Yelp To Survey Users And Tailor App To Their Likes, Dislikes

Yelp announced that it has launched new personalization tools that will tailor the app to a user’s individual preferences and lifestyle.

With the new features, two users with different lifestyles will open up the Yelp app from the same location, but each will see a completely different home screen and search results based on their personal preferences, according to a press release. Users are able to choose personal dietary and accessibility preferences, lifestyle attributes — such as if they’re a parent or homeowner — and things they like to do.

With that information, Yelp will then transform the user’s home screen and search results into a personalized experience represented by Yelp’s newly created heart symbol, including search result rankings, shortcuts to filters, and personalized highlights that explain why they might like the business based on their preferences.

“As Yelp turns 15 this year, we’re embarking on one of our most significant product updates with the introduction of a new personalized experience,” Vivek Patel, Yelp’s chief product officer, said in the release. “Yelp has always been a helpful discovery platform that surfaces great local businesses based on your search. By making it more personalized, we’re saving people time and giving them an easy way to find the right business for them. Now, Yelp will help you discover businesses and activities based on who you are and what you like to do.”

The preferences a consumer shares with Yelp will only be visible to them, and the information will only be used to personalize their experience on the site.

This is Yelp’s latest move to create a better experience for its users. In the next year, the company will roll out a new design of its app and website in an effort to save consumers time and money, including Yelp Reservations, Waitlist and Request a Quote.