[RakutenTechConf2012] Future of data science in Rakuten

Rakuten Technology Conference 2012
http://tech.rakuten.co.jp/rtc2012/tim...

[Title]
Future of data science in Rakuten

[Presenter]
Takuya Kitagawa

[Introduction]
Understanding diverse customers' needs and behaviors underlies great services of a company. This is why many online companies such as Twitter, Facebook, Amazon and Google are making tremendous efforts in recent years to analyze so-called "Big Data." With its Japanese spirits of "Omotenasi," Behavior insight strategy (BIS) team in Rakuten takes unique, scientific approach to understanding and modeling customers' behaviors and improving Rakuten services. As an example, here we introduce our recent initiatives to gauge customers' intentions for visiting websites based on click streams, and cater website navigations for achieving their goals. Through modelings of customer browsing, it is possible to segment customers intentions and find "persona" of behaviors. Since the emphasis is on customer satisfactions rather than company's profits, we ask and solve unconventional questions that go beyond retargeting and recommendation algorithms. Please come and hear from us our exciting new initiatives for Big Data.