Blake Schwendiman's Blog and Blook

And I really don't understand malls either. Yesterday we went to buy some soccer cleats for my daughter. Not knowing exactly where one would buy soccer cleats, we decided to go to the mall. They have several shoe stores there, right?

So, I just finished listening to the audiobook version of The Long Tail by Chris Anderson. I honestly recommend that everyone read this book. It's not just a business or geek book, it's a book that explains the changing economics of our world in a really easy-to-understand way. You see, traditional retailers live in an economic model of scarcity. For example, shoe stores have limited (scarce) shelf space, so they have to decide which shoes are going to sell the most and limit selection to those items. Big-box retailers like WalMart have more shelf space, but it's still limited. Same with all bricks and mortar retailers.

Interestingly, I had thought this through before going to the mall. I figured there would be at least one sports-related shoe place at the mall. I was right. There were two. However, even within that niche, soccer cleats are still too specialized to warrant shelf space. So, after leaving the mall empty handed, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the purpose of the mall in this economy. The stores in the mall are more niche than big-box retailers or superstores, but not niche enough to be particularly useful, so what's the point? Is it just social?

Not surprisingly I found a bazillion places to buy soccer cleats online. This is one aspect of the long tail, the ability to offer everything. From where I'm sitting I see two places that I'll shop: first is the superstore or big box because I can get most of my non-specialty stuff there and the Internet because I can get my niche stuff there. I really have a tough time seeing where the mall fits in. You?