Mobility-aware personalized service recommendation in mobile edge computing

With the proliferation of smartphones and an increasing number of services provisioned by clouds, mobile edge computing (MEC) is emerging as a complementary technology of cloud computing. It could provide cloud resources and services by local mobile edge servers, which are normally nearby users. However, a significant challenge is aroused in MEC because of the mobility of users. User trajectory prediction technologies could be used to cope with this issue, which has already played important roles in service recommendation systems with MEC. Unfortunately, little attention and work have been given in service recommendation systems considering users mobility. Thus, in this paper, we propose a mobility-aware personalized service recommendation (MPSR) approach based on user trajectory and quality of service (QoS) predictions. In the proposed method, users trajectory is firstly discovered by a hybrid long-short memory network. Then, given users trajectories, service QoS is predicted, considering the similarity of different users and different edge servers. Finally, services are recommended by a center trajectory strategy through MPSR. Experimental results on a real dataset show that our proposed approach can outperform the traditional recommendation approaches in terms of accuracy in mobile edge computing.

Improving A/B Testing on the Basis of Possibilistic Reward Methods: A Numerical Analysis

A/B testing is used in digital contexts both to offer a more personalized service and to optimize the e-commerce purchasing process. A personalized service provides customers with the fastest possible access to the contents that they are most likely to use. An optimized e-commerce purchasing process reduces customer effort during online purchasing and assures that the largest possible number of customers place their order. The most widespread A/B testing method is to implement the equivalent of RCT (randomized controlled trials). Recently, however, some companies and solutions have addressed this experimentation process as a multi-armed bandit (MAB). This is known in the A/B testing market as dynamic traffic distribution. A complementary technique used to optimize the performance of A/B testing is to improve the experiment stopping criterion. In this paper, we propose an adaptation of A/B testing to account for possibilistic reward (PR) methods, together with the definition of a new stopping criterion also based on PR methods to be used for both classical A/B testing and A/B testing based on MAB algorithms. A comparative numerical analysis based on the simulation of real scenarios is used to analyze the performance of the proposed adaptations in both Bernoulli and non-Bernoulli environments. In this analysis, we show that the possibilistic reward method PR3 produced the lowest mean cumulative regret in non-Bernoulli environments, which proved to have a high confidence level and be highly stable as demonstrated by low standard deviation measures. PR3 behaves exactly the same as Thompson sampling in Bernoulli environments. The conclusion is that PR3 can be used efficiently in both environments in combination with the value remaining stopping criterion in Bernoulli environments and the PR3 bounds stopping criterion for non-Bernoulli environments.

Constructing meanings of luxury in Airbnb

Purpose Following Airbnb’s recent turn to the luxury market, this paper aims to explore how Airbnb hosts construct meanings of luxury as enacted in their hosting practices. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews with 46 Airbnb hosts were undertaken using purposing sampling. Findings Study findings reveal that social and personal meanings of luxury manifest in host practice, with “home feeling” representing the epicentre of the luxury peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation experience. Research limitations/implications Although this study draws from host views, it represents a first attempt to empirically examine perceptions and applications of luxury within P2P accommodation. The study provides a conceptual framework which may serve as a point of departure for further research into which luxury service dimensions guests value. Practical implications The findings of the study carry implications to the wider hospitality context. Specifically, hospitality practitioners need to reconceptualize luxury hospitality provision to promote a “homotel” accommodation model which highlights the offering of physical and social luxury dimensions in addition to elements of personalized service and home-like hedonic benefits. Originality/value The study offers a conceptual framework of the luxury P2P accommodation servicescape, which identifies two distinct luxury offerings that may be informative to both P2P accommodation providers and hospitality practitioners.

Toward a conceptualization of personalized services in apparel e-commerce fulfillment

Purpose Today, customers’ perceived value does not only depend on the products, but also on the services provided by a firm. In e-commerce, it is important to shift the focus beyond the product and discuss the value of personalized services in the context of e-commerce fulfillment. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is twofold: to develop a conceptual framework proposing satisfaction through personalized services as a middle-range theory; and to suggest foundational premises supporting the theoretical framework, which in turn shape middle-range theory within the context of apparel e-commerce fulfillment. Design/methodology/approach In this theory-driven paper, the authors apply the scientific circle of enquiry, as it demonstrates the role of theorizing with the help of middle-range theory and empirical evidence and as such provides a methodological scaffolding that connects theory formulation and verification. The authors synthesize literature related to customer perceived value (CPV) and satisfaction, followed by abduction focusing on understanding the empirical domain as it occurred in practice from company cases. The presented case studies are based on semi-structured interviews with three Swedish online retailers within the apparel industry. The theory-driven analysis results in suggestions of foundational premises. Findings Based on the theoretical foundations and empirical generalizations, three propositions are suggested. The premises regarding satisfaction through personalized service applied in the domain of apparel e-commerce fulfillment are: to ensure customer satisfaction requires a value co-creation perspective using data during the pre-purchase phase; to ensure customer satisfaction and retention require added-value perspective during the post-purchase phase of the shopping journey; and to ensure satisfaction and convenience require an added-value perspective at the last mile. Practical implications The apparel firms lose a substantial amount of revenue because of poor online customer satisfaction, leading to e-commerce not reaching its full potential. To enhance customer value, online retailers need to find a resort in advanced technologies and analytics to address customer satisfaction, and it is suggested that retailers shift their focus beyond the products and find ways to improve personalized service offerings to gain market advantage, improve fulfillment, drive sales and increase CPV. Originality/value To consider personalized services as a source for improving e-commerce fulfillment and CPV, the main contribution of this study is conceptual as it presents a theoretical model developed from general theory, middle-range theory and verified with empirical claims.

Personalized Service Delivery for Young People and Families: A Synthesis Review

Personalized Service Delivery for Young People and Families: A Synthesis Review