One of the great things about technology is its ability to gather data and employ the resulting knowledge to create a better user experience.
When Amazon pioneered PWL (“people who like …”), it was a revelation. Suddenly, the collective knowledge and experiences of a community could open doors to new things we didn’t even know were there. Sometimes the suggestions were a little off, but that was OK.
Over time many of us have come to depend on these recommendation engines.
I buy a lot of car parts for a Mustang restoration. Not sure which gasket fits that timing chain cover? No problem. The recommendation engine has my back.
But two recent emails show that as great as today’s recommendation algorithms are, it’s still easy for the technology to over-reach.
The first email, from eBay Fashion, arrived in my in-box with a bold promise. Subject line: “Stylish picks just for you!” Headline: “Cool stuff we think you’ll like.”
The second, from Brooks Brothers, went even further. Subject line: “Carefully curated and personally selected for you.” Curated? Personally selected? That’s exciting, especially from a brand like Brooks Brothers.
But here’s a warning to those seeking to enhance customer experience through personalization: Be careful. Very careful.
It’s one thing to suggest a new book or an auto accessory. It’s something else to declare that your “stylish picks just for me” include a plaid shirt (eBay) or banana-yellow shorts (Brooks Brothers).
The problem comes when algorithms use objective data to predict something that’s inherently subjective. My unique sense of fashion has been reduced to a formula? Actually, in my case that is possible; I am no clothes horse. But that’s not true for many people, particularly those for whom fashion matters a lot.
Nor can algorithms determine what’s “cool.” Cool is ultimately subjective and highly variable, and declaring any one item of clothing cool is likely to alienate as many people as it attracts.
The eBay email got me wondering how the algorithm decided what I’d like in the first place. A little over a year ago, eBay bought Hunch, whose Taste Graph is designed to produce insights about consumers as well as recommendations on things they might like.
If Hunch is indeed powering eBay offers like the one I received, it didn’t strike out completely. I like the Timberland jacket and the Oakley sunglasses. But that plaid shirt? Please.
