System increases accuracy of updates and projections
Equifax National Decision Systems and The WEFA Group have introduced a methodology to increase the accuracy of demographic updates and projections for any geographic area in the U.S. It integrates economic and population movement indicators with traditional demographic data to create a proprietary forecasting tool. The methodology incorporates key economic indicators on unemployment, housing starts, population migration, inflation, interest rates, household wealth and influential factors in the national and world economy.
When new or changing economic, demographic or geographic factors arise, the information can be incorporated in the system to provide an increasing level of accuracy. This approach utilizes standardized information from consistent sources at both the macro and micro levels of geography. This serves to enhance the reliability of strategic forecasting when comparing local geography in one area of the country versus another.
In addition, the methodology addresses the problems of latitude/longitude coordinate shifts, census tract splits, and changes in land use, such as areas that were previousl wetlands but now have housing developments. And it uses TIGER boundaries, providing a cartographic system for geographic definition.
The first release of demographic current-year updates and five-year projections from this new methodology will be available at the beginning of 1993. Information variables will include:
- Population - total, by sex, age, race
- Households - total, by income, by age of head of household by income
- Income - per capita, per household
- Wealth - per household
Current-year updates and five-year projections will be available from Equifax NDS in the form of hard copy reports, computer-generated colormaps, diskettes, magnetic tape or on the company's Infomark for Windows desktop marketing information system. Time-series forecasts, covering five consecutive years, will be available on magnetic tape only.
Free on-line network of research information
A new on-line source of information on publications from domestic and international publishers is now available from American Business Research Network, Inc. The network is free to anyone with access to a computer with a modem. Users dial from their computer to access information on thousands of market reports, directories, books and seminars available in over twenty six business related categories including high technology, food, beverage, telecommunications, and retail & leisure. (Computer software should be set to No Parity, 8 bits, 1 Stop Bit.) Information contained on the network is updated daily and new publications are added as they are released. Orders placed on-line using the American Express card care fulfilled immediately. Access is unlimited and users may download as many files as they wish, all at no charge. Users may view files on-line or download the information to print it themselves.
Medicaid payment database available
Data Niche Associates, Inc. (DNA) a marketing research company specializing in data for the pharmaceutical industry, has completed a database derived from the Medicaid claim reimbursement records of twenty top states. The database covers total annual Medicaid payments of more than $3 billion at the manufacturer's level and will be updated every six months.
DNA's system contains over 35,000 high prescribing physicians, more than 12,000 high volume pharmacies and corresponding detailed data on 200 million plus annual prescriptions. The system is designed for use by companies that participate in the recently enacted Pharmaceutical Prudent Purchasing Act (Pryor Bill), which mandates that pharmaceutical companies offer discounts to state Medicaid agencies comparable to those offered to their most favored high volume customers. The system lets both brand-name and generic companies know exactly which products are being prescribed and who is prescribing and dispensing them.
The database is available to clients in two ways - on nine track magnetic tape for incorporation into large main-frame computer systems or in a turn-key personal computer package.
Survey program for Mac users
The RLCA Survey Statistics System and Cross Tabulation Programs pro-vide the Macintosh user with analysis tools for surveys and survey-like collections of data. The system produces counts, averages, standard deviations, high and low values, percentages, medians and cross-tabulations. These are produced for collections of questionnaires or survey forms. Each form may contain up to 50 individual questions. The system chooses the output format based on the nature of the individual questions. Questions can be combinations of five basic types: evaluate on a scale of _ to _; answer yes or no; multiple choice; numeric response; describe (text).
System provides change of address database
Direct Marketing Technology (DMT) has created the Direct Tech Change of Address System (DT-COA). This 35,000,000 individual change of address database is created through agreements reached between DMT, TRW Targeted Marketing Services, the information arm of TRW and other credit reporting agencies. The database represents individual address changes reported within the last 18 months, many, but not all, captured by the USPS' National Change of Address (NCOA) file. Updated monthly, DT-COA is recommended as a supplement to NCOA but can be used as an independent change of address matching system. Testing DT-COA as a supplement to NCOA indicates that an average of 1.5 to 2.5% incremental changes are identified, 25-45% of which produce duplicates (multibuyers and/or circulation drops) within the merge-purge sequence.
System gathers responses from 100 or more respondents
Parker Marketing Research has introduced PrecisionScan, a system that uses a proprietary electronic data collection system that obtains answers to questions instantly from 100 or more respondents at a time. After each question, a summary of responses is displayed in real time in graphic form on a monitor visible only to clients. The system uses a copyrighted questionnaire design that allows testing more than three dozen concepts, products, packages, advertisements or other marketing elements. PrecisionScan studies can be conducted nationwide. The electronic data collection system is portable and can be used to interview respondents in any hotel or other facility with sufficient meeting space.
New cross-tab program for Mac
Pericles Software has released TabHouse 1.0, a cross tabulations program for use on the Macintosh computer. A single project within TabHouse 1.0 can include 32,000 variables, limited only by RAM memory. The number of records or cases is limited only by available disk space. Tabulations are made with weighted or unweighted data and can include up to 32,000 banner columns, flexibly defined by raw single variables, categorized single variables, and two or three level combinations of these (e.g., tabbing all variables by gender within defined age categories within city). Character as well as numeric variables can be directly tabbed and used to generate banner points without receding. Users can specify tables using direct manipulation (drag and drop) of variables and statistics. After a table has been calculated, a user can add or delete statistics from tables, change labels, and revise categories without re-reading the data.
Research probes biz-to-biz buyer motivations
The Daniel Adams Company, a Danbury, CT-based marketing and man-agement consulting firm, has created the Customer Intelligence Program, a business-to-business sales/marketing tool that identifies customer buying motivations and the methods that can influence these customers. The data, compiled by an affiliated business-to-business research firm, is the result of nearly 3,000 face-to-face interviews with many types of customers, and continuing validation studies to update data. All work is customized for each client. Companies targeting manufacturing, finance, and engineering decision-makers can benefit from this program. Products can range from software packages to radiology equipment to heavy capital equipment. The program produces a customer profile providing information on what customers want and what motivates them. This information is then translated into tools that can be applied to direct sales calls, promotion materials, advertising, packaging, etc. The Adams Company provides two reports as part of the program: a customer intelligence profile containing information on the seven dimensions of the customer's hidden agenda; and a message package containing specific messages that connect with the customer's hidden needs.