During my first coding class, after the obligatory “Hello, World,” my assignment was to find the least cost path in a matrix of values (linear programming).  The computer took some time to crunch the data to come to a solution.  Now, this is an app on your phone.  

As logistics become less expensive, more instantaneous, and support a greater variety of goods, the long tail category of "candidate products" continues to expand. For example, 3-D printers.