A method and apparatus for a visual browser that allows users to browse
products over the Internet. The visual browser creates a plurality of
categories in which each category identifies an attribute. Products
having at least one attribute are associated with at least one category.
Upon the selection of a main product by a user, the visual browser
displays other related products having at least one attribute in common
with the main product. The visual browser also displays products that are
not related to the main product. Also, a weight bias factor is assigned
to each category based upon a predefined importance of the respective
category of the virtual store. The visual browser by automatically
exposing users to other products that are related to the main product
originally selected by the user, as well as non-related products,
increases the user's exposure to available products and provides
opportunities for serendipitous impulse purchases.