In the context of general marketing you are right, but in the context of Apples walled garden (app store) not only is that their job, it is their reason for existing.
The more content they can get under your nose that you like, the more content you buy, the more the app devs make, the more Apple makes and the more desired the iOS store becomes.
This is why Netflix and Amazon spend millions on their reccomendation engines; same idea here.
I think you probably knew this though. I am only solidying the point that inside any app stores environment, it is the job of the owner of the store to markwt the content effectively. Outside the store, anyone can do anything they want.
The comparison to Netflix and Amazon is apt. Every time I go to those sites, I'm overwhelmed with stuff that I'd love to read or watch. There's just no time for it all. The app store is the opposite. A lot of times I'd like to play a new game, but I can't find anything that seems interesting. It feels like a desert, just tons of apps and games that other people want, but nothing for me.
I absolutely agree; whatever algorithm (or lack of) that Apple uses is a far cry from the detail-oriented work they do on most other things.
Not only do my Genius recommendations rarely change, the hit rate of things I actually want to play that is recommended to me is something like 4%.
Google seems a bit better at this, but Apple is awful at this... like "Dear god just acquire some company that is recommending toothbrushes and adapt their algorithm" bad.
The more content they can get under your nose that you like, the more content you buy, the more the app devs make, the more Apple makes and the more desired the iOS store becomes.
This is why Netflix and Amazon spend millions on their reccomendation engines; same idea here.
I think you probably knew this though. I am only solidying the point that inside any app stores environment, it is the job of the owner of the store to markwt the content effectively. Outside the store, anyone can do anything they want.