Curation and Personalization in Digital Platforms and Ecommerce

Parallels Between Traditional Retail and Ecommerce

The text discusses the evolution of curation in both traditional retail and ecommerce, highlighting the role of department stores and supermarkets in the '80s as service, selection, and price competitors. Small retailers often disappeared but re-emerged, offering specialized curation and personalized services to niche markets.

The Role of Curation in Digital Platforms

The author then delves into the concept of curation in digital platforms, focusing on Flipboard's manually curated directory of sites to follow. The article emphasizes the importance of a well-managed and curated list of resources, and the challenges users face in finding 5 new sites about specific topics they care about. Google's approach to providing content is also critiqued, as the search engine struggles to offer comprehensive lists of resources.

Personalization and Hybrid Models

The discussion then moves on to personalization and hybrid models in digital platforms, citing Apple Music and Spotify as prime examples. These platforms combine human curation with algorithmic suggestions based on user preferences, providing a tailored and more engaging user experience. Facebook's model is also addressed, with the social media giant using algorithms to suggest stories from users' friends' lists and beyond.

Impact of Ecommerce and Global Aggregators

The text questions the role of ecommerce and global aggregators in limiting the growth of niche retailers, drawing a parallel with the decline of small food shops and bookstores in the '80s. However, it also points out the potential resurgence of specialized retailers as ecommerce matures and geographic constraints are removed, enabling hard-to-find niche offerings to thrive in the market.

Conclusion

The main takeaway from the text is the crucial role of curation and personalization in digital platforms, and the potential for niche ecommerce retailers to carve out a space for themselves in the market, despite the dominance of global aggregators.

Summarized Content