Methods and systems for providing purchase recommendations based on responses to inquiries on product attributes

A computer-implemented method for determining recommendations based on user interaction, the computer-implemented method comprising:

• determining a candidate set of vehicles;
• iteratively adjusting the candidate set of vehicles by:
• determining respective distributional characteristics of a plurality of vehicle attributes, each of the plurality of vehicle attributes occurring in the candidate set of vehicles as adjusted;
• selecting a vehicle attribute from the plurality of vehicle attributes based on the respective distributional characteristics of the plurality of vehicle attributes;
• transmitting, to a user device, an inquiry for user preference regarding the vehicle attribute;
• receiving, from the user device, a response indicating the user preference;
• adjusting the candidate set of vehicles based on the response;
• determining whether to perform a next iteration;
• and
• responsive to a determination not to perform the next iteration, determining a recommendation of one or more vehicles determined based on the candidate set of vehicles as adjusted.

A computer system for determining recommendations based on user interaction, the computer system comprising:

• a memory storing instructions;
• and
• one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to perform a process, the process including:
• determining respective distributional characteristics of a plurality of vehicle attributes, each of the plurality of vehicle attributes occurring in a set of vehicles;
• selecting a vehicle attribute from the plurality of vehicle attributes based on the respective distributional characteristics of the plurality of vehicle attributes by
• determining respective estimates of normalized entropy of the plurality of vehicle attributes based on the respective distributional characteristics using an equation η(X), where X is a variable having possible values x1, . . . , xn and corresponds to each of the plurality of vehicle attributes, the equation being:
• η
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• ,
• where P(xi) is a probability for X=xi,
• b is an arbitrary logarithm base,
• n is a count of the possible values x1, . . . , xn;
• and
• selecting the vehicle attribute from the plurality of vehicle attributes based on the respective estimates of normalized entropy;
• transmitting, to a user device, an inquiry for user preference regarding the vehicle attribute;
• receiving, from the user device, a response indicating the user preference;
• and
• determining a recommendation of one or more vehicles determined based on the response.

A computer system for implementing an artificial-intelligence interactive agent for determining recommendations based on user interaction, the computer system comprising:

• a memory storing instructions;
• and
• one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to perform a process, the process including:
• determining respective distributional characteristics of a plurality of vehicle attributes describing vehicles in a set of vehicles, each of the plurality of vehicle attributes occurring in the set of vehicles;
• determining respective estimates of normalized entropy of the plurality of vehicle attributes based on the respective distributional characteristics using an equation η(X), where X is a variable having possible values x1, . . . , xn and corresponds to each of the plurality of vehicle attributes, the equation being:
• η
• ⁡
• (
• X
• )
• =
• -
• Σ
• i
• n
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• b
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• P
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• x
• i
• )
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• b
• ⁡
• (
• n
• )
• ,
• where P(xi) is a probability for X=xi,
• b is an arbitrary logarithm base,
• n is a count of the possible values x1, . . . , xn;
• selecting a vehicle attribute from the plurality of vehicle attributes based on the respective estimates of normalized entropy;
• transmitting, to a user device, an inquiry for user preference regarding the vehicle attribute;
• receiving, from the user device, a response indicating the user preference;
• and
• transmitting, to the user device, a web page including a list of one or more vehicles from the set of vehicles, the list of one or more vehicles having filters set in accordance with the user preference.