Recommendation Engines Weighted by Stock and Margin
A recommendation engine decides what to show a customer next, using your catalogue and what people have bought together. Popularity alone is a weak guide. Out-of-stock and low-margin suggestions both cost you.
What the suggestions are tuned against
Where recommendations appear
Recommendations appear on a product page, in the cart, in a dealer portal, or in the follow-up a salesperson sends. The last suits distributors well: a list of items this dealer usually reorders and has not this month, ready for a phone call. This is personalisation without a large online catalogue.
When a catalogue is too small
With a small catalogue and repeat customers, your sales team already knows what to suggest. A model adds nothing and needs maintenance. Recommendations earn their place when no person can hold the catalogue in their head. They also earn it when traffic is high enough for a small shift to matter.
Frequently asked questions
How much history does a recommendation engine need?
It depends on catalogue size more than on months, since enough orders are needed for patterns to repeat. With little history, simple rules you write yourself often perform as well.
Does this work with our existing online store?
Where the platform allows a block to be placed and an API to be called, yes. Some hosted platforms restrict what can be inserted, so this is confirmed against your setup before it is quoted.
Can we override what gets recommended?
Yes. Pinning, blocking and category rules sit on top of the model, so a discontinued line or a product under dispute never appears, whatever the history suggests.
How do we know it is doing anything?
By comparing a group shown recommendations against a group that is not, over a fair period. Without that comparison, any change in sales could just as easily be the season.
Tell us what you need.
Share your requirements and one of our engineers will come back to you within one business day.
What happens after you share your requirements
- A senior engineer reads your answers. Nobody phones first.
- Within one business day you get a written note: what we understood, what we would start with, and the questions we still have.
- If it fits, a proposal follows with the order of work, what we need from you and what you receive at each step.
- No call is booked and nothing is paid until you have read the note. Your details stay with us.
Start with your requirements
Seven short steps that tell us what you need. A senior engineer reads them before anyone gets in touch.
Share your requirements