V4.1New Feature

V4.1: Consultative Discovery

Transform shopping from transactional search to consultative conversation. Help customers navigate complex purchase decisions through AI-guided discovery.

The Problem

Traditional e-commerce forces users into faceted search and static product grids. But complex purchase decisions require a consultative approach:

Current State

✗"I'm confused about the 47 similar products"
✗"Is this actually an upgrade from what I have?"
✗"Which differences actually matter to me?"
✗"Budget vs premium is too binary for my situation"

V4.1 Consultative Discovery

✓Extracts pain points from natural conversation
✓Models preferences dynamically through dialog
✓Generates comparisons highlighting what matters to YOU
✓Explains WHY recommendations fit your needs

Key Features

Intent Detection

Recognizes 11 different shopping intents from natural language, from "help me choose" to "is it worth paying more for..."

seeking_guidanceexpressing_pain_pointcomparing_optionsseeking_upgrade+7 more

Dynamic Preference Modeling

Unlike static "budget vs premium" profiles, models nuanced spending disposition with elasticity triggers ("willing to pay more for...") and resistance triggers.

spendingDisposition: {
  baseWillingness: 0.6,
  elasticityTriggers: ["reduces maintenance", "automation"],
  statedBudget: { max: 800, flexibility: "soft" }
}

Pain Point Extraction

Identifies frustrations from natural language and categorizes them (maintenance, performance, usability, cost) to match with product features that address those concerns.

Example: "I hate how often I have to fill the water tank" → maintenance pain point → recommends products with large dock tanks

Personalized Comparisons

Generates comparison tables that highlight attributes relevant to THIS user based on their conversation, not generic spec sheets.

Shows: "Tank Size matters because you said filling the tank is frustrating"

Conversation Phases

Tracks where the user is in their decision journey and adapts behavior accordingly.

initial→exploring→narrowing→comparing→deciding

Architecture

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File Structure

src/
├── lib/v4.1/
│   ├── index.ts              # Public exports
│   ├── types.ts              # Type definitions
│   ├── interpreter.ts        # Message interpretation & preference extraction
│   └── comparison-generator.ts # Dynamic comparison generation
│
├── components/v4.1/
│   └── ConsultativeDiscoveryPanel.tsx  # Chat UI component
│
└── app/api/v4.1/discover/
    └── route.ts              # API endpoint for discovery conversations

How to Use

The Consultative Discovery Panel appears as a "Help Me Decide" button in the bottom-right corner of the demo experience. Click it to start a conversation.

Starter Prompts

"I'm looking to upgrade from my current product"
"Help me understand what features matter most"
"I'm confused about the different options available"
"What's the best value in this category?"

Sample Conversation

I want to upgrade from my Roborock Q7 Max

Great choice to upgrade! What frustrates you most about the Q7 Max?

I hate how often I have to fill the water tank

I understand - newer models with dock tanks only need filling weekly. Would you like me to compare options?

Try V4.1 Consultative Discovery

Experience the new conversational shopping assistant in the demo

Open Demo

Full Technical Documentation

Complete API reference, type definitions, and implementation details

docs/V4.1_CONSULTATIVE_DISCOVERY.md