Abstract

Consumers often face a task to select a best option from a large set of alternatives, such as choosing a car to buy 1, an apartment to rent 2, or an unforgettable trip to book 3. E-commerce sites frequently provide the possibility to search for structured items, usually by asking a user to fill in a form asking about the requirements that a desired product has to satisfy (preferences). This process is used, for example, when searching for a used car, or a flight on popular websites, and is also referred to as preference-based search or parametric search. Although such choice-based approaches are prevalent, both users and retailers can find them unsatisfying. One of the major reasons is that users are often not able to correctly transform their preferences into requirements using online forms, and thus they are rarely provided with the information they need. On the other hand, consumers making purchase decisions in online shops are often unable to evaluate all available alternatives in great depth, and so seek to reduce the amount of information processing. Interactive decision aids that provide support to consumers are particularly valuable in helping to determine which alternatives are

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