What do they mean? Product marketing.

Here's my own personal take on things:

Alternatives - other options that you can "swap in" directly.

Similar products - products that share one or more common trait(s) in some way.

Associated products - products that have some relation to the product you are viewing. They could perhaps extend its functionality, products commonly used in concert with the product being viewed, be alternative products from the same vendor or category.

Recommended products - products that the vendor wants to promote. Whether they work together or are guaranteed to be relevant is unknown.

Recently viewed - any product I viewed recently (a product viewing history).

People also viewed - products that other shoppers looked at before/after looking at the product that I'm currently looking at.

Compatible products - products that can be used together or in some products, could be direct replacements (depends on context).

Accessories - products designed to be used with the product I'm looking at to extend its functionality or capabilities.

- Gough

Thank you! As not everyone is up for a conversation, it's nice to use open questions to get their thoughts. Still tricky to get answers but it works for the most part

BD is that cynicism I detect or did you skip a bathroom break:) 

I actually liked how Alanta Lee did it - completely open.  I think matching leads the answers and you miss out on true discovery.  Open questions can reveal blind spots and connections that the person creating the survey would never have considered.  IMHO.

colporteur said:

At the end of the survey

End of the survey ? Usually there is something that breaks part way through, preventing progressing any further (perhaps intentional to manipulate the outcome of the final report). 

Either that or the questions are so vague / ambiguous / situation specific, that none of the options provided are appropriate and no text box option to allow you to progress.

I wonder if anyone considers the negative image that this experience can generate.

colporteur said:

they could change my behaviour.

never... 

Keeping an eye on this...thanks for setting up colporteur !

I suspect the definition for the terms varies across vendors.

Laugh-Compatible product 

If a vendor recommended a product, that was what we purchased. Based on marketing definition I would pass.

I suspect the answers were inspired by what the marketer wanted you to THINK they mean, rather than what they ACTUALLY mean to those who market products. As I usually see when browsing, say, Amazon:

• Alternatives: Stuff that has a similar functionality, but never based on why you chose that product. For example, you were looking at toaster ovens. Ovens are for heating food, so here's other stuff that heats food, like this fine 70" gas chef's oven.
• Similar products: Stuff that share a feature with the product you chose. For example, you were looking at toaster ovens. Here's something else that weighs the same.
• Associated products: Since you're buying a toaster oven, you're going to want to buy bread, right? Also bandaids for when you burn yourself.
• Recommended products: Stuff that astroturfers want you to buy instead.
• Recently viewed: Stuff we dug out of your history that you looked at while you finally bought something. So here's all the toothbrushes you didn't decide to buy, after you got the Oral-B.
• People also viewed: Stuff that deranged manics had in their browser history whose intersection with yours is at least one Associated product.
• Compatible products: Your selected toaster oven needs AC. Here are other products that need AC!
• Accessories: Stuff that in principle should work with the general kind of thing you're buying (e.g., matter), but absolutely won't work with this particular product. You'll discover that the day after the return-window closes!