Curation is more important than ever

The internet age charges ahead. We have more options than ever. Tech giants have rendered brick and mortar businesses all but irrelevant. 

Except that’s not what’s happening with Barnes and Noble at all.

I barely believed it when I read it, but Barnes and Noble grew by 4% last year. They’re in pursuit of opening 30 new stores this year. Even in the shadow of Amazon, which offers every book cheaper and faster, Barnes and Noble is expanding.

How are they doing it? 

James Daunt, their new CEO, wants all of their 600+ locations to operate like independent bookstores. He lets each store curate its selection for their local community. He stopped taking money from big publishers (presumably leaving millions on the table) to allow local managers and employees to curate books for their neighborhood. 

Sure, brick and mortar business can’t compete with tech giants for selection, inventory, or efficiency. But they have a huge leg up in heart, soul, and service. They can have a local footprint in a way even a website with a bakery of cookies couldn’t. 

This same advantage is available to all of us.

In the era of unlimited options, we need curators. We need people just like you to let us know what you like. We’re lost in an ocean of choices, and we don’t want to be at the mercy of the suggested (most profitable) products from tech giants. 

It doesn’t matter if it’s biased. It doesn’t need to be perfectly diverse or balanced. Just curate a list of what you like and share it. If everyone does this then we’ll really achieve diversity, balance, and a quality selection.