The Long Tail

I had not heard of the The Long Tail prior to reading the first chapter and listening to the Gil Frisbow and Frank Acito podcast.  The first chapter left me wanting more, so I think I might have to track down a copy.

I think one stat from the first chapter really solidifies the idea of the long tail.  For Neflix, Amazon and Rhapsody, "sales of products not offered in brick and mortar competitors amounted to between and quarter and nearly a half of total revenues - and that percentage is rising each year."  As it turns out, when given the chance, lots of people don't want the mainstream, mass produced option A.  They want Option B with the some special feature and made of some premium material....and in pink.  I hardly ever make a significant purchase without seeing what my options are outside of the brick and mortar stores that carry only mainstream items.  Thanks to my Amazon Prime account, I spend lots of time in the Long Tail.