Tailoring the interaction with users in electronic shops

Abstract. We describe the user modeling and personalization techniques adopted in SETA, a shell supporting the construction of adaptive Web stores which customize the interactions with users, suggesting the items best fitting their needs, and adapting the description of the store catalog to their preferences and expertise. SETA uses stereotypical information to handle the user models and applies personalization rules to dynamically generate the hypertextual pages presenting products: the system adapts the graphical aspect, length and terminology used in the descriptions to the user’s receptivity, expertise and interests. Moreover, it maintains a profile associated to each person the goods are selected for, to provide multiple criteria for the selection of items, tailored to the beneficiaries ’ preferences.