You have experienced it. You are shopping for a gift and you get the “others who have purchased this item also purchased this” pitch. It may annoy you, but more often than not the items are of interest and may end up being what you were looking for to begin with. This topic came to us from the Wall Street Journal in their article, “Retailers Use AI to Improve Online Recommendations for Shoppers.”

In the retail world this is the result of machine-learning algorithms, artificial intelligence (AI) and semantic marketing. Since the beginning of the pandemic, online shopping has exploded because of convenience, more time and for some, therapy. Their goal is to meet the customer at the moment of inspiration, or impulsivity.

Semantic marketing is a strategy that places paramount importance on the wording of every ad and marketing phrase. The precise selection of words and terms that convey an exact message is the key to the strategy. Small businesses that cater to niche markets and very targeted segments of the population often make use of semantic marketing as part of their overall strategy.

Melody K. Smith

Sponsored by Data Harmony, a unit of Access Innovations, the world leader in indexing and making content findable.