????在相關(guān)性搜索的應(yīng)用上，旅行和在線零售行業(yè)走在最前列，不過(guò)其它行業(yè)也不甘落后。比如谷歌（Google）和必應(yīng)（Bing）等搜索引擎也開始采用這一理念，開始根據(jù)用戶的搜索歷史和個(gè)人喜好，向不同人群顯示不同的搜索結(jié)果。另外近年來(lái)非常熱門的團(tuán)購(gòu)業(yè)也在努力整合相關(guān)性搜索，因?yàn)橄M(fèi)者越來(lái)越需要一個(gè)能夠提供折扣的購(gòu)物平臺(tái)（而不是向吃素的人提供牛排餐廳的優(yōu)惠券）。圍繞著用戶意圖能夠構(gòu)建起來(lái)的背景信息越多，顯示的搜索結(jié)果就會(huì)越精確。

????不過(guò)到目前為止，還是旅行業(yè)最能顯示相關(guān)性搜索的能力和價(jià)值。

????今天，人們?cè)诖蛩愠鲂械臅r(shí)候，往往要登陸好幾十個(gè)網(wǎng)站，搜索符合要求的航班和酒店。每次都要頗費(fèi)一番周折——尤其是每年的這個(gè)時(shí)候，機(jī)票和酒店更是貴得嚇人，以至于消費(fèi)者無(wú)論花多大的力氣，也要貨比N家，找出其中最便宜的。

????擺在大多數(shù)旅行者面前的一個(gè)問(wèn)題是：一般說(shuō)來(lái)，如果在網(wǎng)絡(luò)上搜索一個(gè)航班的信息，會(huì)跑出來(lái)1,000多個(gè)難以區(qū)別的、混亂無(wú)序的搜索結(jié)果。現(xiàn)在許多商業(yè)旅行平臺(tái)，甚至是有些消費(fèi)者網(wǎng)站都開始使用語(yǔ)義數(shù)據(jù)、統(tǒng)計(jì)建模和機(jī)器學(xué)習(xí)等手段來(lái)解決這一問(wèn)題。有些高級(jí)平臺(tái)可以迅速掃描用戶的相關(guān)數(shù)據(jù)——比如可能的航班時(shí)間、可接受的價(jià)格區(qū)間、用戶需要的機(jī)內(nèi)設(shè)施，以及用戶喜歡的航空公司等——然后為每名用戶重點(diǎn)展示最佳選擇。

????這些工具并不會(huì)把成千上萬(wàn)個(gè)其它搜索結(jié)果排除掉，而是會(huì)把所有搜索結(jié)果組織起來(lái)，優(yōu)先顯示相關(guān)性最強(qiáng)的選項(xiàng)。這種組織方法意味著用戶可以輕易地對(duì)背景環(huán)境進(jìn)行修改，比如今天可以想選擇“廉價(jià)旅行”，明天又變成“不計(jì)成本”。但不論采取哪種情況，相關(guān)性搜索引擎都能快速地分析人們的個(gè)人偏好，提供最好的選擇。

????消費(fèi)者對(duì)相關(guān)性搜索能力的需求已經(jīng)存在了一段時(shí)間了。各大搜索引擎和企業(yè)早就在嘗試如何利用消費(fèi)者對(duì)個(gè)性化信息的需求，現(xiàn)在相關(guān)性搜索終于開始走向成熟。在許多方面，相關(guān)性搜索都是對(duì)消費(fèi)者行為變化方式的一種回應(yīng)。以往消費(fèi)者在購(gòu)物或訂票時(shí)會(huì)先打開黃頁(yè)，但這已經(jīng)是老黃歷了。數(shù)字時(shí)代的消費(fèi)者生活在網(wǎng)絡(luò)上，他們不能容忍收件箱里的垃圾廣告郵件，也不愿在吃飯時(shí)冷不防接到促銷電話。他們希望能夠控制自己收到的信息，以及何時(shí)收到這些信息。未來(lái)消費(fèi)者在相關(guān)性和個(gè)性化問(wèn)題上還會(huì)變得更加苛刻。

????Travel and online retailers are ahead of the curve, but others are embracing relevance-powered search. Search engines like Google and Bing are also beginning to adopt the concept -- serving up different results for different people, based on search history and personal preferences. And fast-growing daily deal businesses are working hard to incorporate relevance as consumers increasingly demand platforms that provide appropriate discounts (instead of offering steakhouse coupons to vegetarians). The more contexts that can be built around a user's intent, the more refined the result set can, and will, be.

????But travel is by far one of the best ways to showcase the power and value of relevance.

????Today, travelers spend hours searching dozens of websites for flights and hotels that meet their requirements. It's a major hassle every time they need to travel – especially this time of year, when air fare is so high that consumers will do everything in their power to get the best deal possible.

????The problem faced by most travelers is that a typical flight search will yield 1,000+ nearly indistinguishable and unorganized results. Many business travel platforms – and even some consumer websites – are starting to solve this problem through the use of semantic data, statistical modeling and machine learning. Advanced platforms can quickly scan available data on a user – like the times they can fly, their price range, the in-flight amenities they desire and their preferred airlines – and highlight the best options for each user.

????These tools won't eliminate the tens of thousands of results available to the user, but they will organize and structure them so the most relevant options are presented first. This structuring means that the context of a search can easily be modified whether the user is in a 'budget trip mood' today, or a 'no expense spared mood' tomorrow. Either way, relevance engines can quickly analyze your personal preferences to serve up the best options.

????The desire for relevance-powered search capabilities has been around for some time. Companies and search engines have long been trying to take advantage of the buyer's need for personalized information, and it's finally coming to fruition. In a lot of ways, it's a reaction to how consumer behavior is changing. While the old-school buyer might start the process in the yellow pages, today's digital-aged buyer lives online. They're far less tolerant of unwanted advertisements spamming their inboxes and cold calls during dinner time – and want control over the information they receive, and how they receive it. Tomorrow's buyer will be even more demanding when it comes to relevance and personalization.