Result explanations show why products ranked in specific positions, providing transparency into ranking decisions.

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Overview

Result explanations help you understand ranking decisions by showing the factors that influenced each product’s position, such as relevance scores, boost rules, and business signals.

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Explanation Format

{
  "product_id": "prod_123",
  "position": 3,
  "explanation": {
    "base_relevance_score": 0.85,
    "factors": [
      {
        "factor": "query_match",
        "contribution": 0.3,
        "details": "Strong match for 'running shoes'"
      },
      {
        "factor": "boost_rule",
        "contribution": 0.2,
        "details": "Boosted by high-margin rule (+20%)"
      },
      {
        "factor": "inventory",
        "contribution": 0.15,
        "details": "In stock with high inventory"
      },
      {
        "factor": "purchase_rate",
        "contribution": 0.35,
        "details": "High purchase rate for this query"
      }
    ],
    "final_score": 0.92
  }
}

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Best Practices

  1. Show key factors: Highlight most important ranking factors
  2. Use plain language: Make explanations understandable
  3. Provide details: Include specific values and reasons
  4. Enable debugging: Help identify ranking issues