This looks like a slam dunk - you get an ever-growing content set which is naturally relevant, plus a potentially valuable archive of product information.
And it's simple - you just need an area for the archive display, say "discontinued products" and flag the data once the product is discontinued. Instead of deleting the data, you would check the discontinued checkbox, and that product would move to the new archive area. Product data is not deleted, only flagged as obsolete, and many systems already handle it this way so you may already have the archive data - and just need to figure out how to display it.
Whether you sell downloads, create unique products, or are one of many retailers selling mass produced goods, this technique could play a productive role on your site.
Time is the big factor here. The older the archive, the more valuable it becomes, so if you're going to do it, start now.
Simple, elegant, brilliant! We started this rolling and we already have the archive data, so it's just a matter of organizing the display.
Not going to work for us. We sell stock media, video, photos, and nothing is ever discontinued. But great idea for stores.
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