Increasing the Sale of Long Tail Items on E-Commerce Websites

Abstract

The advent of e-commerce has transformed the retail industry, offering a platform for retailers to reach a vast audience, enabling consumers to shop from anywhere in the world at any time. However, most e-commerce websites are dominated by sales of popular or mainstream items, referred to as the head of the distribution. The long-tail items, which make up the tail of the distribution, are often overlooked, leading to reduced sales and low revenue for online retailers. This research paper aims to explore strategies that online retailers can use to increase the sale of long-tail items on their websites. It also includes a review of existing literature, a qualitative analysis of consumer behavior, and a quantitative analysis of sales data. The findings indicate that online retailers can increase the sale of long-tail items by optimizing their website design, improving search functionality, using data-driven pricing strategies, and implementing targeted marketing campaigns. These strategies have the potential to improve the visibility of long-tail items, increase consumer engagement, and boost revenue for online retailers. A study has also been conducted on the Retail Rocket e-commerce dataset from Kaggle which involved a meticulous examination of various aspects of user interactions within the online retail platform. The dataset provided a rich source of information, including events such as page views, add-to-cart actions, and completed purchases. The analysis aimed to uncover specific patterns and trends related to these events, shedding light on how users engage with both popular and long-tail items.