1. When do you use this?
Aiden's recommendations algorithm is based on scoring and weighing each individual product in your catalog. The score of each product is determined by you when you connect the products to the answers in Matching.
💡 Want to know more about the advice logic? Read: Define the advice logic in Matching
Products that are marked as a "bad match" (X) to a particular answer normally receive a lower score, but are not excluded from the results. After all, a customer may still find the product suitable if it perfectly matches all their other preferences.
However, advice may improve when "bad matches" are completely excluded from the results.
Suppose you work for a webshop that sells hiking boots. Some of your customers will be looking for hiking boots for children. Hiking shoes for adults are irrelevant to these customers, so you don't want to see them in the advice. In the example below, the result on the right gives the best advice for a customer looking for hiking boots for children.
Another example: with a product finder for concerts, you can exclude adult concerts from the advice if a customer says they are looking for a concert for children.
To get this done, you can set a question as a hard requirement instead of a preference. This ensures that products with a "bad match" (X) are not shown to your customer in the advice.
❗️ Note: with a multiple answer question you can only use a filter if you are sure that answers are not mutually exclusive. In Test & Tweak, select several answers at once to see if this leads to an empty advice.
2. How do you set a question as a filter?
1. Set your matching so that the products you want to exclude in a given question are given a "bad match".
2. Go to Settings (in the Matching section) and select Filter questions on the left side.
3. Turn on the filter by clicking the toggle behind the desired question, as done for the "What shoe size do you need?" question. Click Save to save your settings.
4. Go to Test & Tweak or use the Preview to check the result!
❗️ Note: chances of getting an empty advice are higher when you have set a question as a filter. Make sure your customers don't get empty advices by checking as much different combinations as possible in Test & Tweak.
Tips & Trics
Normally, the default weighted algorithm in Aiden ensures that customers never see an empty advice page. They always see an advice with all available products sorted from best match to worse match. Even if the best match does not fully meet their preferences.
By excluding bad matches, you set certain answers as a "hard requirement" rather than a "preference". Technically, this can result in an "empty advice," an advice page with 0 results. And you're not helping anyone with that.
Test your product finder thoroughly to ensure that each combination of answers results in a recommendation with products. Are you getting an empty advice? Read these tips to avoid an empty advice.
Are you trying this feature in a published product finder? If so, first make a copy of your product finder to try out setting a filter. Are you satisfied with the adjustment? Then modify it your published product finder. And don't forget to republish your product finder!
💡 Good to know: Do you want to turn on a filter for a numeric question and use secondary sorting in the recommendation? In case of equal matching scores, we will first show the products closest to your customer's entered numerical value. And within that we use the secondary sorting that you set up.