Long Tail Strategy

Long Tail Strategy

Chris Anderson is a British-American writer and editor most notably known for his work at Wired Magazine. 
In 2004, Anderson coined the phrase "long tail" after writing about the concept in Wired Magazine where he was editor-in-chief. 
In 2006, Anderson also wrote a book titled “The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More.”

The long tail concept considers less popular goods that are in lower demand. Anderson argues that these goods could actually 
increase in profitability because consumers are navigating away from mainstream markets. This theory is supported by the growing 
number of online marketplaces that alleviate the competition for shelf space and allow an unmeasurable number of products to 
be sold, specifically through the Internet.

Anderson’s research shows the demand overall for these less popular goods as a comprehensive whole could rival the demand 
for mainstream goods. While mainstream products achieve a greater number of hits through leading distribution channels 
and shelf space, their initial costs are high, which drags on their profitability. In comparison, long tail goods have
remained in the market over long periods of time and are still sold through off-market channels. These goods have low 
distribution and production costs, yet are readily available for sale.

The long tail is a business strategy that allows companies to realize significant profits by selling low volumes of 
hard-to-find items to many customers, instead of only selling large volumes of a reduced number of popular items.

The term was first coined in 2004 by researcher Chris Anderson.

Anderson argues that these goods could actually increase in profitability because consumers are navigating away from mainstream markets.

The strategy theorizes that consumers are shifting from mass-market buying to more niche or artisan buying.


在统计图上，这样的部分长度（横坐标）长，高度（纵坐标）低，看上去就像长长的尾巴。如果想利用长尾效应取得显著效果，企业就必须积极注意那些消费者的个性化需求。
举例来说，亚马逊公司的图书销售和Google的广告投放都是运用长尾效应的代表。

在亚马逊这个案例上，可应用“长尾”概念解释：它一半左右的销售来自于比较热门的商品，而另一半却来自相对不那么热门的商品。
这跟传统的“二八定律”完全相反，所以这个概念的提出在Web2.0的时代显得格外引人瞩目。