METHOD OF TESTING INVENTORY AT ONLINE PROVIDERS
A recommender system can be analyzed to determine various performance characteristics of an online content service provider. The recommender system is analyzed using a predetermined policy, to determine if it satisfies such policy, and/or has other measurable intended and/or unintended biases. The policy can include such parameters as whether a particular profile is presented with certain particular types of items by the recommender system. The reliability of search engines can also be tested using a similar approach.
1 - 30 . (canceled)
31 . A method of monitoring a plurality of online commercial sales/rental companies for a third party using a computing system, comprising:
(a) with the computing system receiving and processing a list of items to be monitored at a plurality of websites associated with the plurality of online commercial sales/rental companies;
(b) causing the computing system to automatically access item data for said list of items from one or more pages of said associated websites;
wherein the item data includes at least item inventory data or availability data;
further wherein said plurality of associated websites are monitored automatically by the computing system over the Internet by accessing said one or more pages and without directly accessing a database maintained by the plurality of online commercial sales/rental companies for said item data;
(c) generating and communicating an electronic report to said first entity including said item inventory data obtained from said plurality of associated websites during step (b).
32 . The method of claim 31 wherein said list of items is the same for each website monitored.
33 . The method of claim 31 wherein the monitoring is repeated at defined time intervals.
34 . The method of claim 31 wherein the monitoring is executed only during a limited time period
35 . The method of claim 31 further including a step: adjusting an amount of advertising presented by the third party at one or more of said plurality of associated websites in response to the results of step (c).
36 . The method of claim 31 wherein said report is published online.
37 . The method of claim 31 wherein said item data obtained at step (b) further identifies if said item was recommended to the third party at a particular website.
38 . The method of claim 37 wherein said report indicates a performance rating for a recommender system at said particular website which recommended said item.
39 . The method of claim 31 wherein expected shipping time data is accessed for said items.
40 . The method of claim 39 wherein said report indicates an item shipping performance rating for a particular website.
41 . The method of claim 39 wherein said report includes a delay or latency associated with distributing items from a particular website.
42 . The method of claim 31 wherein said website is assessed to determine if the online content provider is complying with terms of a contractual arrangement for the items with the third party.
43 . The method of claim 42 wherein said terms including marketing or promoting requirements.
44 . The method of claim 42 further including a step: generating a notification to an online content provider of non-compliance with said terms.
45 . The method of claim 42 wherein said report identifies which of said plurality of websites show an awareness of a particular new item specified by the third party.
46 . A method of monitoring a plurality of online commercial sales/rental companies for a third party using a computing system, comprising:
(a) with the computing system receiving and processing a list of items to be monitored at a plurality of websites associated with the plurality of online content service providers;
(b) creating a set of proxy accounts for said plurality of websites, including at least one proxy account for each website;
(c) causing the computing system to interact with said set of proxy accounts and automatically access item data for said list of items from one or more pages of said associated websites;
wherein the item data includes at least item inventory data or availability data;
further wherein said plurality of associated websites are monitored automatically by the computing system over the Internet by accessing said one or more pages through said set of proxy accounts and without directly accessing a database maintained by the plurality of online content providers for said item data;
(d) generating and communicating an electronic report to said first entity including said item inventory data obtained from said plurality of associated websites during step (b).
47 . The method of claim 46 , wherein said set of proxy accounts are set up with separate demographic profiles.
48 . The method of claim 46 , wherein a recommendation made to a particular proxy account is logged.
49 . The method of claim 48 , wherein said recommendations are classified and compiled into at least two categories: (a) recommended items that satisfy a target policy; (b) recommended items that do not satisfy said target policy.
50 . The method of claim 48 , wherein said recommendations are further classified and compiled by reference to a third category: (a) recommended items that do not satisfy said target policy but which originate from a predetermined content provider.
51 . The method of claim 46 , wherein during step (c) a report is generated which identifies whether first content from a first content provider is recommended as frequently as second content from a second content provider.
52 . The method of claim 51 , wherein during step (c) said report identifies a list of most frequently recommended items to said separate proxy accounts.
53 . The method of claim 51 , wherein during step (c) said report identifies a plurality of lists identifying the most frequently recommended items to each of said separate corresponding proxy accounts.
54 . The method of claim 51 , wherein during step (c) a report is generated which identifies a degree of bias exhibited by a recommender system with respect to items originating from one or more particular content providers.
55 . The method of claim 51 , wherein the item is a movie title, a book title, a music title, an article being auctioned, and/or a television program.
56 . The method of claim 55 , wherein the item includes newly released content, and the recommender system is tested to determine an extent of an awareness of such newly released content by the recommender system.