.
Thomas Friedman’s Hot, Flat, and Crowded worked sort of the same way – it felt particularly cobbled together from bits and pieces of pre-existing columns, but still had some thought-provoking moments. Those thought-provoking moments, however, were buried beneath a mountain of simplistic analysis and insanely repetitive writing. After the first 100 pages you can read one out of every four paragraphs and more than follow the arguments. If you think Anderson’s writing is repetitive, Friedman’s has the quadruple whammy of being doubly repetitive AND doubly simplistic. The Long Tail : Goodnight Moon :: Hot, Flat, and Crowded : Where's Spot?
And if Hot, Flat, and Crowded is like Where's Spot?, then Larry Weber’s Marketing to the Social Web is like a finger-painting on the fridge. It almost has those huge cardboard pages that tiny, chubby fingers can turn. As with the others, the ideas it contains are not bad, it’s just a book that should have been a 10-page paper. It probably WAS at some point. Why it needed to be torturously extended over 272 pages no one will ever know. Oh wait, I might’ve just figured it out: maybe it has something to do with selling a 272-page hardback book on Amazon for $16.47 and making a whole lot more moolah from it than a 10-page paper that you can maybe post on your blog or hand out to your friends at dinner parties or something.
So I get it, Larry Weber; I understand, Thomas Friedman; I see you, Chris Anderson. But it's almost enough to make a reader feel crazy. Every page is like, “didn’t I just read this?” and then sometimes you’re like “I AM READING A SENTENCE COPIED VERBATIM FROM THREE PARAGRAPHS AGO!!!”
In conclusion, The Long Tail is by far the least annoying of the three, and it is absolutely worth reading. Hot, Flat, and Crowded – if you ever read Friedman’s columns in the Times, skip it; if you don’t ever read those columns, then maybe skim the book. Marketing to the Social Web...I think you could probably get the salient stuff from just about any blog. Including this one, if you care to ask me.
"Marketing, Spot, marketing!"
April 29, 2022
Ideas now seem a bit outdated in 2022 world IMO (economies of scale from successful creatives or the 1st/2nd place winners of categories will allow them to continue to dominate + attention fatigue continues to allow the winners to be the easier pick or option for consumers, ie paradox of choice is still very powerful)
Refreshing (in today’s age) and interesting to hear the optimism of the advent of the web2.0 era though
Refreshing (in today’s age) and interesting to hear the optimism of the advent of the web2.0 era though
January 17, 2022
Capitalism. Capitalism everywhere. This could have easily been left to a 15 min Ted talk and you'd have got all the main points of it.
March 13, 2008
I heard a clip on this book on NPR back in August and have had wanted to read this book for sometime. When I first heard about this book, we were having a conflict with one of our e-commerce customers. There SKU base kept growing and my boss kept saying they did not control their inventory. Well, here is proof positive that they did know what they were doing. The book is written by an editor of Wired magazine. The basic premise is that with infinite variety and reduced (and in many cases zero) distribution costs, the non-hits are where the future of profitability in business. Basically, you need low distribution/production costs (democratize production), high amount of content (democratize distribution – aggregators like Amazon and iTunes), and filters to support decision making. Some good quotes, :Walmarts shelves are a display case a mile wide and twenty-four inches deep. At first glance that may look like everything, but in a world that’s actually a mile wide and a mile deep, a veneer of variety just isn’t enough.” Why isn’t WKRP in Cincinnati out on DVD – licensing for all the classic rock that was fundamental to the TV show that can not be license for the DVD. Why is it so hard to find new releases on Netflicks. Because the Studios have a sliding scale on DVD prices that actually decrease by MONTH. So, $20+ in the first two months and sliding out to $10 by 18 months. Statistics – Average blockbuster store has 3K DVDs while NetFlicks has 60K. Average Borders has 100K books, while Amazon has 3.7M books. Walmart has 3500 CDs (or 55K songs) and Rhapsody has 1.5M songs. Internet retail is about 5% of American retail spending, but growing 25% per year. Another good point, with more options, you have a better chance to be more satisfied and also a better chance to be very unsatisfied. More options does mean more crap, but also more gems. Netflicks allows people who do not live in a university town to see foreign and independent films.
May 6, 2019
Cảm thấy khá hài lòng, xuyên suốt cuốn sách, tác giả đã đưa ra rất nhiều ví dụ thực tế để làm mình thấy rõ hơn 2 điều
- Tại sao các ông lớn như Google, Facebook, Amazon... lại đưa ra những cách thức kinh doanh như vậy.
- Cách mà những ông lớn này tận dụng người dùng làm việc miễn phí cho họ như thế nào.
Kiến thức trong cuốn sách này rất giá trị cho những ai chưa có ý tưởng kinh doanh hoặc đơn giản là muốn tìm hiểu những mô hình kinh doanh đã và đang thành công.
1 điểm trừ là tác giả viết hơi dài nên đọc hơi mệt.
- Tại sao các ông lớn như Google, Facebook, Amazon... lại đưa ra những cách thức kinh doanh như vậy.
- Cách mà những ông lớn này tận dụng người dùng làm việc miễn phí cho họ như thế nào.
Kiến thức trong cuốn sách này rất giá trị cho những ai chưa có ý tưởng kinh doanh hoặc đơn giản là muốn tìm hiểu những mô hình kinh doanh đã và đang thành công.
1 điểm trừ là tác giả viết hơi dài nên đọc hơi mệt.
July 23, 2019
The book is amazing, it is just outdated, written 12 years ago, before Facebook, twitter, youtube, spotify and netflix.
We are basically living now what he described in the book as what might happen with the development of the long tail.
We are basically living now what he described in the book as what might happen with the development of the long tail.
August 29, 2022
May revisit with a longer review, but the short tail of it is the relentless cheerleading for big tech and the “visionary” exploiteneurs Bezos and a whole host of others—many of which had already crashed and burned by the time I picked up the book a few years after publication. The tail turned out to be overly long or just too skinny for the likes of Ecast, Excite, or hell, even Lehman Bros.?
Almost entirely about lo-fi music streaming and movies and other shit that has to be marketed heavily to create / manufacture want—i.e. useless stuff.
The author asserts in the intro that he “coined the term ‘The Long Tail’”, which is total bullshit. The phrase—to describe the downside risk of the same “phenomena” at the uber-commercial heart of this book—has been used in finance, and insurance specifically, since at least the early 1900s.
Almost entirely about lo-fi music streaming and movies and other shit that has to be marketed heavily to create / manufacture want—i.e. useless stuff.
The author asserts in the intro that he “coined the term ‘The Long Tail’”, which is total bullshit. The phrase—to describe the downside risk of the same “phenomena” at the uber-commercial heart of this book—has been used in finance, and insurance specifically, since at least the early 1900s.
September 3, 2007
one of the most important guides to the dotcom econ - although after a while you might get tired of being told of the same thing over and over again (esp Wired readers might find it annoying of being told what they've discovered a long time ago) each of the stories page after page are another nail on the coffin - and most of us down here in ANALOG INDONESIA with rolling blackouts (wiping out your lifetime of data in seconds) can just dream away. a must-read for non-practitioners, and a good confirmation for us who has an online bookstore... But then, in a fully digital life that's analyzed here, scarcity is a thing in the past. While "scarcity" is the center of "economy" as a discipline. So what would happen if scarcity is irrelevant? THERE are also two bonus revelations: DEATH OF DEWEY, the decimal system used by libraries to list & store their books collections - NOW we just type any subject/author/booktitle, like GOODREADS here, and we'll find the book - even tho' we don't even know it (a title) exists yet. Not only it renders Dewey obsolete, it will also EXPAND the universe of subject selections of the extremely provincial and limited Dewey (Dewey didn't list Islam and Hindu as part of its Religion subject, ignorant to the fact that a large part of earth's population subscribe to these two religions). More choices ARE GOOD, not paralyzing - as long as we got good selections of more choices, and assistance on getting these good recommendations (see the MIT lady's column) - for example: after the digital world offer more choices for couples, the wedding planner profession grows - where availability and convenience equal more sales. DOUBLE EFFECT of digital search: shorten search + increase sales/grow market.
Another phenomenon CA presents is "democratization of production tools" resulting in an explosion of works plus distribution channels, subcultures ("microcultures") grow, the "mass" gets less massified.. is this risking nations' disintegration? CA's optimistic that these are only extending our network's power, strengthens the bonds between us and our friends, sharing music/content, even tho' we do "egocasting" (pursuit of individual personal taste enabled by TiVo, iPods) - there's no statistics to back this optimism, tho'.. at least mainstream TV producers & daily editors should learn fast; "The Audience is the Network," summarized JibJab's guru Spiradellis, hence the phenomena of YouTube/Google Video, also blogger v. old-school journalism (see Technorati's blog prominence chart, pg 187) - if you don't have time to read the whole book (beware of the Indonesian version, they delete portions of the book - maybe because they can't find the perfect translation!!) read the 9 rules of Long Tail towards the end of the book.
Another phenomenon CA presents is "democratization of production tools" resulting in an explosion of works plus distribution channels, subcultures ("microcultures") grow, the "mass" gets less massified.. is this risking nations' disintegration? CA's optimistic that these are only extending our network's power, strengthens the bonds between us and our friends, sharing music/content, even tho' we do "egocasting" (pursuit of individual personal taste enabled by TiVo, iPods) - there's no statistics to back this optimism, tho'.. at least mainstream TV producers & daily editors should learn fast; "The Audience is the Network," summarized JibJab's guru Spiradellis, hence the phenomena of YouTube/Google Video, also blogger v. old-school journalism (see Technorati's blog prominence chart, pg 187) - if you don't have time to read the whole book (beware of the Indonesian version, they delete portions of the book - maybe because they can't find the perfect translation!!) read the 9 rules of Long Tail towards the end of the book.
April 14, 2020
This book was a bit of a weird read because it was written far enough ago now that a bunch of its references and case studies are out of date. For example, it was talking about Blockbuster and Napster, which are hardly relevant in 2020.
But still, the ideas in this book are super important and have influenced a whole generation of businessmen and marketers, and so even though bits of it felt out of date, it was still very much worth reading. True, if you’re already familiar with the overall concept of the long tail then there’s nothing much here to learn about, but if you’re not then I’d suggest giving this a read to make sure that you are.
I mean, with that said, there’s also a whole heap of research and case studies here for you to learn from, although again, you should remember that some of them are out of date. Honestly, this is such a seminal book that the chances are that there’s an updated edition knocking around, so maybe have a look to check that out before buying a used copy, like I did.
But overall, I would of course recommend it if you’re the entrepreneurial type. If not, there’s not much point, although it could give you a greater insight into the way things actually work.
But still, the ideas in this book are super important and have influenced a whole generation of businessmen and marketers, and so even though bits of it felt out of date, it was still very much worth reading. True, if you’re already familiar with the overall concept of the long tail then there’s nothing much here to learn about, but if you’re not then I’d suggest giving this a read to make sure that you are.
I mean, with that said, there’s also a whole heap of research and case studies here for you to learn from, although again, you should remember that some of them are out of date. Honestly, this is such a seminal book that the chances are that there’s an updated edition knocking around, so maybe have a look to check that out before buying a used copy, like I did.
But overall, I would of course recommend it if you’re the entrepreneurial type. If not, there’s not much point, although it could give you a greater insight into the way things actually work.
May 5, 2009
Chris Anderson's book can be summarized by saying that the consumer retail market these days is driven more by a bottom-up movement (what he calls "post-filters") than by top-down factors ("pre-filters"). The idea can also be synthesized by saying that "hits" are no longer as big as they once were because they now compete with individuals with louder voices.
For example, during its most popular seasons, "I Love Lucy" was watched by 70 percent of households with televisions. That kind of homogenized market in TV viewership is unheard of today. You can't draw that kind of percentage even with a presidential address. The reason is obvious: we have so many more choices. Anderson analyzes this in many markets (music, television, clothing, even the button industry) and all yield the same paradigm shift: we're moving towards a culture of niches, one that ultimately complements (not replaces) the "hits" we're used to.
This is a fantastic modern read. Anderson not only describes with detail and humor the consumerist society in which we participate, but does it with a very relaxed, colloquial tone that allows a quick, enjoyable read.
For example, during its most popular seasons, "I Love Lucy" was watched by 70 percent of households with televisions. That kind of homogenized market in TV viewership is unheard of today. You can't draw that kind of percentage even with a presidential address. The reason is obvious: we have so many more choices. Anderson analyzes this in many markets (music, television, clothing, even the button industry) and all yield the same paradigm shift: we're moving towards a culture of niches, one that ultimately complements (not replaces) the "hits" we're used to.
This is a fantastic modern read. Anderson not only describes with detail and humor the consumerist society in which we participate, but does it with a very relaxed, colloquial tone that allows a quick, enjoyable read.
Read
January 31, 2022[written in 2006]
I’m sitting here at my computer in Homer, writing this review in email, fixing to send it off to Barbara in Scottsdale, for publication in either the eNews or the Poisoned Pen newsletter, to be read by subscribers all over the nation and the world. And suddenly I realize, Barbara is obeying one of the dictums of the Long Tail -- she’s letting the customers do the work. I’m in the middle of a marketing revolution of which I could only see some parts some of the time.
Now that I can see them all and Anderson has explained the cause and effect of them so well, it seems so simple and so obvious. Down with bestseller thinking! Trust the market to do your job! Understand the power of the free! Order this book now, especially if you are connected in any way to retail sales. Which, let’s face it, we all are. I particularly love the Kitchen Aide and the Lego stories.
I’m sitting here at my computer in Homer, writing this review in email, fixing to send it off to Barbara in Scottsdale, for publication in either the eNews or the Poisoned Pen newsletter, to be read by subscribers all over the nation and the world. And suddenly I realize, Barbara is obeying one of the dictums of the Long Tail -- she’s letting the customers do the work. I’m in the middle of a marketing revolution of which I could only see some parts some of the time.
Now that I can see them all and Anderson has explained the cause and effect of them so well, it seems so simple and so obvious. Down with bestseller thinking! Trust the market to do your job! Understand the power of the free! Order this book now, especially if you are connected in any way to retail sales. Which, let’s face it, we all are. I particularly love the Kitchen Aide and the Lego stories.
April 11, 2008
One of the most interesting non-fiction books I've ever read. Sort of a combination of economics, technology, and culture. Anderson presents compelling arguments and data to identify, examine and extrapolate on a clear inflection point in the macro environment today. Tools of production are more readily available (think desktop publishing, blogging, and digital video), distribution is cheaper and more widely available (think Netflix, iTunes or Amazon v bricks-n-mortar), and a wide range of recommendations / reviews / personally-tailored content identifiers are out there. A sea change is underway.
* Couldn't finish
** I had nothing else to do
*** Passed the time, would be **** for genre / author fans
**** Everyone could enjoy this book
***** Everyone should read this book, I'll read it again
* Couldn't finish
** I had nothing else to do
*** Passed the time, would be **** for genre / author fans
**** Everyone could enjoy this book
***** Everyone should read this book, I'll read it again
October 31, 2009
The book, and its main idea of the Long Tail, has seriously affected the way I see many industries. When the digital book world started really taking off, after Amazon jumped in, I found myself referring to it in discussions of the future of the publishing industry. The internet has allowed businesses to reach consumers (and for consumers to reach businesses) who fall out of the majority--who "live" in the long tail. An important book in helping understand the effect the internet has had on retail particularly.
January 5, 2022
The author, with clairvoyance, offered a vision into the Long Tail of E-Commerce, so much so that the term has become the generic industry name for the concept.
It's a brilliant book, one that's a must read for anyone interested in E-Commerce selling, inventory and stocking for non-physical businesses. The Long tail has also revolutionized lives of many small/micro sellers on large platforms like Amazon, and this book is a good primer for first time sellers too.
It's a brilliant book, one that's a must read for anyone interested in E-Commerce selling, inventory and stocking for non-physical businesses. The Long tail has also revolutionized lives of many small/micro sellers on large platforms like Amazon, and this book is a good primer for first time sellers too.
January 18, 2020
We discussed the phenomenon in our MBA classroom for Long Tail marking an important trend in consumer behavior/consumption. Thanks to the huge cost reduction from technology improvement, from new business model (network/sharing economy), fat tail products could reach farther to its potential customers. The book, however, delivers in a messy and repeated structure. What was delivered in 250 pages could easily done in an half without losing its sharpness and accuracy.
January 20, 2021
Undeva la mijlocul cartii trageam de mine sa o termin cat mai repede. Ceva se intampla acolo. Poate prea multe exemple din industria de entertainment, muzica si film, se simte o usoara repetitie pe alocuri.
"Coada lunga" este genul de carte care prezinta o idee principala, o parte teoretica, multe studii de caz si cateva recomandari despre cum sa actionezi in contextul prezentat. Cam mult despre o idee relativ simpla.
Ca este o coada lunga sau ca pur si simplu internetul este un cu totul alt animal si ca raportul lui Pareto de 80/20 nu se aplica atunci cand o tehnologie noua schimba radical piata, permitand costuri foarte mici pentru prezentarea produselor, acoperirea unei suprafete tehnic nelimitate si alimentata de nenumarate recenzii, comparatia aceasta intre analogic si online (dincolo de digital) mi se pare in sine mai putin importanta.
Dat fiind ca este o carte publicata in 2006 suna pe alocuri putin arhaic. Autorul vorbeste,printre altele, despre comertul cu dvd-uri, un netflix inca in fasa, ebay, inceputurile amazon si google, iar facebook, instagram, aplicatiile mobile abia se conturau la orizont, filtrele de cautare sunt niste geniale, iar comertul online insuma abia 10% din piata.
Dincolo de notiunile teoretice puteti considera studiile de caz drept niste lectii de istorie din evolutia internetului si apreciez efortul autorului. Putini isi imaginau ce avant va avea internetul si cat de radical se va schimba tot, iar ceea ce parea revolutionar in 2006 acum este acceptat ca normal si integrat seamless in vietile noastre.
"Coada lunga" este genul de carte care prezinta o idee principala, o parte teoretica, multe studii de caz si cateva recomandari despre cum sa actionezi in contextul prezentat. Cam mult despre o idee relativ simpla.
Ca este o coada lunga sau ca pur si simplu internetul este un cu totul alt animal si ca raportul lui Pareto de 80/20 nu se aplica atunci cand o tehnologie noua schimba radical piata, permitand costuri foarte mici pentru prezentarea produselor, acoperirea unei suprafete tehnic nelimitate si alimentata de nenumarate recenzii, comparatia aceasta intre analogic si online (dincolo de digital) mi se pare in sine mai putin importanta.
Dat fiind ca este o carte publicata in 2006 suna pe alocuri putin arhaic. Autorul vorbeste,printre altele, despre comertul cu dvd-uri, un netflix inca in fasa, ebay, inceputurile amazon si google, iar facebook, instagram, aplicatiile mobile abia se conturau la orizont, filtrele de cautare sunt niste geniale, iar comertul online insuma abia 10% din piata.
Dincolo de notiunile teoretice puteti considera studiile de caz drept niste lectii de istorie din evolutia internetului si apreciez efortul autorului. Putini isi imaginau ce avant va avea internetul si cat de radical se va schimba tot, iar ceea ce parea revolutionar in 2006 acum este acceptat ca normal si integrat seamless in vietile noastre.
January 13, 2018
Such biz. books, where the author is laying out a pattern, idea or a concept, are interesting when those ideas are exemplified i.e. the cases with which the author's trying to prove their point. Those are the most interesting patches for me, though at times things just feel repetitive.
September 4, 2020
232-The Long Tail-Chris Anderson-Business-2006
Barack
2019/08/13
2020/06/24
- hearts of the people who in the world , the business world is also true . A product if able to mobilize the enthusiasm of most of the use of ordinary people , it can be a great success. Taobao allows ordinary people to be shopkeepers . Weibo enables ordinary people to be spokespersons. The WeChat public platform allows ordinary people to be editor-in-chief . Vibrato so that ordinary people can do host . The sum of the creativity of the people is at least equal to the talents of a few talented people . If we can provide ordinary people with creative tools, we can succeed.
"The Long Tail" (The Long Tail), first published in the United States in 2006. This book mainly introduces the development of the long tail market. It believes that the future of business and culture does not lie in the head of “hits” on the traditional demand curve; it is the long tail of “misses” that is often forgotten.
Chris Anderson was born in London, England in 1961. Studied at the University of Maryland, George Washington University. He was the editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, a US technology website. After resigning to start a business. Representative works: "Long Tail Theory", "Free: Future Business", "Maker: New Industrial Revolution", etc.
Part of the catalog
1. Long tail market
2. The rise and fall of the big hits
3. The three powers of the long tail
4. New producer
5. New markets
6. New fashion leader
7. Long tail economics
8. The shelf battle
9. Choose heaven
10. Niche culture
Rankings, mainstreams, and big hits have always been things that the general public chased, especially in the era of material scarcity; in this case, individual individual needs and preferences are often forced to give up due to objective conditions.
When the material is greatly satisfied, people are no longer so superstitious about popular and mainstream, and have the ability to pursue and satisfy their own specialization needs, and even a small number of people deliberately seek to be different in order to reflect their own uniqueness. There are so many kinds of niche needs or subcultures, forming a highly exclusive circle. The number of audiences in a single circle may not be large, but the audience groups formed by many such circles may be extremely amazing.
A small circle is a niche market, and it is a gap missed by the big hits with strong versatility . The ceiling of a single niche market may not be high, but when tens of thousands of niche markets are combined together, the overall volume may not be much inferior to the huge body of the hottest, such a market forms a long tail market .
In the industrial age that relies heavily on the physical world, the long-tail market is extremely difficult to meet due to cost reasons. Because of the excessively dispersed demand, in this economic system where physical distance is an important evaluation index, there is almost no demand.
When the Internet appeared, a large number of virtual products and virtual services appeared with the emergence of the information age. The cost of manufacturing, storage, display, and transportation of products has decreased exponentially, which makes the thousands of less popular niche products in the long tail market may also have good input-output ratios, and even exist or even flourish. possibility.
Today we have seen too many such examples, YouTube , Wikipedia , Quora, Facebook, Instagram, Zhihu, Taobao, WeChat official account, Weibo, Douyin and so on. A large number of non-professionals provide a variety of products on these virtual platforms. The vast majority of these products cannot compete with the sophisticated products made by professional teams, but they also have their own small audience. If we put tens of thousands of niche markets add up, you will also find its sum is a monster.
In his book "The World Is Flat", Friedman expressed his emotion that the power of the Internet has gradually equalized the differences and inequalities in the material world. This is very obvious in the process of meeting the needs of the long tail market.
The first is the popularization of production tools. In the past, if you want to generate articles, pictures, and video products, you may need the support of publishers, TV stations, professional film teams, etc., but today, anyone who has only received compulsory education may use the WeChat public platform, Meitu Xiuxiu, Douyin And other production tools to easily produce these products.
The second is the popularization of communication tools. The right to speak has been in the hands of the authorities for a long time. When the Internet gave everyone a big speaker, the era of “self-media” emerged for the first time in human history. This can understand why the authorities have extremely strict control over public opinion.
The last is to connect supply and demand. Information asymmetry is an objective fact that has always existed and will never be eliminated, but the Internet has greatly reduced its asymmetry. In this process, search engines play a vital role, they tirelessly and accurately match the supply and demand markets again and again.
When the author systematically studied the "long tail market" in 2004, many products that we cannot leave today have not yet been born, and the reasons for the vigorous vitality of these products are surprisingly similar in nature. We can even guess that many such products will continue to emerge in the future to meet the needs of more people and more specialized.
"The long tail theory actually explains the economics of abundance—when the supply and demand bottlenecks in our culture begin to disappear and everyone can get everything, the long tail story will naturally happen. Before that, the big hit or big Mass production rules everything. Today, although we are still fascinated by the big hits, they are no longer the only market. The big hits are now competing with countless large and small market segments, and consumers are increasingly favoring diversity The curve of customer consumption data sorted by popularity shows that at the head of the curve, several popular songs have been downloaded countless times, and then the curve drops abruptly as the popularity of the track decreases.
But the interesting thing is that it has not dropped to zero. In statistics, a curve of this shape is called a "long tail distribution" because its tail is particularly long compared to the head. This is the origin of the "Long Tail Theory". The head means a single mass production, and the long tail means a differentiated and diverse small batch production. Both coexist in today's market, but the latter represents the future. "
"When I was a teenager, I was at the peak of the era of popular culture-in the 1970s and 1980s. At that time, ordinary young people had only five or six TV channels to watch, and there were very few programs to choose from. Everyone watches the same programs. There are only three or four rock radio stations in each city, and most of those programs are broadcast exclusively to musicians; only a few rich lucky boys can collect some records-this is It was a fashionable thing at the time. We could only go to the cinema to watch the same summer blockbusters and get news from the same newspapers and broadcasts. If you want to go out of the mainstream world, the only places to go are libraries and comic bookstores. Think about it carefully. I think that there are only two types of non-popular culture that I have come into contact with. One is books, and the other is the stuff that my friends and I fabricated, but these are nothing more than self-entertainment in my backyard.
Now, let’s compare my adolescence and Ben. This is a 16-year-old kid who grew up in the Internet age. He is an only child and his parents are rich people in the noble North Berkeley Hills, so he has an Apple Mac computer, an up-to-date iPod player (plus iTunes’ weekly limited download), and a group of equally wealthy friends. Like other people of his age, Ben never knew that this world used to have no broadband, no mobile phones, no MP3s, no TiVo, and no online shopping. The main impact of this smooth flow of information is that people can access a variety of cultures and content without restriction and filtering, from mainstream culture to the most marginal corners of the underground world.
Ben's growth environment is completely different from mine. Any traditional media and entertainment industry has far less control over the world than in my time. If you find it difficult to be seated while reading this book, just imagine from the perspective of this book. The reality of his life is a portrayal of our future world. From the perspective of this, there is no distinction between high and low culture. Commercial and non-commercial content and amateur creation are all competing for his attention. He can’t tell the difference between mainstream hotspots and underground areas—he only chooses what he likes from an infinitely long menu. In this menu, Hollywood movies and funny videos made by computer players are juxtaposed. , Regardless of high or low. "
In fact , the life we lead has become the way of life of most people . Compared to our fathers, the Z-generation (1 995 Nian ~ 2010 years) children born have more options. In the early stages of our perception of the world, we have many choices. This has diverted consumer groups that were originally concentrated in a few mainstream hot options .
" Broadcasting has an amazing thing: it can deliver a program to millions of people with unmatched efficiency. But it can't do the opposite—deliver millions of programs to the same person. And this is the strength of the Internet. The economics of the broadcasting era needs golden programs (big hits) to attract a large number of viewers. The economics of the broadband era has been completely reversed. For a communication network that is best at doing peer-to-peer communications, it is in the same It is too costly and wasteful to pass the same piece of information to millions of people.
Cultural hits are still needed, but they are no longer the only market. Big hits are now competing with countless large and small market segments, and consumers are increasingly favoring the market with the largest choice. The era of the same thing or one product sold all over the world is coming to an end, and its status is being replaced by a new thing-a diversified market. "
Advances in technology will profoundly affect human life style. So as long as our world continues to undergo technological updates , our lives will continue to undergo rapid changes .
" Niche products have always existed, but as the cost of contacting them has dropped rapidly (consumers find them easier, and they find consumers easier), they suddenly become a cultural and economic force that cannot be underestimated. These new niche markets have not replaced the traditional hot markets, but have jumped onto the same stage as the hottests for the first time. For a century, we have been accustomed to discovering hotspots and discarding everything else in order to maximize Use costly shelves, screens, channels, and attention efficiently.
Now, in this new age of networking and digitization, this marketing economics has been completely changed, because the Internet absorbed it come into contact with each line industry, you can also have shopping malls, cinema and radio functions, and costs It's just a fraction of the past. We can imagine the reduction of marketing costs as a declining water surface or a receding ocean tide. As they receded, a new piece of land appeared-it was always there, but hidden underwater. These niche products are great treasures that cannot be found on the map. They contain many products that were not considered economically effective in the past and failed to make it to the table. But many products have always been here, but they are not easy to be seen or discovered.
They are movies that have not been shown in cinemas, music that has not been broadcast on rock radio stations, and sports equipment that Wal-Mart has not sold. Now you can get them, either through Netflix, or through Amazon, or just search on Google. The invisible market is now visible. "
" There are other brand-new niche products created by a new industry that is just emerging. This industry is at the junction of the commercial and non-commercial worlds. Here, it is difficult to say when professionals will give up and become amateurs. This is the world of bloggers, video clan and "garage bands" who suddenly found their audience, thanks to the enviable economic magic of digital distribution. "
One of the things I want to do , is to create some kind of tool that can make a person had received only nine years of compulsory education , it is possible to spend one hour to master the use of such tools, and produce some products uploaded to the network , for others to consume. For example , a user can take advantage of this tool is very simple to make some small works , these works of course with professional studio big production are worlds apart, but the victory at low cost. As long as everyone is willing to spend some time, they can transform their ideas into displayable products . Then in the content produced by these massive users , some fine products will surely emerge in the end .
" With unlimited supply, our view on the relative roles of hot and niche products is completely wrong. Hot is products with scarce supply — if there are only a few shelves and a few bands, the only wise way is to This space is reserved for the most popular items. But what if we have an infinite number of shelves? In this case, it may be the wrong way to do business only to stare at the hottest items. After all, non-hot items are far more important than hot items Many, and both are now equally easily available. From the real niche products to the full-fledged “failure products” (super unpopular products), if all these non-hots are aggregated into a market as big as the hot market (not to mention What will happen to the larger) market? The answer is obvious: it will completely change some of the largest markets in the world. "
When the environment changes, the rules of the game also change. If we can't change our approach as the rules of the game change. Then we will make mistakes. Any way of doing things , only can play a role in certain circumstances, if we are trying in all environments use the same approach that we may make mistakes.
" Frankly speaking, this truth is indeed very, very weird. Basically any thing you offer is bought by someone, which sounds a bit weird. It is weird because we generally don’t think about the performance of a product. You can’t sell a single product every quarter.
Read
January 20, 2021Review sách: CÁI ĐUÔI DÀI - nguyên tắc 80/20 có còn đúng trong kinh doanh?
Cái đuôi dài của Chris Anderson là cuốn sách đã thay đổi hoàn toàn quan niệm trong thế giới kinh doanh cũ. Cuốn sách với cái tên thú vị này sẽ mang đến cho bạn những tư tưởng mới về việc chọn sản phẩm, chọn thị trường, điều mà mọi doanh nhân cần biết trước khi bắt tay vào kinh doanh. Thế giới này đã thay đổi, bạn cần phải biết được điều đó. Cùng khám phá những nghiên cứu thú vị về sự chuyển dịch của thế giới kinh doanh trong tác phẩm Cái đuôi dài.
Tác giả cuốn Cái đuôi dài
Tác giả cuốn sách Cái đuôi dài là Chris Anderson. Vị tác giả sinh năm 1961 này là tổng biên tập của tạp chí Wired. Trong suốt sự nghiệp của mình, ông đã giành được giải thưởng của Tạp chí Quốc gia vì những cống hiến xuất sắc trong công việc.
Nội dung cuốn Cái đuôi dài
Thay đổi trong lợi nhuận giữa các dòng sản phẩm
Trước đây, theo nguyên tắc 80/20 kinh điển, chúng ta thường mặc định rằng chỉ những dòng sản phẩm hit mới đem lại nguồn lợi nhuận chính cho doanh nghiệp. Ví dụ, một cửa hàng bán xe đạp sẽ chỉ thu lợi nhuận chủ yếu từ việc bán xe đạp, mạng xã hội âm nhạc Zing Mp3 cũng chỉ được nhiều tiền từ việc người dùng tải những ca khúc hit trong thời gian đó.
Cuốn Cái đuôi dài đã dùng những kết quả trong 2 năm nghiên cứu để chỉ ra kết quả đối nghịch. Với sự thay đổi của internet, lợi nhuận không nhất định nằm ở những sản phẩm hit mà còn xuất phát từ các sản phẩm ngách, sản phẩm bổ trợ thông thường.
Kiến tha lâu cũng đầy tổ, tuy lợi nhuận trên một đơn vị của các sản phẩm này không lớn nhưng tích tiểu thành đại thì tổng doanh thu của chúng lại không phải một con số nhỏ. Đồ thị mô tả sự chuyển dịch này có hình dạng như một chiếc đuôi thuôn dần về 1 đầu nên mô hình kinh doanh này được đặt tên gọi là Cái đuôi dài.
Những công ty lớn đã áp dụng triệt để mô hình kinh doanh này và thành công rực rỡ. Google, Shutterstock với những sản phẩm vô hình hay Lego, Amazon với những sản phẩm hữu hình đều kiếm được nguồn lợi nhuận khổng lồ từ những sản phẩm ngách.
Thay đổi về lợi nhuận giữa các hình thức kinh doanh
Dù xuất bản lần đầu năm 2006 nhưng cuốn sách này đã đưa ra những tiên liệu vô cùng chính xác về sự chuyển dịch trong hình thức kinh doanh trên khắp thế giới. Kinh doanh online đang dần chiếm chỗ của kinh doanh offline truyền thống. Ví dụ tiêu biểu nhất được đưa ra trong sách là việc Walmart bán offline 500 đĩa DVD bestseller, trong lúc đó thì Amazon đã bán online được cả triệu chiếc DVD như vậy.
Các thị trường ngách cũng đang xuất hiện ngày càng nhiều. Lợi nhuận sẽ chảy vào túi của những người biết khai thác và tận dụng thị trường ngách cùng những sản phẩm chuyên biệt phục vụ phân khúc khách hàng cụ thể. Đó chính là Cái đuôi dài.
Theo tác giả thì mô hình Cái đuôi dài ngày càng trở nên phổ bi���n. Doanh nghiệp có thể tận dụng thế mạnh của internet làm đà phát triển. Họ không nhất thiết phải tập trung vào dòng sản phẩm hit ở đầu biểu đồ mà có thể đầu tư để nối dài doanh thu ở phần đuôi.
Nguyên nhân hình thành Cái đuôi dài
Có 3 nguyên nhân chính dẫn đến sự thay đổi trong thế giới kinh doanh và sản sinh ra Cái đuôi dài.
Phổ biến sản xuất
Chi phí sản xuất ngày càng được tối ưu nhờ có sự phát triển của công nghệ và công cụ chế tác ra sản phẩm. Việc sản xuất ra số lượng lớn sản phẩm không còn là điều khó khăn. Việc tạo ra những sản phẩm vô hình lại càng dễ dàng hơn bao giờ hết. Những phần mềm đơn giản, những đoạn video hái ra tiền,...có quá nhiều cách để tạo ra sản phẩm trong thời gian ngắn mà vẫn tiết kiệm chi phí.
Mạng lưới phân phối
Trong kỷ nguyên internet băng thông rộng, doanh nghiệp hoàn toàn có thể phân phối sản phẩm của mình thông qua kênh website với chi phí lưu kho gần như không đáng kể. Ebay, Amazon vẫn đang làm điều đó mỗi giây mỗi phút. Điều này có thể nói là không tưởng trong thời đại kinh doanh cũ.
Kết nối cung cầu ngày c��ng thông minh
Thành công của mạng máy tính còn thể hiện ở chức năng phân loại, tìm kiếm và đề xuất các kết quả tương tự. Việc này giúp trải nghiệm mua sắm của khách hàng ngày càng tuyệt vời hơn. Bên cạnh sản phẩm chính, các trang bán hàng luôn biết cách đề xuất các sản phẩm mua kèm, các combo sản phẩm để gia tăng giá trị mỗi đơn hàng. Lợi nhuận không chỉ đến từ sản phẩm chính, nó còn xuất phát từ những sản phẩm bổ sung.
Cuốn sách này dành cho ai
Cuốn Cái đuôi dài được đánh giá là đặc biệt thích hợp cho những ai đang kinh doanh online hay những doanh nghiệp vừa và nhỏ. Sách sẽ giúp bạn tự tin hơn trong quá trình cạnh tranh với những doanh nghiệp lớn bằng cách tận dụng sức mạnh của internet trong thời đại ngày nay. Không nhất thiết phải lao đầu vào đại dương đỏ với những con cá mập hung dữ, chúng ta sẽ học được cách để tìm ra đại dương xanh của riêng mình.
Lời kết
Cái đuôi dài là một cuốn sách rất thú vị cho những ai đang hứng thú với công việc kinh doanh. Sách sẽ mang đến cho bạn một góc nhìn mới về những tư duy kinh doanh truyền thống. Đôi khi, một con tôm to chưa chắc đã quý bằng một giỏ tép đầy.
#Revisach
#review_sách_cái_đuôi_dài
Cái đuôi dài của Chris Anderson là cuốn sách đã thay đổi hoàn toàn quan niệm trong thế giới kinh doanh cũ. Cuốn sách với cái tên thú vị này sẽ mang đến cho bạn những tư tưởng mới về việc chọn sản phẩm, chọn thị trường, điều mà mọi doanh nhân cần biết trước khi bắt tay vào kinh doanh. Thế giới này đã thay đổi, bạn cần phải biết được điều đó. Cùng khám phá những nghiên cứu thú vị về sự chuyển dịch của thế giới kinh doanh trong tác phẩm Cái đuôi dài.
Tác giả cuốn Cái đuôi dài
Tác giả cuốn sách Cái đuôi dài là Chris Anderson. Vị tác giả sinh năm 1961 này là tổng biên tập của tạp chí Wired. Trong suốt sự nghiệp của mình, ông đã giành được giải thưởng của Tạp chí Quốc gia vì những cống hiến xuất sắc trong công việc.
Nội dung cuốn Cái đuôi dài
Thay đổi trong lợi nhuận giữa các dòng sản phẩm
Trước đây, theo nguyên tắc 80/20 kinh điển, chúng ta thường mặc định rằng chỉ những dòng sản phẩm hit mới đem lại nguồn lợi nhuận chính cho doanh nghiệp. Ví dụ, một cửa hàng bán xe đạp sẽ chỉ thu lợi nhuận chủ yếu từ việc bán xe đạp, mạng xã hội âm nhạc Zing Mp3 cũng chỉ được nhiều tiền từ việc người dùng tải những ca khúc hit trong thời gian đó.
Cuốn Cái đuôi dài đã dùng những kết quả trong 2 năm nghiên cứu để chỉ ra kết quả đối nghịch. Với sự thay đổi của internet, lợi nhuận không nhất định nằm ở những sản phẩm hit mà còn xuất phát từ các sản phẩm ngách, sản phẩm bổ trợ thông thường.
Kiến tha lâu cũng đầy tổ, tuy lợi nhuận trên một đơn vị của các sản phẩm này không lớn nhưng tích tiểu thành đại thì tổng doanh thu của chúng lại không phải một con số nhỏ. Đồ thị mô tả sự chuyển dịch này có hình dạng như một chiếc đuôi thuôn dần về 1 đầu nên mô hình kinh doanh này được đặt tên gọi là Cái đuôi dài.
Những công ty lớn đã áp dụng triệt để mô hình kinh doanh này và thành công rực rỡ. Google, Shutterstock với những sản phẩm vô hình hay Lego, Amazon với những sản phẩm hữu hình đều kiếm được nguồn lợi nhuận khổng lồ từ những sản phẩm ngách.
Thay đổi về lợi nhuận giữa các hình thức kinh doanh
Dù xuất bản lần đầu năm 2006 nhưng cuốn sách này đã đưa ra những tiên liệu vô cùng chính xác về sự chuyển dịch trong hình thức kinh doanh trên khắp thế giới. Kinh doanh online đang dần chiếm chỗ của kinh doanh offline truyền thống. Ví dụ tiêu biểu nhất được đưa ra trong sách là việc Walmart bán offline 500 đĩa DVD bestseller, trong lúc đó thì Amazon đã bán online được cả triệu chiếc DVD như vậy.
Các thị trường ngách cũng đang xuất hiện ngày càng nhiều. Lợi nhuận sẽ chảy vào túi của những người biết khai thác và tận dụng thị trường ngách cùng những sản phẩm chuyên biệt phục vụ phân khúc khách hàng cụ thể. Đó chính là Cái đuôi dài.
Theo tác giả thì mô hình Cái đuôi dài ngày càng trở nên phổ bi���n. Doanh nghiệp có thể tận dụng thế mạnh của internet làm đà phát triển. Họ không nhất thiết phải tập trung vào dòng sản phẩm hit ở đầu biểu đồ mà có thể đầu tư để nối dài doanh thu ở phần đuôi.
Nguyên nhân hình thành Cái đuôi dài
Có 3 nguyên nhân chính dẫn đến sự thay đổi trong thế giới kinh doanh và sản sinh ra Cái đuôi dài.
Phổ biến sản xuất
Chi phí sản xuất ngày càng được tối ưu nhờ có sự phát triển của công nghệ và công cụ chế tác ra sản phẩm. Việc sản xuất ra số lượng lớn sản phẩm không còn là điều khó khăn. Việc tạo ra những sản phẩm vô hình lại càng dễ dàng hơn bao giờ hết. Những phần mềm đơn giản, những đoạn video hái ra tiền,...có quá nhiều cách để tạo ra sản phẩm trong thời gian ngắn mà vẫn tiết kiệm chi phí.
Mạng lưới phân phối
Trong kỷ nguyên internet băng thông rộng, doanh nghiệp hoàn toàn có thể phân phối sản phẩm của mình thông qua kênh website với chi phí lưu kho gần như không đáng kể. Ebay, Amazon vẫn đang làm điều đó mỗi giây mỗi phút. Điều này có thể nói là không tưởng trong thời đại kinh doanh cũ.
Kết nối cung cầu ngày c��ng thông minh
Thành công của mạng máy tính còn thể hiện ở chức năng phân loại, tìm kiếm và đề xuất các kết quả tương tự. Việc này giúp trải nghiệm mua sắm của khách hàng ngày càng tuyệt vời hơn. Bên cạnh sản phẩm chính, các trang bán hàng luôn biết cách đề xuất các sản phẩm mua kèm, các combo sản phẩm để gia tăng giá trị mỗi đơn hàng. Lợi nhuận không chỉ đến từ sản phẩm chính, nó còn xuất phát từ những sản phẩm bổ sung.
Cuốn sách này dành cho ai
Cuốn Cái đuôi dài được đánh giá là đặc biệt thích hợp cho những ai đang kinh doanh online hay những doanh nghiệp vừa và nhỏ. Sách sẽ giúp bạn tự tin hơn trong quá trình cạnh tranh với những doanh nghiệp lớn bằng cách tận dụng sức mạnh của internet trong thời đại ngày nay. Không nhất thiết phải lao đầu vào đại dương đỏ với những con cá mập hung dữ, chúng ta sẽ học được cách để tìm ra đại dương xanh của riêng mình.
Lời kết
Cái đuôi dài là một cuốn sách rất thú vị cho những ai đang hứng thú với công việc kinh doanh. Sách sẽ mang đến cho bạn một góc nhìn mới về những tư duy kinh doanh truyền thống. Đôi khi, một con tôm to chưa chắc đã quý bằng một giỏ tép đầy.
#Revisach
#review_sách_cái_đuôi_dài
November 10, 2024
(The English review is placed beneath the Russian one)
Давно хотел прочитать эту книгу, ибо она фигурировала в огромном числе списков рекомендуемой бизнес литературы. Да и в списках лучших книг по маркетингу эта книга так же оказывалась довольно часто. И вот я, наконец-то, прочитал эту книгу. Тут нужно ещё заметить, что Chris Anderson, это автор книги Free: The Future of a Radical Price, которую я давно прочитал и которая мне не понравилась. Примечательным здесь является то, что книга Free: The Future of a Radical Price выглядит как книга, писанная человеком, который никакого отношения ни к бизнесу, ни к маркетингу не имеет. Это трудно объяснить, но вы просто понимаете, что книга писалась человеком далёким от какого либо бизнеса. Такой стиль выдаёт в авторе журналиста или блогера. Вот то же самое и с книгой The Long Tail – она написана человеком далёким от бизнеса, возможно журналистом. А что это означает? Это означает, что тратить время и деньги на эту книгу маркетологам нет смысла никакого. Книга не научит читателя чему-то новому и даже не предложит просто интересное объяснение такого явления как «длинный хвост». Всё чем ограничивается автор, это примеры из электронной торговли и пара самоочевидных заявлений в связи с этим.
Один читатель этой книги выразил всё её содержание одним предложением: “Because online stores don't have to worry about floor space for products, they can offer almost anything”. Вот и суть всей этой книги. Можете считать, что вы её прочитали, потому что больше ничего в ней просто нет. А чем же тогда наполнена вся книга? Примерами. Многие авторы злоупотребляют примерами, это факт. Однако из-за того что автор никакого отношения ни к маркетингу ни к бизнесу не имеет, все эти примеры читать очень скучно.
Однако что же говорит автор о сегодняшнем бизнес-пейзаже? Да ничего нового, в принципе. В связи с появлением Интернета компании получили возможность существенно расширить или углубить предлагаемый клиентам вариант продукции. Лично мне вспоминается один магазин музыкальных дисков. Преимущество этого магазина состояло в том, что он предлагал необычайно широкий выбор (музыкальных дисков). В этом магазине можно было найти таких исполнителей, о существовании которых мало кто знал. Такие типы магазинов, но уже по другим товарным категориям, явление довольно редкое, но оно было тем, чем сегодня стали интернет магазины благодаря тому, что им не нужно иметь площади для хранения и выставления продукции. Правда, даже сегодня такие магазины всё ещё является редкостью. Автор постоянно приводит пример Amazon, который, как я понял, не владеет физически предлагаемыми им товарами, а заказывает их у производителя (или какого-то другого посредника), если кто-то делает заказ на сайте Amazon. Да, в таком случаи выгода очевидна. Однако подобную бизнес-модель могут иметь (и имеют) не все компании, да и большая часть, это компании, располагающиеся в Интернете, как тот же Amazon, Apple-Store и так далее. Если посмотреть на ретейлеров в целом, то все они предлагают ограниченный вариант выбора в связи с тем, что им требуется где-то эти товары хранить. Проблема такой бизнес-модели состоит как раз в том, что продажи не пропорциональны, т.е. у одних товаров оборот быстрый, а другие покупаются очень и очень редко. Однако общие суммарные затраты товаров – одинаковы. К примеру, диски популярных исполнителей продаются хорошо, и компания оправдывает издержки на и�� учёт, хранение, поставку и пр., но остальные 80%, продаются от случая к случаю, при этом их издержки не намного меньше. Вот и получается, что по итогу, этот длинный хвост тянет комп��нию на дно, являясь малоприбыльным и затратным товаром. Amazon такой проблемы не имеет, а следовательно, может предложить самый глубокий вариант выбора книг. Даже если книга не продаётся в течение 7 лет, это никак не влияет на издержки компании, ибо они для неё нулевые (ибо физически книга не располагается на складе компании Amazon).
Я не знаю, упомянул ли автор о вышеприведённой проблеме, но это та причина, почему лишь немногие компании используют «длинный хвост» в своей деятельности. Что касается самой идеи «длинного хвоста», то с моей точки зрения, для этого не нужно читать книгу, чтобы узнать о его существовании и понять в чём заключается её суть. И уж тем более это очевидно для маркетологов и предпринимателей.
For a long time, I wanted to read this book because it appeared in a huge number of lists of recommended business literature. And in the lists of the best marketing books, this book also appeared quite often. And so I finally read this book. It should be noted that Chris Anderson is the author of Free: The Future of a Radical Price, which I read a long time ago and didn't like. The remarkable thing here is that Free: The Future of a Radical Price looks like a book written by someone who has nothing to do with business or marketing. It's hard to explain, but you just realize that the book was written by a person far from any business. It's a style that makes the author look like a journalist or a blogger. It's the same with The Long Tail - it's written by a person far from business, probably a journalist. And what does it mean? It means that it makes no sense for marketers to spend time and money on this book. The book will not teach the reader something new or even offer just an interesting explanation of such a phenomenon as “long tail”. All that the author limits himself to are examples from e-commerce and a couple of self-evident statements in connection with it.
One reader of this book expressed its entire content in one sentence: “Because online stores don't have to worry about floor space for products, they can offer almost anything.” That's the gist of the whole book. You can consider that you have read it because there is nothing else in it. So, what is the whole book filled with? Examples. Many authors overuse examples - that's a fact. However, because the author has nothing to do with marketing or business, all these examples are very boring to read.
But what does the author say about today's business landscape? Nothing new. With the advent of the Internet, companies have had the opportunity to significantly broaden or deepen the product options offered to customers. I am reminded of one music CD store. The advantage of this store was that it offered an unusually wide selection (of music disks). In this store, you could find artists that few people knew existed. These types of stores, but for other product categories, are quite rare, but they are what online stores have become today because they do not need to have space to store and display products. Indeed, even today, such stores are still a rarity. The author constantly cites the example of Amazon, which I understand does not physically own the products it offers but orders them from the manufacturer (or some other intermediary) if someone places an order on the Amazon site. Yes, in such a case, the benefit is obvious. However, not all companies can (and do) have such a business model, and most of them are Internet-based companies like Amazon, Apple-Store and so on. If you look at retailers as a whole, they all offer a limited choice of products since they need somewhere to store them. The problem with this business model is that sales are not proportional, i.e., some products have a fast turnover, while others are bought very rarely. However, the overall total costs of the goods are the same. For example, CDs of popular artists sell well, and the company justifies the costs of accounting, storage, delivery, etc., but the other 80% are sold on an ad hoc basis, and their costs are not much lower. The bottom line is that this long tail is dragging the company down, being a low-margin, costly product. Amazon has no such problem and, therefore, can offer the deepest selection of books. Even if a book does not sell for 7 years, it does not affect the company's costs, for they are zero for the company (for the book is not physically located in Amazon's warehouse).
I don't know if the author mentioned the above problem, but this is the reason why few companies use the “long tail” in their operations. As for the idea of the “long tail” itself, from my point of view, you don't need to read a book to know it exists and understand what it's all about.
Давно хотел прочитать эту книгу, ибо она фигурировала в огромном числе списков рекомендуемой бизнес литературы. Да и в списках лучших книг по маркетингу эта книга так же оказывалась довольно часто. И вот я, наконец-то, прочитал эту книгу. Тут нужно ещё заметить, что Chris Anderson, это автор книги Free: The Future of a Radical Price, которую я давно прочитал и которая мне не понравилась. Примечательным здесь является то, что книга Free: The Future of a Radical Price выглядит как книга, писанная человеком, который никакого отношения ни к бизнесу, ни к маркетингу не имеет. Это трудно объяснить, но вы просто понимаете, что книга писалась человеком далёким от какого либо бизнеса. Такой стиль выдаёт в авторе журналиста или блогера. Вот то же самое и с книгой The Long Tail – она написана человеком далёким от бизнеса, возможно журналистом. А что это означает? Это означает, что тратить время и деньги на эту книгу маркетологам нет смысла никакого. Книга не научит читателя чему-то новому и даже не предложит просто интересное объяснение такого явления как «длинный хвост». Всё чем ограничивается автор, это примеры из электронной торговли и пара самоочевидных заявлений в связи с этим.
Один читатель этой книги выразил всё её содержание одним предложением: “Because online stores don't have to worry about floor space for products, they can offer almost anything”. Вот и суть всей этой книги. Можете считать, что вы её прочитали, потому что больше ничего в ней просто нет. А чем же тогда наполнена вся книга? Примерами. Многие авторы злоупотребляют примерами, это факт. Однако из-за того что автор никакого отношения ни к маркетингу ни к бизнесу не имеет, все эти примеры читать очень скучно.
Однако что же говорит автор о сегодняшнем бизнес-пейзаже? Да ничего нового, в принципе. В связи с появлением Интернета компании получили возможность существенно расширить или углубить предлагаемый клиентам вариант продукции. Лично мне вспоминается один магазин музыкальных дисков. Преимущество этого магазина состояло в том, что он предлагал необычайно широкий выбор (музыкальных дисков). В этом магазине можно было найти таких исполнителей, о существовании которых мало кто знал. Такие типы магазинов, но уже по другим товарным категориям, явление довольно редкое, но оно было тем, чем сегодня стали интернет магазины благодаря тому, что им не нужно иметь площади для хранения и выставления продукции. Правда, даже сегодня такие магазины всё ещё является редкостью. Автор постоянно приводит пример Amazon, который, как я понял, не владеет физически предлагаемыми им товарами, а заказывает их у производителя (или какого-то другого посредника), если кто-то делает заказ на сайте Amazon. Да, в таком случаи выгода очевидна. Однако подобную бизнес-модель могут иметь (и имеют) не все компании, да и большая часть, это компании, располагающиеся в Интернете, как тот же Amazon, Apple-Store и так далее. Если посмотреть на ретейлеров в целом, то все они предлагают ограниченный вариант выбора в связи с тем, что им требуется где-то эти товары хранить. Проблема такой бизнес-модели состоит как раз в том, что продажи не пропорциональны, т.е. у одних товаров оборот быстрый, а другие покупаются очень и очень редко. Однако общие суммарные затраты товаров – одинаковы. К примеру, диски популярных исполнителей продаются хорошо, и компания оправдывает издержки на и�� учёт, хранение, поставку и пр., но остальные 80%, продаются от случая к случаю, при этом их издержки не намного меньше. Вот и получается, что по итогу, этот длинный хвост тянет комп��нию на дно, являясь малоприбыльным и затратным товаром. Amazon такой проблемы не имеет, а следовательно, может предложить самый глубокий вариант выбора книг. Даже если книга не продаётся в течение 7 лет, это никак не влияет на издержки компании, ибо они для неё нулевые (ибо физически книга не располагается на складе компании Amazon).
Я не знаю, упомянул ли автор о вышеприведённой проблеме, но это та причина, почему лишь немногие компании используют «длинный хвост» в своей деятельности. Что касается самой идеи «длинного хвоста», то с моей точки зрения, для этого не нужно читать книгу, чтобы узнать о его существовании и понять в чём заключается её суть. И уж тем более это очевидно для маркетологов и предпринимателей.
For a long time, I wanted to read this book because it appeared in a huge number of lists of recommended business literature. And in the lists of the best marketing books, this book also appeared quite often. And so I finally read this book. It should be noted that Chris Anderson is the author of Free: The Future of a Radical Price, which I read a long time ago and didn't like. The remarkable thing here is that Free: The Future of a Radical Price looks like a book written by someone who has nothing to do with business or marketing. It's hard to explain, but you just realize that the book was written by a person far from any business. It's a style that makes the author look like a journalist or a blogger. It's the same with The Long Tail - it's written by a person far from business, probably a journalist. And what does it mean? It means that it makes no sense for marketers to spend time and money on this book. The book will not teach the reader something new or even offer just an interesting explanation of such a phenomenon as “long tail”. All that the author limits himself to are examples from e-commerce and a couple of self-evident statements in connection with it.
One reader of this book expressed its entire content in one sentence: “Because online stores don't have to worry about floor space for products, they can offer almost anything.” That's the gist of the whole book. You can consider that you have read it because there is nothing else in it. So, what is the whole book filled with? Examples. Many authors overuse examples - that's a fact. However, because the author has nothing to do with marketing or business, all these examples are very boring to read.
But what does the author say about today's business landscape? Nothing new. With the advent of the Internet, companies have had the opportunity to significantly broaden or deepen the product options offered to customers. I am reminded of one music CD store. The advantage of this store was that it offered an unusually wide selection (of music disks). In this store, you could find artists that few people knew existed. These types of stores, but for other product categories, are quite rare, but they are what online stores have become today because they do not need to have space to store and display products. Indeed, even today, such stores are still a rarity. The author constantly cites the example of Amazon, which I understand does not physically own the products it offers but orders them from the manufacturer (or some other intermediary) if someone places an order on the Amazon site. Yes, in such a case, the benefit is obvious. However, not all companies can (and do) have such a business model, and most of them are Internet-based companies like Amazon, Apple-Store and so on. If you look at retailers as a whole, they all offer a limited choice of products since they need somewhere to store them. The problem with this business model is that sales are not proportional, i.e., some products have a fast turnover, while others are bought very rarely. However, the overall total costs of the goods are the same. For example, CDs of popular artists sell well, and the company justifies the costs of accounting, storage, delivery, etc., but the other 80% are sold on an ad hoc basis, and their costs are not much lower. The bottom line is that this long tail is dragging the company down, being a low-margin, costly product. Amazon has no such problem and, therefore, can offer the deepest selection of books. Even if a book does not sell for 7 years, it does not affect the company's costs, for they are zero for the company (for the book is not physically located in Amazon's warehouse).
I don't know if the author mentioned the above problem, but this is the reason why few companies use the “long tail” in their operations. As for the idea of the “long tail” itself, from my point of view, you don't need to read a book to know it exists and understand what it's all about.
Read
February 5, 2009In The Long Tail, Chris Anderson offers a visionary look at the future of business and common culture. The long-tail phenomenon, he argues, will "re-shape our understanding of what people actually want to watch" (or read, etc.). While Anderson presents a fascinating idea backed by thoughtful (if repetitive) analysis, many critics questioned just how greatly the niche market will rework our common popular culture. Anderson convinced most reviewers in his discussion of Internet media sales, but his KitchenAid and Lego examples fell flat. A few pointed out that online markets constitute just 10 percent of U.S. retail, and brick-and-mortar stores will never disappear. Anderson's thesis came under a separate attack by Lee Gomes in his Wall Street Journal column. Anderson had defined the "98 Percent Rule" in his book to mean that no matter how much inventory is made available online, 98 percent of the items will sell at least once. Yet Gomes cited statistics that could indicate that, as the Web and Web services become more mainstream, the 98 Percent Rule may no longer apply: "Ecast [a music-streaming company] told me that now, with a much bigger inventory than when Mr. Anderson spoke to them two years ago, the quarterly no-play rate has risen from 2% to 12%. March data for the 1.1 million songs of Rhapsody, another streamer, shows a 22% no-play rate; another 19% got just one or two plays." If Anderson overreaches in his thesis, he has nonetheless written "one of those business books that, ironically, deserves more than a niche readership" (Houston Chronicle).
This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.
May 13, 2012
Chris Anderson escribió en 2004 un fantástico artículo en Wired.com titulado The long tail. Sobre ese artículo construyó un blog, thelongtail.com, que luego convirtió en libro. Las premisas del autor son tres:
1.- Con inventarios digitales podemos alcanzar una oferta casi infinita.
2.- Cuando a los compradores se les da oferta infinita, su demanda se prolonga mucho más allá de los éxitos o bestsellers.
3.- La suma de todas las ventas de los productos menos demandados es un porcentaje muy importante de las ventas totales.
El autor cita numerosos ejemplos, como Google, Amazon, Netflix, Yahoo... y muchas empresas más (todas ellas digitales, claro).
El libro está muy bien argumentado y es claro y comprensible. Y da un giro muy grande a la concepción de los negocios de venta minorista. Absolutamente recomendable.
1.- Con inventarios digitales podemos alcanzar una oferta casi infinita.
2.- Cuando a los compradores se les da oferta infinita, su demanda se prolonga mucho más allá de los éxitos o bestsellers.
3.- La suma de todas las ventas de los productos menos demandados es un porcentaje muy importante de las ventas totales.
El autor cita numerosos ejemplos, como Google, Amazon, Netflix, Yahoo... y muchas empresas más (todas ellas digitales, claro).
El libro está muy bien argumentado y es claro y comprensible. Y da un giro muy grande a la concepción de los negocios de venta minorista. Absolutamente recomendable.
July 1, 2013
The Long Tail
Chris Anderson
How the internet engendered the new paradigm of commerce – everything for everyone. With negligible incremental cost of adding SKUs and smart algorithms of search and recommendation, we can indulge ourselves in limitless choice and variety at least in some categories such as music, book, movies, TV shows.
The long tail phenomenon even goes further connecting on and offline, aggregating and pooling information, smoothing out tyrannies of physics.
A really good book of metaphor.
Chris Anderson
How the internet engendered the new paradigm of commerce – everything for everyone. With negligible incremental cost of adding SKUs and smart algorithms of search and recommendation, we can indulge ourselves in limitless choice and variety at least in some categories such as music, book, movies, TV shows.
The long tail phenomenon even goes further connecting on and offline, aggregating and pooling information, smoothing out tyrannies of physics.
A really good book of metaphor.
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