eBay acquires recommendation engine Hunch.com


21 Nov 2011

E-commerce giant eBay has acquired online platform Hunch, a provider of “customised recommendations to its users based on their individual tastes”. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hunch’s patented prediction technology – also known as a “taste graph” – uses signals from the around the web, such as social networks, who users follow, and answers to Hunch’s own questions, to recommend topics to users.

Hunch is expected to help eBay expand merchandising and relevance capabilities for buyers and sellers on eBay. For example, Hunch will generate recommendations for items available on eBay based on a user’s tastes.

“We are engaging consumers in innovative ways and attracting top technologists to shape the future of commerce,” said Mark Carges, CTO and senior vice-president, Global Products, Marketplaces.

“With Hunch, we’re adding new capabilities to personalising the shopping experience on eBay to the individual relevant tastes and interests of our customers. We expect Hunch’s technologies to benefit eBay shoppers as they browse and buy, and to bring sellers on eBay new ways to connect the right products with the right customers.”

Hunch can also be applied to other technology opportunities across eBay, including search, advertising and marketing initiatives, to better surface product and search results based on customers’ tastes.

Hunch’s employees will remain with the company, and will continue to be based in New York.