The Filter

The Filter is a recommendation engine which is used in conjunction with other business’ websites for the suggesting of digital media and entertainment materials, and technological products. Its purpose is to analyze the past purchases of the consumer and use the data to suggest other materials and products that the consumer could likely be interested in, some of which the consumer otherwise would not have been exposed to. The Filter was not successful on an individual basis, but in the business to business environment, it has proven itself to be very productive. However, the challenge facing the Filter now is to realize its ultimate goal of expanding its service to other industries other than the media, entertainment, and technology.

During the group’s discussion, we also entertained the question of what factors would be influential in this decision process. We concluded that the main factors would be: consumer behavior in different markets and the usefulness or need of the service in other markets. Another question that arose during the discussion was what alternatives were available for the Filter? We all agreed that one alternative was for the Filter to become more involved in penetrating other markets by finding other industries that could use its data collecting abilities for services other than recommendations of products to purchase. The most obvious alternative suggested was for them to remain within its current market and obtain business from companies besides the ones that they currently provide services for. Our group’s discussion of the choices facing the Filter included recommending some possibilities that they could consider in order to branch out and target other markets. One possibility is market penetration. Instead of Filter offering its services to companies who sell intangible goods, they should offer their services to companies who sell tangible goods. They should market their services to the retail/wholesale industry. For instances,