A Conceptual Framework for Enhancing Product Search with Product Information from Reviews

Product search today is limited, as users can only search and filter for a restricted set of product features, e.g. 15” and 1TB hard disk when searching for a laptop. The often decision- critical aspects of a product are however hidden in user reviews (“noisy fan” or “bright display”) and are not available until a product has been found. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for the integration of product aspects, that have been mined and derived from consumer reviews, into the product search. The framework structures the challenges that arise in four major fields and gives an overview of existing research for each one of them: Data challenges, user experience challenges, purchase process challenges and business challenges. It may inform researchers from various disciplines to perform target-oriented research as well as practitioners what to consider when building up such an enriched product search.