3 min read

The what & how of Recommendation Engines

WordPress and Magento are extremely famous in the world of blogging and eCommerce respectively. There are so many ways to combine Magento and WordPress to make a website that is an effective alternative to a brick and mortar store. Both these platforms have their own sets of benefits but integrating them can help in a lot more ways, one of them being a recommendation engine.


What is a Recommendation Engine


Every customer have a number of choices and ways to opt for. Whether it is about getting a book to read irrespective of genre or to go out in a café. There will be a number of pans out for it on the internet. However, if you have already read a book and are searching as per than genre then the choice will be limited. Here is the thing, instead of surfing the internet to get some appropriate results, it will be so much better to have a way out of it. We are talking about an application in which you can simply log in and get the work done.


A recommendation engine will do just that. There is a number of businesses that are actually harnessing the power of this sort of engine to increase sales. Whether we talk about Netflix or Amazon (Kindle, Prime or Amazon store), it is everywhere. You can think of it as a filter that uses a different algorithm to target the most relevant items for their audience. It is done on the basis of past behavior of a customer through which the software recommends products that are more likely to be consumed by them.


How does a recommendation engine work


The system can easily recommend the much better product to the customer that is the most popular one. Also, it will divide the list of products as per the preference and also the items that are recommended. In both, the situations WordPress Magento Integration can come in handy with the Recommendation engine.


The first, since, it will focus on the popularity, hence, all the customers will have the same recommendations. Whereas, in the second case, the features will increase with a number of users. This will make it a difficult task to classify the segments in as per the user history.


The vital issue that is faced in such as condition is that specific interest of a user is taken under consideration. It is essential to use a personalized method that can help in product recommendation accurately. There are various steps that are followed up by the system such as:


Data collection


When you build a recommendation engine for the WordPress Magento Integration, it is essential to collect data – implicitly or explicitly. The data that will be provided internally will be explicit data such as user input. Whereas the data that is gathered through streaming and not provided internally is called implicit data such as history, order, clicks, etc.


Data storage


If you want to check how good the recommendation model of a given system can be then it is better to have a look at the dictated amount of data. It can be a rating, orders, etc. If the recommendation of the system is good then it means that the user will get them. Data is the essential part of such a system that allows a customer to get what is best for them. The type of storage is decided with the help of a type of data only. There are so many standards that can be chosen by the given storage such as a NoSQL, SQL database, etc.


Data filtration


When the data collection and storing is done then it is essential to filter it. This will help in extracting information that is relevant as per the requirements of the customer. Hence, the final recommendation can be calculated with it. To get this, you need to follow up various algorithms that can help you to get it done with. There are different algorithm such as Content-based filtering, Collaborative filtering and a Hybrid model.


Blogging and eCommerce features with Recommendation Engine


There are main four solutions that are can be used for the Recommendation system. These includes:


WordPress with an eCommerce plugin


WordPress is not limited to blogging any longer. If anything, with WordPress 5.0, we can expect much better things with it. There are various plugins – free and premium - that can be used for an adequate eCommerce website. Whether it is a payment module or cart, you can use any plugin to fulfill your requirement. It is very light to integrate and also is lighter than Magento. The plugins that can be used are WooCommerce, TheCartPress eCommerce Shopping Cart, etc.


Magento with a blogging extension


There can be a problem when Magento and WordPress are used together. It sometimes creates a bottleneck condition and hence there isa number of extensions that are used to solve such situations. The main advantage in such a case is that there is no need to login separately and also you can manage it easily. The extensions that are used are Blog Pro and Blog by aheadWorks.


WordPress integrated with Magento


It is now possible to fuse WordPress with Magento. This approach helps in providing stability and extensibility to WordPress and Magento. It will open up so many opportunities for you to grow. You can use MagePress, Fishpig, and other such extensions.


Magento integration in WordPress


You can also integrate blocks of Magento with WordPress to come up with a better recommendation system. It will be easier and you can use plugins as per your convince. There are so many options for you to opt for from plugins and themes - such as WordGento, Magento WordPress Integration, etc.


You don’t even have to think how efficient blogging and eCommerce can be together. It will give you a much more lasting effect with the help of a recommendation system. This will give you selective options and also the content in which the customers are interested in.


Need a recommendation engine built for your eCommerce solution or need help in setting up your eCommerce store? Get in touch