Like most 37signals articles, this presents a platitude backed by two examples. There are thousands of companies that succeed with the opposite strategy, and thousands that do something simple and fail.
It's not even clear that Pinkberry succeeded because of its small product offering or due to some other factor. In fact, the first time I heard about it, a fan was raving about the incredible selection of toppings to choose from.
A whole economics thesis could be dedicated to a controlled study of which strategy is actually preferable. This being the internet, simple narratives tend to win over rigorous results.
Can you suggest any way of gaining a broader perspective? Both companies mentioned in the article are B2C and highly visible. They may have "visual punch" outweighing their "economic punch".
How can we get a broader, more realistic picture of what's really happening in the economy?
It's not even clear that Pinkberry succeeded because of its small product offering or due to some other factor. In fact, the first time I heard about it, a fan was raving about the incredible selection of toppings to choose from.
A whole economics thesis could be dedicated to a controlled study of which strategy is actually preferable. This being the internet, simple narratives tend to win over rigorous results.