What is a Recommendation Engine?

A recommendation engine uses algorithms to predict and suggest products, content, or services that individual users are likely to find relevant based on their behavior, preferences, and similarities to other users. It's the technology behind "You may also like" and "Customers who bought this also bought."

Recommendation approaches include: collaborative filtering (based on similar users' behavior), content-based filtering (based on item attributes), and hybrid approaches combining both. Modern engines add contextual factors like time, device, location, and recent behavior. Applications span e-commerce (product recommendations), content sites (article/video recommendations), streaming services (what to watch next), and email marketing (personalized product blocks). The quality of recommendations directly impacts engagement, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction.