tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32202893.post3501117586605137487..comments2023-10-18T08:32:17.510-07:00Comments on Kevin Hillstrom: MineThatData: Abacusification And The Merch CurseUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32202893.post-49989278855745608272008-02-14T14:33:00.000-08:002008-02-14T14:33:00.000-08:00Yes, I did read that book!As long as co-op custome...Yes, I did read that book!<BR/><BR/>As long as co-op customers have a similar (not the same, but similar) preference to legacy customers, then the merchant has control, can go beyond the numbers.MineThatDatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014200122021988374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32202893.post-44030891745295139432008-02-14T10:38:00.000-08:002008-02-14T10:38:00.000-08:00Under Abacusification, the co-op statistician driv...<I>Under Abacusification, the co-op statistician drives the evolution of your merchandise assortment.<BR/>There may be nothing wrong with having a co-op statistician have this much influence over the direction of your brand --- you may find the evolution to be more profitable than strategies you otherwise would have practiced.<BR/></I><BR/><BR/>Really interesting, Kevin.<BR/><BR/>If you've not read Ian Ayres' "SuperCrunchers" (ISBN 0553805401) <BR/>amzn link: <A HREF="http://tinyurl.com/2bpbph" REL="nofollow"><BR/>http://tinyurl.com/2bpbph</A>)<BR/><BR/>you should check it. <BR/><BR/>Ayres discusses what happens when "the machine" (the model, the database, the algorithm) heads in a different direction than, and in fact does better than, the human "expert".<BR/><BR/>Good merch can go beyond the numbers.<BR/><BR/>Stats and DBs and algos are always backward looking. They don't and can't generate the out-of-the-box, out-of-the-dataset innovation.<BR/><BR/>Google. Ipod. Fedex. What have you.<BR/><BR/>Nice post, thanks!<BR/><BR/>Cheers --<BR/><BR/>Alan<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.rkgblog.com" REL="nofollow">rkgblog.com</A>rimm-kaufmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11537242246745655184noreply@blogger.com