What are Semantic Rules?
Semantic rules are if-this-meaning-then-that-action policies. They trigger on intents, entities, relations, or contexts (e.g., “waterproof” ⇒ add Waterproof facet; “gift card” ⇒ redirect to landing; “GTX” ⇒ map to GORE-TEX attribute) and apply synonym expansions, boosts, filters, redirects, or badges.
How It Works (quick)
- Triggers: Query patterns, extracted entities/attributes, locale/category, time window, device/segment.
- Actions: Add/remove facets, adjust boosts, insert best bets, trigger promotions, or rewrite queries.
- Scope & priority: Rule sets per category/locale; conflict resolution and caps.
- Governance: Versioned configs, tests, owners, and scheduled expiry.
Why It Matters in E-commerce
- Coverage gaps: Patch catalog wording vs shopper slang.
- Business control: Launch seasonal boosts and campaigns without reindexing.
- Safety: Enforce hard constraints (compliance/age/region) based on detected meaning.
Best Practices
- Late binding: Apply at query/ranking time; keep the index lean.
- Caps/guardrails: Limit rule impact; never outrank clear relevance.
- Explainability: Log which rule fired and why; show editable chips to users.
- Localization: Separate dictionaries per market; respect units/sizes.
- Maintenance: Quarterly audits; prune low-impact rules.
Challenges
- Drift and bloat, conflicting rules, multilingual ambiguity, and hidden tech debt.
Examples
- “rainproof runners” → add Waterproof facet; map “runners” ↔ trail shoes.
- “gift card” → Best Bet to gift card page; suppress product grid.
Summary
Semantic rules give precise, explainable control over meaning-driven cases. Keep them late-bound, capped, localized, and well-logged.
