How Costco's curation philosophy applies to the internet and digital platforms

Summary

This article draws a parallel between Costco's retail philosophy—curating a limited selection of high-quality products at good value (the "intelligent loss of sales" pioneered by Sol Price and Jim Sinegal)—and how the internet and digital platforms could benefit from similar curation and constraint. It explores how abundance of choice online creates friction, and argues that platforms, services, and content creators might improve user experience by deliberately limiting options, focusing on quality over quantity, and accepting the loss of some users in exchange for serving others better.