A Survey of the Comparison Shopping Agent-Based Decision Support Systems

摘要: ABSTRACT The web-based comparison shopping agents (CSAs) or shopbots have emerged as important business intermediaries that provide decision support to both the shoppers and merchants. basic idea is an easy access price non-price based competitive features shoppers. CSAs do not equivalent counterpart in offline world they generated a significant amount of interest among researchers economics, marketing, information systems fields. There been numerous studies on contexts dispersion, consumer behavior, search costs, recommender systems. focus this paper study contemporary literature about analyze them context (DSS). In order comprehensive support, typical DSS should four components: data, models, interfaces, user specific customization. paper, component framework used synthesize current research work explore CSAs. provides suggestions for improving aspect proposes agenda CSA-based Keywords: agents, CSA, shopbots, shopping, 1. Introduction advent Internet has created new avenues merchants sell their products also reduced barriers entering into retail business. This, along with expanded reach retailing widely discussed 'long-tail' phenomenon, intense competition online sector. domain, oligopolistic nature brick mortar (B&M) virtually become open-for-all type retailing. This increased number available options shopper's purchasing decisions merchant's marketing decisions. As optimal decision-making involves thorough analysis all alternatives hand, increase made users' problems more complex. Moreover, such complexity compounded by fact compared B&M counterparts, are diverse. They only heterogeneous terms services provide, but differ other areas stock (e.g. regular, refurbished, used, outdated, long-tail) channel-mix operations pure-play, click (C&M), manufacturer-owned). It no wonder days Internet, occupied prominent space facilitating making process Majority these Web-based bring together facilitate successful sales transaction. One most popular forms (CSA) shopbots. tools comparing purchase product, merchant reputation) factors. increasingly becoming report from leading Web-analytics firm, Compete, shows each top two major CSAs, Nextag.com Bizrate.com, attracted than million unique visitors during January 2009. surprising see companies like Microsoft, Yahoo, Google integrated search-based solutions. proactively some Buy.com. dispersion [Brynjolfsson et al. …