Leveraging the long tail is to use the collective power that is formed by all the smaller elements/people that make a particular website, or a web 2.0 platform. In this weeks blog entry we will discuss about Amazon and how they used the collective power of all their customers, studied their usage patterns and developed a patented shopping experience for their users, making them one of the largest online retailers in the world.
According to Prashant Kaw, Amazon uses a business strategy to "leverage the long tail" by having a combination of selling thousands of popular items and a low volume, maybe in hundreds, of unique items. Louis Lazaris further explains the unique methods that is used by Amazon which he describes as a two fold approach when users reach the home page of the website, product search and online purchasing, which every user for online shopping would like to see at his fingertips. He outlines the following steps for the success of the Amazon Shopping experience and why Amazon rates as the top ecommerce websites in the world alongside the likes of eBay.
References:
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4723/6-Ways-to-Leverage-the-Long-Tail-in-Your-Marketing.aspx
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/10/an-analysis-of-the-amazon-shopping-experience/
According to Prashant Kaw, Amazon uses a business strategy to "leverage the long tail" by having a combination of selling thousands of popular items and a low volume, maybe in hundreds, of unique items. Louis Lazaris further explains the unique methods that is used by Amazon which he describes as a two fold approach when users reach the home page of the website, product search and online purchasing, which every user for online shopping would like to see at his fingertips. He outlines the following steps for the success of the Amazon Shopping experience and why Amazon rates as the top ecommerce websites in the world alongside the likes of eBay.
- The focus of an e-commerce site should be product search and online buying.
- Whenever possible, content should be unique for each user.
- Create sales incentives by giving “Why shop with us” reminders.
- Give products as much exposure as possible.
- Don’t make the user feel as some products/services are being forced on them.
- Make important sections easily accessible at the appropriate time.
- Make the shopper feel comfortable and in control at all times.
The following video shows the journey of Amazon.com through their ups and downs.
By collecting data from each user of Amazon.com, they use the collective feedback to even make relevant suggestions for other buys for users. This mechanism has been extremely successful, boosting sales of Amazon to highest rates in their operation history
For Amazon, their items, customers, and layout of the website and robust E-Commerce model makes them one of the world leaders in on-line shopping. Your thoughts on this? please feel free to leave your comments
References:
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4723/6-Ways-to-Leverage-the-Long-Tail-in-Your-Marketing.aspx
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/10/an-analysis-of-the-amazon-shopping-experience/
