Word of Mouse

Know what your customers want even before they do.You're surfing the Web and discover a site that seems to have been waiting just for you. It knows your likes and dislikes, the last book you bought, and maybe even the kind of coat you'll be shopping for this winter. Want to bring this incredible technology to your own business? This is the book that shows you how.Word of MouseTechnology has given consumers the ability to compare prices and products anywhere in the world - and it's given marketers something even more powerful. A new tool called collaborative filtering is making it easy for companies to find their ideal customers and track their detailed buying habits by automatically turning customer data into specific recommendations across the entire spectrum of the Web-and beyond.John Riedl and Joseph Konstan helped invent the software that gave rise to this marketing dream. Now in Word of Mouse they show how dozens of businesses best use - and sometimes fail to use - this technology and the many opportunities it creates. Learn how: Well-known companies from Amazon.com to Lands' End value and expand their customer relationships - including aspects of those relationships customers don't even know exist Clinique's "foundation finder" became a Web marketing masterpiece - by offering each customer personalized, intimate service for her make-up needs eBay built a billion-dollar business by letting their customers create site content by posting products for sale - and policing themselves through feedback and recommendations. From companies who treat their buyers royally as soon as they "walk through the door" to those who found a niche by trading consumer data, this book shows how to apply the timeless principles of customer service, as your company takes full advantage of "word of mouse."