Online shopping and the Harry Potter effect

The idea that the internet is transforming our buying habits was first popularised in an article written by Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of the technology magazine Wired, in October 2004. The article, titled “The long tail”, became a blog, a best-selling book and a marketing mantra. In other words, says Page, the extra choice available online is of little economic worth to the retailer. “Scarcity in conventional retailers might be a constraint,” he says. “But it could also be a discipline, representing an economically optimal inventory.”

December 24, 2008 by Uncategorized 1

You may also like...

1 Response

  1. Anonymous says:
    December 26, 2008 at 8:11 am

    some skepticism is always useful
    Seems to me that some recent trends in libraryland, e.g. Web 2.0, Wikipedia, and the long tail, have a whiff of snake oil to them. Does the rush to hop onto those bandwagons differ all that much from the financial manias of the current era? Maybe I’m expecting too much of human nature, but can’t we combine openness to new ideas with some healthy skepticism?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

LISNews Archives