Abstract
Recommender systems have become a natural part of the user experience in today's online world. These systems are able to deliver value both for users and providers and are one prominent example where the output of academic research has a direct impact on the advancements in industry. In this article, we have briefy reviewed the history of this multidis-ciplinary field and looked at recent efforts in the research community to consider the variety of factors that may influence the long-term success of a recommender system. The list of open issues and success factors is still far from complete and new challenges arise constantly that require further research. For example, the huge amounts of user data and preference signals that become available through the Social Web and the Internet of Things not only leads to technical challenges such as scalability, but also to societal questions concerning user privacy. Based on our reflections on the developments in the field, we finally emphasize the need for a more holistic research approach that combines the insights of different disciplines. We urge that research focuses even more on practical problems that matter and are truly suited to increase the utility of recommendations from the viewpoint of the users.