Configuring Recommendations

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to configure recommendations using algorithms to create appealing marketing campaigns and coupons for consumers.

Product Recommendation Configuration Possibilities

The product recommendation configuration possibilities include the following:

Algorithm Availability
Define availability of algorithm in Manage Recommendations and Recommendation Models.
Data Source Pre-Filters
Define filters to limit the data retrieved from a data source during model generation. Import custom fields to be used as pre-filters.
Recommendation Algorithm Defaults
Define default values for algorithm and data source pre-filter parameters.
Runtime Impressions
Aggregate or Transform Runtime Recommendation Impressions.
Runtime Parameters
Enhanced Recommendation Runtime Parameters

Algorithm Availability, Data Source Pre-Filters, and Recommendation Algorithm Defaults

You can define the availability of algorithms in Manage Recommendations and Recommendation Models. Manage Recommendations contains a subset of features and algorithms that are available in Recommendation Models. If you make an algorithm available in Manage Recommendations, it is automatically made available in Recommendation Models also.

Step One

Navigate to Manage Your Solution to view the available apps.

Screenshot of Configure Your Solution application.
  1. User Story: The admin can control which algorithms are available to the recommendation applications tailored for the Marketing Expert and Business Analyst.
  2. New Capabilities: Algorithms can be made available in any of the recommendation applications.

Select the Recommendation Algorithms application.

Step Two

Now that you're in the Recommendation Algorithms app, let's explore some of the available settings.

Screenshot of Recommendation Algorithms application.
  1. Usage of algorithms: These settings allow you to define the availability of algorithms in Recommendation Models and Manage Recommendations. Once an algorithm is set to be available in an application, the algorithm will be shown in the list of available algorithms once the user selects to add an algorithm in the model.
  2. Benefits for customers: Determine which pre-filters best fit the users of the two applications and accordingly make them available. This will enable the users to see only what’s relevant to their role.

Step Three

You can define data source pre-filters that can be applied to an algorithm within Manage Recommendations and Recommendation Models. The pre-filters are data source type specific and limit the data retrieved from a data source during model generation.

Screenshot of the Data Source and Pre-Filter settings.
  1. Usage of pre-filters: Once a data source pre-filter is set to be available in an application, the pre-filters will be shown in the list of available data source pre-filters once the user selects to add a pre-filter in an algorithm.
  2. User story: The admin can control which data source pre-filters are available to the recommendation applications tailored for the Marketing Expert and Business Analyst.
  3. Benefits for customers: Determine which pre-filters best fit the users of the two applications and accordingly make them available. This will enable the users to see only what’s relevant to their role.
  4. New capabilities: Pre-filters can be made available in any of the two recommendation applications.

Step Four

This area is where you can define the default values algorithm and data source pre-filter parameters.

Screenshot of the Recommendation Algorithm Defaults application.
  1. Recommendation Algorithm Defaults: This feature helps the user by avoiding to add the same parameters each time an algorithm is used within a model by saving the parameters as default values.
  2. In this example, when the Top Viewed algorithm is used, Interaction Type and Use Interaction Data will be used and values will be defaulted (i.e. SHOP_ITEM_VIEW and look back in the last 15 days).

Algorithm Parameters

Here is a list of parameters. You can define the following algorithm defaults:

Maximum rule size
User specified maximum item set size.​​
Maximum result set
User specified maximum result set to return.​​
Minimum confidence
User specified minimum probability that a combination of products are grouped together in a transaction. The value must be strictly greater than 0.0 and strictly less than 1.0.​​
Minimum lift
User specified minimum figure that is the ratio between the confidence and the support of the dependent items (expected confidence).​​
Minimum support
User specified minimum figure associated to a product association rule that describes the frequency with which two or more products are grouped together in a transaction. ​The value must be strictly greater than 0.0 and strictly less than 1.0.​​​
Score type
User specified method of ranking recommendations that is based on one of the following:
  • Confidence
  • Lift​​​
  • Support
Generation refresh rate (in hours)
User specified number of hours after which an algorithm is regenerated. Once an algorithm has been added to a model, the algorithm parameters can be changed and saved. The updated parameters are then only applied within the context of that individual model.​

Note

Not all the algorithm parameters are relevant for every standard delivery algorithm.

Data Source Pre-Filter Parameters

Data source pre-filters are applied during model generation to limit the data retrieved from a data source. The data source pre-filters available to an algorithm are contingent on the data source type assigned to the algorithm.

You can define the following data source pre-filter parameters:

  • SAP Marketing Interactions
  • Communication Medium
  • Product Category
  • Interaction Type
  • Interaction Time Stamp
  • Use Interaction Data
  • SAP Marketing Interaction Contacts
  • Target Group
  • SAP Marketing Product
  • Product Category

Additional Resources

If you want to learn about custom recommendation algorithms, check out the resource below:

Blog post
Use Custom Algorithms in Product Recommendation.

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