Software package designed for novice statisticians
For managers unfamiliar with statistical methods, Princeton, NJ-based Strategy Plus, Inc. introduces EXECUSTAT 3.0, which incorporates over 150 analytical and statistical procedures into one package. The software covers a range of applications including business forecasting, financial analysis, market research, quality assurance, and statistical process control.
The user interface features pull down menus, dialogue boxes, and choice of mouse or keyboard control. The software can be used alone or with database, spreadsheet and word processing programs. As an add-on package, statistical extensions can be added to perform sophisticated data analysis.
EXECUSTAT requires an IBM/PC or compatible with DOS 2.0 or later, 640 KB RAM, and a hard disk with at least 2 MB free. It supports CGA, EGA, VGA, Hercules, Compaq and other graphics adapters.
Optical scanning speeds data entry
A new application of infrared technology which speeds up data entry has been introduced by Pine Company, a Santa Monica, CA-based provider of survey data processing for marketing research. Optical scanning uses infrared or laser technology to read images and information such as standardized test answer sheets and bar codes on items in the supermarket. The infrared scanning system can read pencil or pen markings or a combination on the same document. Running on the company's proprietary software, the optical scanning system processes up to 3,000 documents per hour, reading both sides simultaneously.
System develops product/ad concepts
Moskowitz Jacobs, Inc. has introduced Ideamap, a system which uses interactive artificial intelligence to develop product and advertising concepts.
Data available on foodservice product usage
COM-SCI Systems, Inc. has com-pleted Wave XI of its foodservice Brand Penetration Index, from interviews conducted in November 1991. Individual product reports are now available for a variety of product categories, from portion control mustard to pre-cooked beef roasts. Each report covers category incidence, projected number of users, brand share of users, and market share of volume for each brand individually by name. All data is reported by 17 foodservice market segments, and 5 geographic regions. Distributor, chain, and buying group labels are included.
All data for each wave is obtained from 2400 completed telephone interviews (unaided recall) with purchasing influences in a structured sample of the foodservice market.
Hard copy and/or DOS based PC driver stand alone macros are available which furnish comprehensive displays, scenarios, and trended data for all seg-ments and individual brand share of volume, share of users, and market size.
Syndicated study tracks Hispanic purchase patterns
Hispanic InfoSource, a single-source national database on the Hispanic market, is now available from NuStats, Inc., a Glendale, CA-based research firm. The syndicated study of Hispanic purchase patterns was tested in a pilot survey conducted in collaboration with Simmons Market Research Bureau in 1991. It has been designed to produce objective and demographically inclusive assimilation measures, media measured by specific industry standards, and comprehensive product and brand listings. The core database of the 1992 Hispanic InfoSource will include 4,000 households from the fifteen largest Hispanic markets. The top three markets (Los Angeles, Miami, and New York) will have samples large enough to permit the publication of single-market books with proper confidence levels with appropriate statistical measures. As local subscriptions are sold, sample will be added, leading to additional local market books.
New system designed to aid customer satisfaction efforts
The Quality Research Center, a division of National Research Institute, Inc., in Minneapolis, has introduced REVISS A, a revenue enhancement system for measuring customer satisfaction and quality information. Using an integrated series of multivariate statistical analyses, the system's graphic/narrative output can isolate, for any market segment and product category: the specific factors that most influence customer retention for a business; the extent to which meeting or not meeting customer expectations across specific service features affects overall satisfaction, and; specific areas where improvements are needed and how they should be prioritized to increase revenues and minimize loss.