The A9 algorithm is the name of Amazon’s search algorithm. Amazon is an online shopping platform. When a user comes to shop, it needs to figure out the customer’s true intentions and display the most matching products in front of the customer.
On the A9 official website, Amazon explains the operation of the A9 algorithm as follows: “We start operating before the buyer determines the search type. Before the buyer decides to search, we have analyzed a large number of Data, observing buyers’ past browsing habits, and using text guidance to describe the products displayed for each search in our categories
The goal of the Amazon A9 algorithm is to ensure that consumers search for it as quickly and accurately as possible. “Products that you really want to buy”, and the ultimate goal is to maximize the buyer’s benefit under the premise of user satisfaction (Revenue Per Customer, referred to as RPC). It is based on this that the core of the A9 algorithm is derived. Three indicators – Relevance, conversion rate and customer retention rate.
Relevance refers to the consistency between search results and the customer’s true purchase intention, which is what we usually call it. The product keywords mentioned above, and on the seller side, the content that can match the product keywords searched by customers is mainly reflected in the product title, five-element characteristics, product description and Search Term keywords. Of course, for some products, product attributes, Brand name, technical parameters and other content are also elements for the A9 algorithm to identify product relevance to a certain extent.
If relevance is the basis of matching, then the conversion rate is the test of the matching results. The conversion rate plays a large role in the A9 algorithm. The conversion rate directly affects the display results of a listing after being evaluated by the A9 algorithm. According to experience, on the Amazon platform, the factors that affect the conversion rate mainly include sales, rankings, and customer reviews. (Review quantity and star rating) Product pictures (especially the main picture) and price Users use the above factors to determine whether a product meets their needs and whether the quality can meet their expectations. If so, it is easy to make a purchase and the purchase rate is high, A9. The algorithm will increase the display weight for it in the later stage.
The essence of customer retention rate is the comprehensive performance of the seller’s account, including order defect rate (ODR), perfect order rate (POP), sellable inventory, and feedback performance. In 2019, Amazon made adjustments to the listing display methods and associated traffic positions on the site, including all factors related to account performance. It not only introduced more advertising spaces, but also continued to promote its self-operated products. Many sellers are worried that Amazon has changed its position. The A9 algorithm that has always been adhered to has become “A10” that focuses on advertising revenue. In fact, such concerns do not exist. For Amazon, the AWS cloud service, which has grown rapidly in recent years, only accounts for 12.49% of its business revenue. Most of them come from North American and international businesses. As long as Amazon remains an e-commerce-based platform, it will not be able to easily change its long-term recommendation algorithm. Therefore, find out the A9. The tip of the iceberg of algorithms can still bring great assistance to our operations.