Abstract
We constructed a product network based on the sales data collected and provided by a major nationwide retailer. The structure of the network is dominated by small isolated components, dense clique-based communities, and sparse stars and linear chains and pendants. We used the identified structural elements (tiles) to organize products into mini-categories—compact collections of potentially complementary and substitute items. The mini-categories extend the traditional hierarchy of retail products (group–class–subcategory) and may serve as building blocks towards exploration of consumer projects and long-term customer behavior.
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Zinoviev, D., Zhu, Z., Li, K. (2015). Building Mini-Categories in Product Networks. In: Mangioni, G., Simini, F., Uzzo, S., Wang, D. (eds) Complex Networks VI. Studies in Computational Intelligence, vol 597. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16112-9_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16112-9_18
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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