This weeks reading was Chris Anderson’s article on The Long Tail. In order for me to truly understand it I broke it down to what I know.
Mick’s Flicks is a local video store down in through road that sees a lot of my business as I still like to get out and support the ol’ dvd store (they have Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream and i get it for free!!!!). It is there where i guess I see Chris Anderson’s theories at work.
Now if I go into to get a dvd its usually to get something new that I can’t find on foxtel or that I haven’t been able to download legally. I presume like me, this is what the majority of the customers come into get. However, this is not the only aspect of the video store. There are the older films (backlist) that fill up the rest of the store. This allows the place to look properly run and well stocked. By giving more variety customers are more likely to come back.
Now my mate who hands out the free ice cream is a bit of a movie buff and believes that he is a huge reason why so many people still come to the store. He believes his recommendations keep the coming back (coaxs customers down the long tail).
If he is asked to recommend something he chooses to suggest a movie that he knows is a winner but probably something that the customer would have never even thought about seeing.
By doing this he is broadening the customers mind and also ensuring that they will come back to ask him, personally, for any other recommendations. It is this personal touch and knowledge that keeps the business alive.