A New User Model based Interactive Product Retrieval Process for improved eBuying

When searching for items online there are three common problems that e-buyers may encounter; null retrieval, retrieving unmanageable number of items, and retrieving unsatisfactory items. In the past information retrieval systems or recommender systems were used as solutions. With information retrieval systems, too rigorous filtering based on the user query to reduce unmanageable number of items result in either null retrieval or filtering out the items users prefer. Recommender systems on the other hand do not provide sufficient opportunity for users to communicate their needs. As a solution, this paper introduces a novel method combining a user model with an interactive product retrieval process. The new layered user model has the potential of being applied across multiple product and service domains and is able to adapt to changing user preferences. The new product retrieval algorithm is integrated with the user model and is able to successfully address null retrieval, retrieving unmanageable number of items, and retrieving unsatisfactory items. The process is demonstrated using a bench mark dataset and a case study. Finally the Product retrieval process is evaluated using a set of guidelines to illustrate its suitability to current eBuying environments.