Insight on Technology: The Long Tail: Big Hits and Big Misses

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Insight on Technology The Long Tail Big Hits
and Big Misses

• By Maggie Sotolongo

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The Long Tail

• Long tail phrase was coined by Chris Anderson.
• Long tail is due to the fact that internet
  retailers do not have huge inventories.
• Online retailers are able to carry niche products
  that traditional stores cannot.

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The Long Tail contd

• Strategy used to sell items.
• You have one item that sells a lot, but you have
  many items that sell a little.

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Recommender System

• You buy an item on Amazon and you get a
  recommendation of what other users who have
  bought that item have also purchased.

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Recommender System contd

• Recommender systems are useful because it allows
  consumers to view other products they may not
  have known existed.

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Recommender System contd

• It also allows consumers to view and post reviews
  of products.

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Marketing Issues

• Long tail creates problems with marketers.
• How do you sell a product that consumers do not
  know exist?
• Niche products are virtually unknown unless you
  are specifically looking for it.
• Marketing opportunities in the long tail are less
  and less and more difficult than with traditional
  stores.