The long tail is getting longer

The retail “long tail” – small demand for niche products by a large number of people made possible by the web – is getting longer, comments by a Google researcher suggests.

According to Beu Blog, Google Analytics expert Avinash Kaushik told as gathering of web pros in the US that the average Google search now uses four words instead of three. That may sound innocuous, but what it means is that people are increasing the level of detail they put into content and product searches online.

On one level, the shift is hardly surprising – as more people get online, searching habits become more sophisticated and the products available online become more comprehensive. It makes sense that people would starting digging deeper to find goods or content that more closely meets their needs.

But, if confirmed, the shift could be hugely important for online retailers and others attempting to figure out if they can use the net as a channel for product sales.

Apparently this revelation is sending web analytics types into a tizzy, and prompting a whole lot of new research from online marketers keen to understand how to help their clients tap into this changing search behaviour.