eBay Search Is a Testing Ground for Data Scientists

In a post on its corporate blog on Monday, eBay explained how it uses machine learning technology to drive innovative new approaches to search experiences. But while that may sound good to the rest of the world, sellers may be wary of marketplaces that tinker with search, which is key to getting exposure to shoppers. Even before eBay started touting its skills in artificial intelligence and machine learning, sellers were concerned over eBay's use of an algorithm to influence which listings would appear higher on the search results page, something known as Best Match - the default sort order of listings. And that's exactly where eBay is concentrating its testing. In Monday's post, eBay wrote, "The largest scale application of machine learning technology at eBay is currently Best Match, the algorithm used to optimize relevance for buyers during their shopping experiences. It is a powerful tool for surfacing deals."