Digital Retail Experience: Credibility & Influence

On my previous post, I discussed consumers' dissatisfaction with browsing in digital retail environments. One of the main issues I see for the future success of digital retailers of music is that they must make themselves the center of music online. I outlined how sites like Pandora has satisfied consumer's desire for browsing, but to the disservice of the music industry, it is not within a digital retail space. Another trait of physical stores that has made the transition into the digital realm, but again not within the digital retail space, is the expert advice given by record store clerks.

Okay hold up. Before you start yelling, "what consumer really misses the pretentious tirades of record store clerks?", I want to show you how this very same colloquial type advice is thriving online today. Sites like Gorilla Vs. Bear, Stereogum, Aquarium Drunkard, and the Pitchfork helmed bloglomerate Altered Zones, have gained followers in the tens of thousands in much the same way. Unlike traditional media, which has transitioned into online comparably from its print predecessor on sites like Pitchfork, Rolling Stone's site, and the Los Angeles Times "Pop & Hiss" column, these blogs offer quick, straight-forward advice and recommendations.

Similar to asking a record clerk, these sites have leveraged their knowledge and expertise to influence our tastes and build credibility in the eye's of music fans. The difference however is in days of yore, people would go into a record store for this knowledge. This service was an investment by the worker; a sales tactic for moving more product in the form of good advice. Credibility online is relegated to music blogs instead of digital retailers. No longer does this transfer of knowledge happen within the environment of a retail space. 

Don't get me wrong, I love blogs. I follow them unwaveringly via my google reader and their finely curated selection of free promo MP3s have lead me to the vast majority of my favorite artists today. I feel like digital retailers could leverage this influence in taste making, and help break the flatlining in digital sales experienced this year. Instead of celebrity playlists or iTunes curated guides to genres, which fail from lack of credibility, (its hard to gain this trust when most digital retailer's sell every conceivable genre - they can't possibly be experts in my favorite genre) digital retailers should invite these online experts to exist within the framework of commerce. Bloggers maintain this credibility with consumers and credibility is essential for today's all knowledgeable consumers.

One digital retailer that is making interesting in-ways in this sense is 7digital. Developers at 7digital have created what they call their API, which "allows developers to use and license the 7digital technology platform with over 10,000,000 tracks to create music websites, applications and devices or to integrate music into existing services." This service is new and I have not seen wide spread usage yet, but theoretically bloggers, or anyone for that matter, could create their own "mom & pop"-esque digital retail store. Benefiting from the ability to offer selective and well branded curation of music in their store, bloggers could leverage their credibility within a retail environment. This would in effect bring consumer's back into retail space to seek credible recommendations. Especially today when there is so much music available and digital retailers like iTunes act essentially as one-stop music depots, credibility in music taste is increasingly sought after. Whether this is how 7digital's open API will be used and received by consumers is unclear, but prospects of it improving digital retail environments in very exciting.