Recommendation Engine Secrets We Don’t Want You to Know: It’s not as Complicated as We’d Have You Think
Friday, May 15th, 2009
There is no question that recommendation engines work. If you’re looking for a way to boost order value, items per basket and conversions, adding a recommendation engine to your eCommerce site is pretty low-hanging fruit these days. But how do you evaluate which is the right one for you when all that black magic that goes on under the hood is so complex (and expensive)?
Recommendation engines are not rocket science (though we’d have you believe otherwise)
Most every recommendation engine provider boasts of patented algorithms and legions of MIT grads. Hell, our recommendation engine was created by 3 MIT grads (though (Course XV, not Course VI as you might suspect). What we don’t tell you, however, is that this is more valuable for marketing than for creating a great recommendation engine.
Why? The recommendation problem has been solved. Most recommendation engines use one of a handful of methods that are well understood and detailed in academic literature. We all have our own little twists on the procedure, though, and this is what the legions of MIT grads ultimately patent. The reality is that, at heart, most recommendation engines aren’t that dissimilar.
So when you’re looking to add a recommendation engine to your site, don’t worry so much about the black box powering it all. Instead, focus on how well it meets your needs in other areas, chiefly:
- Cost
- Ease of setup and integration
- Customizability
These are the areas that cause the most headaches, though they are often overlooked by potential buyers. If you find a recommendation engine that works for you in these three areas, you’ve got a good one. Now go add it to your site and count all that new revenue!
