Re:Ask HN: I bought Voltaren at the chemist, now Google show...
by lolc on Sunday April 18, 2021 @06:51PM
(#26857282)
The models use past behaviour (looking at dishwashers) to predict future behaviour (buying dishwashers). Spending cash on something is a much harder signal of interest than looking at it though. So the models would be stupid to ignore that. The question of "how many dishwashers does that person need" is hard to answer and thus mostly skipped when opportunity costs are low.
Personal anecdote: Recently I cancelled an order because a better product was shown in ads post-purchase.
Other comment explains it though: Many people return the dishwasher or screwdrivers (they might have ordered several) - Amazon wants to make sure you buy with them (though my account history should show that I practically never return things because I hate getting returned things as new).