We've not yet reached a level of digital literacy necessary for that sort of niche to survive. Ecommerce has reduced profit margins for brick & mortar to levels that are almost unsustainable (hence the well-reported closures), but b&m chains still exist and push a lot of volume, and a lot of people don't trust their internet skills enough to try non-brand shops.
Timing is important. Remember the "New Economy" boom? A lot of those businesses didn't survive just because there weren't enough customers online. I say we're now in a position where there are enough customers to keep large businesses afloat, but not enough to sustain niches big enough to leave them some surplus to invest in algo optimization. I think this will change sometime in the next 30 years. By the time everyone under 65 will have grown up with the internet as a given, I think we'll see the "final form" of the new market.
Timing is important. Remember the "New Economy" boom? A lot of those businesses didn't survive just because there weren't enough customers online. I say we're now in a position where there are enough customers to keep large businesses afloat, but not enough to sustain niches big enough to leave them some surplus to invest in algo optimization. I think this will change sometime in the next 30 years. By the time everyone under 65 will have grown up with the internet as a given, I think we'll see the "final form" of the new market.
Also, the necessary algo tech is still not cheap.