With the rapid adoption of large language models (LLM) models like ChatGPT into the corporate world, it's not hard to see that any job that requires sitting in front of a computer screen and critically thinking about what to type is bound to be disrupted. Even the mission of this website, and its focus on actionable analytics is at risk. I predict in less than 18 months most companies will be leveraging some form of generative AI in their day-to-day decision making, and n

After working with several small CPG brands over the last few years, one common question is about point of sale (POS) data. Brands usually have some modicum of information about sales to the consumer, otherwise known as sell-thru data. Yet they all admit to feeling somewhat blind. Most of their sell-thru POS data is available through big retailers' data platforms such as 84.51 (Kroger), Retail Link (Walmart), or Vendor Central (Amazon), or Whole Foods (Quicksight). When your

The AI disruption that started with the release of open source ChatGPT in the fall of 2022 continues to disrupt most organizations. GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, a technology that leverages deep learning (Burke, 2023). In the race to be first in AI, the big software vendors baked in these ChatGPT capabilities into their tools almost overnight, many without any real thought on how it can add value. In addition, Bova et al. (2023) explain that quantum compu

In the CPG world, the terms consumer and customer are commonly conflated. However, the distinction remains important. The consumers of your product are your reason for existence. Consumers find your brand's value proposition appealing, as it fills a need, want, or emotional purpose. Almquist et al. (2016) describe these needs, wants, and emotions as the elements of your brand value. It's the reason that consumers shell out their hard-earned money to purchase your brand. I

You may be wondering, OK, where is he going with this post? Bear with me and let me explain. First a quick review of the two constructs. Deductive thinking is when you start with a theory, develop a null hypothesis, gather data through observations, and then disprove your null hypothesis. For example, you could have a theory that cold weather causes ice cream sales to decline. So, you would form a null hypothesis (weather does not affect sales), gather data, and attempt to