What should you do?

You are an ML engineer at a global shoe store. You manage the ML models for the company’s website. You are asked to build a model that will recommend new products to the user based on their purchase behavior and similarity with other users.

What should you do?
A . Build a classification model
B . Build a knowledge-based filtering model
C . Build a collaborative-based filtering model
D . Build a regression model using the features as predictors

Answer: C

Explanation:

A recommender system is a type of machine learning system that suggests relevant items to users based on their preferences and behavior. Recommender systems are widely used in e-commerce, media, and entertainment industries to enhance user experience and increase revenue1

There are different types of recommender systems that use different filtering methods to generate recommendations.

The most common types are:

Content-based filtering: This method uses the features of the items and the users to find the similarity between them. For example, a content-based recommender system for movies may use the genre, director, cast, and ratings of the movies, and the preferences, demographics, and history of the users, to recommend movies that are similar to the ones the user liked before2 Collaborative filtering: This method uses the feedback and ratings of the users to find the similarity between them and the items. For example, a collaborative filtering recommender system for books may use the ratings of the users for different books, and recommend books that are liked by other users who have similar ratings to the target user3

Hybrid method: This method combines content-based and collaborative filtering methods to overcome the limitations of each method and improve the accuracy and diversity of the recommendations. For example, a hybrid recommender system for music may use both the features of the songs and the artists, and the ratings and listening habits of the users, to recommend songs that match the user’s taste and preferences4

Deep learning-based: This method uses deep neural networks to learn complex and non-linear patterns from the data and generate recommendations. Deep learning-based recommender systems can handle large-scale and high-dimensional data, and incorporate various types of information, such as text, images, audio, and video. For example, a deep learning-based recommender system for fashion may use the images and descriptions of the products, and the profiles and feedback of the users, to recommend products that suit the user’s style and preferences.

For the use case of building a model that will recommend new products to the user based on their purchase behavior and similarity with other users, the best option is to build a collaborative-based filtering model. This is because collaborative filtering can leverage the implicit feedback and ratings of the users to find the items that are most likely to interest them. Collaborative filtering can also help discover new products that the user may not be aware of, and increase the diversity and serendipity of the recommendations3

The other options are not as suitable for this use case. Building a classification model or a regression model using the features as predictors is not a good idea, as these models are not designed for recommendation tasks, and may not capture the preferences and behavior of the users. Building a knowledge-based filtering model is not relevant, as this method uses the explicit knowledge and requirements of the users to find the items that meet their criteria, and does not rely on the purchase behavior or similarity with other users.

Reference: 1: Recommender system 2: Content-based filtering 3: Collaborative filtering 4: Hybrid recommender system: [Deep learning for recommender systems]: [Knowledge-based recommender system]