FORT WORTH, TEXAS, (November 10, 2015) — Buxton, a leading customer analytics provider, and the Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative (WCAI) at the University of Pennsylvania, partnered again to offer the Buxton Challenge, a student case study competition on the use of analytics for retail site selection. The final judging for this year’s challenge took place on October 16.
In the Buxton Challenge, student teams compete by building econometric models for a mock client with actual consumer and market data that Buxton anonymized and prepared for the program. Teams were evaluated on creativity, real world application of the model, model accuracy, presentation, and statistical and theoretical soundness of the model.
This year’s winning team – composed of Ted Iobst, Mike Klein and Dan Sirotkin – impressed Buxton judges with deep understanding of the business question, detailed analysis, model accuracy and clear communication of results. The team received a first prize check for $1,000.
“The Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative is a bridge-builder between academic life and industry,” said Colleen O’Neill, Executive Director of WCAI. “The Buxton Challenge is an activity that gives our students the opportunity to apply the knowledge and methods they are learning in the classroom to a real-world problem. WCAI is excited that the program has grown in popularity among Penn students and we look forward to future competitions.”
“Congratulations to all of the teams on their outstanding performance in this year’s Buxton Challenge,” said Chris Briggs, chief of staff at Buxton. “It is a pleasure to partner with WCAI on this hands-on learning initiative.”
For more information about the Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative, please visit www.wharton.upenn.edu/wcai.
For more information about Buxton, please visit www.buxtonco.com.
About the Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative
The Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative (WCAI) is the world’s preeminent academic research center focusing on the development and application of customer analytics methods. Through our innovative Research Opportunity program and R&D “crowdsourcing” approach, WCAI enables academic researchers from around the world to help companies understand how to better monetize the individual-level data they collect about customers through the development and application of new predictive models. We marry our work with companies and researchers around the world with a range of co-curricular student programs that foster talent development and recruitment.
About the Wharton School
Founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. With a broad global community and one of the most published business school faculties, Wharton creates economic and social value around the world. The School has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 9,000 participants in executive education programs annually and a powerful alumni network of 94,000 graduates.
About Buxton
Buxton is the industry leader in customer analytics. Our analytics reveal who your customers are, where more potential customers are located and the value of each customer. More than 3,000 clients in the retail, restaurant, healthcare, private equity, and public sectors have relied on our insights to guide their growth strategies. Clients include Jamba Juice, GNC and Anthropologie.
Media Contacts
Katie Russell
Buxton
(817) 332-3681
krussell@buxtonco.com
Marin Hitch
Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative
(215) 746-4163
mhitch@wharton.upenn.edu