Source Discovery And Product Normalization

Discover sources from the product query instead of asking for a URL.

Search Pattern

Run several searches, mixing broad and retailer-specific queries:

• "<query>" price
• "<query>" buy
• "<query>" site:bestbuy.com
• "<query>" site:walmart.com
• "<query>" site:target.com
• "<query>" site:bhphotovideo.com
• "<query>" site:amazon.com

Choose retailers or marketplaces appropriate to the product category and the user's country.

Normalization

Normalize names before deduplication:

• lowercase
• strip punctuation and marketing suffixes
• normalize units, generations, and sizes
• preserve important attributes such as model, year, processor, storage, dimensions, color, pack size, and condition

Treat these as likely different products unless the page proves equivalence:

• different generation or release year
• different storage or memory
• refurbished vs new
• used/open-box vs new
• bundle vs standalone item
• subscription price vs one-time price

Prefer source URLs that lead to a stable product detail page over search result pages.