The Naruto Index

[http://www.otakunovideo.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/17348NarutoVol47-lg.jpg|195x294px|Naruto volume 47]

ICv2 has just created the Naruto Index, a playful way of measuring any retailer's commitment to manga. The logic flows like this:


 * 1) Naruto is arguably the biggest, most important title in the manga market.
 * 2) The amount of Naruto that a retailer stocks thus indicates how much that retailer cares about capturing the manga market.
 * 3) The number of specific volumes of Naruto stocked (not copies of each volume, but the range of different volumes) measures commitment to the manga market quite accurately, because stocking all 47 volumes (as of this writing) is a serious commitment of shelf space.

I love metrics like this:  they're simple, helpful, and specific. There's a lot you can't learn from it, but it communicates its information clearly.

So, for example, Amazon.com scores 100% on the Naruto Index, Barnes & Noble is at 83%, and Borders scores 62%.

My takeaway: online stores are superior to brick-and-mortar stores for relatively niche markets like manga, since warehouse space is cheaper than retail shelf space.