Search engine technology has evolved over the years from functioning as a tool that throws up relevant results for a given string of characters to becoming a platform that sells services and products. Search engines have always helped to point consumers to the products or services they were searching for, creating and fuelling business opportunities. But after realizing their potential as an advertising tool, they have now started to market themselves as an instrument to direct consumer interests to a business, for a small fee of course. And unlike conventional ‘in-your-face’ advertising, these companies have realized the importance of relevant and discreet advertising, making their advertising methods much more appealing and functional to the end users.
Driving all this is the fact that search engines have decided to provide a level of customization and personalization to their users not only in their search results but also in the accompanying advertising. And they are doing so in some really innovative ways, Grayboxx being a point in example of such innovation.
Now coming to Grayboxx, a search engine whose results are influenced by user reviews and are l
ocalized to a particular geographic location (based on the users selection), it looks like Grayboxx is trying to create a niche for itself in the ‘local search’ tools market. The fact that is powered by user submitted reviews takes a big burden of the users of the search engine, as they don’t have to do their own research on the how good a business is before choosing its services.
How many times have you had to look for a restaurant based on a friend’s recommendation, or search for a car dealer based on your colleague’s past experiences with the same? When you attempt to do this, you have a two step process. First, look for a relevant business that provides the service you want and then look for an online review of that business, usually on a blog or forum. What if you don’t find a good enough recommendation for that business, or even worse, don’t find a recommendation at all?
Grayboxx is trying to simplify this process by using these same user reviews as a basis for prioritizing its search results. In addition, the user can mention his/her geographic preferences, making the process of searching for a business even more relevant to the user.
CEO and founder of Grayboxx, Bob Chandra “From the start, the whole idea was premised on the fact that user reviews did a decent job in a certain number of categories when it comes to local search. But people tend not to set aside 10 minutes to write a review about a plumber or an electrician or a furniture store." Grayboxx's solution to this shortcoming lies in the patented algorithms that run it’s "preference scoring" system: "When users take actions with a business by calling or visiting, we call those implicit endorsements. What our system ultimately does is cobble these clues together, and provides a rating."
Grayboxx clearly looks like a search service geared to promote local businesses by providing favorable search results based on the past experiences of consumers with them. This raises some very important questions: “Does Grayboxx consider each and every review for a product?” … “how are these reviews graded and aggregated to get the final priority level for the corresponding business?” … “does Grayboxx give more importance to reviews by locals over those by people from outside that area?” ... and can Grayboxx avoid the criticisms and potentially deadly loopholes of recommender systems that have plagued other e-commerce ventures by companies like Walmart and TiVO.
Grayboxx has gone public, and news about it is slowly trickling in as it caters to the needs of most of the major
Read more about Grayboxx @:
1. Grayboxx mixes up local search and user reviews
2. Grayboxx CEO on the underlying logic of the Grayboxx search functionality
4. Grayboxx founder Bob Chandra quoted in the Wired Blog
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