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Getting the Most out of Your Data. CMPT 455/826 - Week 4, Day 2 (Various sources). A tale of two Companies. When bookstores went on-line For years “Books in Print” <http://www.booksinprint.com/bip/> provided bookstores with information
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Getting the Most out of Your Data CMPT 455/826 - Week 4, Day 2 (Various sources) Sept-Dec 2009 – w4d2
A tale of two Companies • When bookstores went on-line • For years “Books in Print” <http://www.booksinprint.com/bip/> • provided bookstores with information • on all the different books that are currently available • including information on the publishers of the books • Blackwells Books (UK) http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk • was a long established company when in (1994/5?) • it was one of the first companies to embrace e-Commerce • How many of you have ever heard of Blackwells? Sept-Dec 2009 – w4d2
How Blackwells used BIP • BIP information can be used • as the basis for inventory records • Blackwells e-Commerce site • offered to sell any books that they had in stock • just like a “bricks and mortar” bookstore • after all you can’t sell what you don’t have, or can you? • They probably also used the BIP information • to help with reordering books, when needed Sept-Dec 2009 – w4d2
Amazon.com (1) • In 1995 Amazon.com was a startup company • It also used BIP • to provide the basis of the books it would sell • Only it decided to sell anything in BIP • whether it had it in stock or not • thus providing consumers with the widest possible selection • and to use it to order any books that it did not have in stock • to fill the orders it took (“Just In Time” processing) Sept-Dec 2009 – w4d2
Amazon.com (2) • It further used data to keep its inventory to a minimum • by analyzing changes in the rate of sales on individual items • to determine whether or not it would be profitable • to keep books in stock (only big sellers) • or to sell books and then get them to fill the orders • to avoid stocking books that won’t sell soon Sept-Dec 2009 – w4d2
The results • How many of you have bought a book from a “bricks and mortar” (e.g. U of S) bookstore? • How many of you have ever special ordered a book? • How many of you have ever bought a book from Amazon.com/.ca? Sept-Dec 2009 – w4d2
Further uses and abuses of data • After a while doing e-Commerce • Blackwells started requiring you to register • e.g. give it data on you • before being able to look at its information on its books • e.g. charging for its information • Amazon always • let you browse its information on the books it knew about • e.g. giving information away for free • Which bookstore have you heard about? Sept-Dec 2009 – w4d2
Is giving info away always good? • At about the same time cd-now.com • provided track listings of the cd’s it wanted to sell customers • Lots of customers used this information • to be more efficient in using Napster.com • to get music for free • and to avoid buying it from cd-now • The track listings were eventually removed • Sometimes info works for you, sometimes against you! Sept-Dec 2009 – w4d2