I think "what happened" was that Anderson's long tail theory was
a) just a theory not a proven thing and
b) based on flawed assumptions that were quickly disproven. See the 2008 paper "Should You Invest in the Long Tail?" finding that consumers don't like niche products and the bottom 80% sold $0, contrary to the theory's prediction.
a) just a theory not a proven thing and
b) based on flawed assumptions that were quickly disproven. See the 2008 paper "Should You Invest in the Long Tail?" finding that consumers don't like niche products and the bottom 80% sold $0, contrary to the theory's prediction.
https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=32337
Had nothing to do with merchandising or whatever. The Long Tail was never correct.