Recommender Systems - past, present, and future

Recommender systems are among the most fun and profitable applications of data science in the big data world. Training data (corresponding to the historical search, browse, purchase, and customer feedback patterns of your customers) can be converted into golden opportunities for ROI (i.e., Return On Innovation and Investment). The predictive analytics tools of data science yield a bonanza of mechanisms to engage your customers and enrich their customer experience. What better loyalty program can there be if not the one that offers the customer what they want before they ask (and sometimes, even before they think of it for themselves). Yes, we know of some cases that have gone bad (such as the secretly pregnant teen and the targeted coupons that Target sent to her father), and we recognize that there is a fine line between being intimate with your customers versus being intimidating, but usually people do like to receive offers for great products that they love.