5 ms·

I like Amazon's "you bought a SatNav, perhaps you'd be interested in these other 8 SatNavs"... Possibly the answer is that the algorithms aren't close to good

I like Amazon's "you bought a SatNav, perhaps you'd be interested in these other 8 SatNavs"... Possibly the answer is that the algorithms aren't close to good enough. That "might be interested in" isn't good enough.

smcl 14y ago
Another one of Amazon's which frustrated me was that after a few years of buying similar items (programming books, computer odds and ends etc) it started recommending reasonable things. Then I put in an order for two children's books for my mother (who teaches young kids), and from that moment on Amazon somehow only recommended kids books to me. It's never really recovered, however since I bought a blackberry cover a year or so ago it has started recommending other blackberry covers so I guess it's sort of improved.
- MrMember 14y ago
  Amazon has an option to remove items you've purchased or looked at from their recommendation engine. I don't know exactly where it is as I don't use it very often, but with some poking around you should be able to find it.
  - ktsmith 14y ago
    Depending on where the recommendation is being displayed it will typically a have a "fix this recommendation" button right under the item. Then you can select that you are't interested, already own it, bought it as a gift, or simply mark it to not be used for recommendations. The problem with this is, it seems to take ten or fifteen minutes of effort to get the system to go back to showing somewhat relevant items after purchasing a few gifts, or browsing some atypical items. Who wants to spend that kind of time pruning advertisements. It's easier to just ignore them.
thaumasiotes 14y ago
I remember seeing Amazon's recommendations as I hit the homepage and thinking "wow, those are all exactly the sort of thing I'd want. Their recommendation system is nailing it!" On further inspection, the secret turned out to be... that all of those items had been lifted from my wishlist.

smcl 14y ago

Another one of Amazon's which frustrated me was that after a few years of buying similar items (programming books, computer odds and ends etc) it started recommending reasonable things. Then I put in an order for two children's books for my mother (who teaches young kids), and from that moment on Amazon somehow only recommended kids books to me. It's never really recovered, however since I bought a blackberry cover a year or so ago it has started recommending other blackberry covers so I guess it's sort of improved.

MrMember 14y ago
Amazon has an option to remove items you've purchased or looked at from their recommendation engine. I don't know exactly where it is as I don't use it very often, but with some poking around you should be able to find it.
- ktsmith 14y ago
  Depending on where the recommendation is being displayed it will typically a have a "fix this recommendation" button right under the item. Then you can select that you are't interested, already own it, bought it as a gift, or simply mark it to not be used for recommendations. The problem with this is, it seems to take ten or fifteen minutes of effort to get the system to go back to showing somewhat relevant items after purchasing a few gifts, or browsing some atypical items. Who wants to spend that kind of time pruning advertisements. It's easier to just ignore them.

thaumasiotes 14y ago

I remember seeing Amazon's recommendations as I hit the homepage and thinking "wow, those are all exactly the sort of thing I'd want. Their recommendation system is nailing it!" On further inspection, the secret turned out to be... that all of those items had been lifted from my wishlist.