Using Data Mining

Using Data Mining

In chapter two of our text book it talks about data mining which really caught my attention. The definition of data mining is basically when you examine a large database so that you can create new data. I found an article in the Wall Street Journal that was a perfect example of data mining and I really enjoyed reading it because it was about handbags!

The article was basically by a writer named Kyle Chayka who explains that he carries over twenty-nine different tote bags and how it’s one out of the twenty-nine that he favors the most. So, after he explained that he goes on to say that the tote that you carry is a physical status symbol. When I read that and really thought about it, the writer of this article actually has a point. A tote can explain what some of your favorite colors are, how much money you have, do you enjoy a simple style or a flashy style. It’s an easy way to figure out what styles and brands that person affiliates with. Another good example of how a tote can help you identify a person would be that they have a water proof or a tote made of mostly recycled material then that person is probably a very eco-friendly individual that does not like using products that are harmful to the environment

Now I like this because I know this is exactly what marketers look for when they are trying to get a general idea of kind of things their target markets are interested in. This writer himself is even using data mining when he wrote this article. He paid attention to the different men and woman that carry totes and he took notes on all the different shapes and styles that he says and gathered enough data to make his own new and publish it in the Wall Street Journal for others like myself to read.

The article also mentions that most stores give away totes with purchases of a certain price from that store. So, if someone wanted to gather information about the different stores that most people shop in the totes they carry make it easier to determine what store they’re shopping in you can give an estimate of the lowest amount of money spent when they go to that store if they were able to receive a tote. I feel like this is something marketers probably look at when trying to select a target market or when trying to decide what product they want to put out in certain areas.

I wanted to use this article because I personally felt like I could relate to this article by this writer because he made some very valid points. By using the data mining technique, you can tell very different things about all the different consumers which is important when you’re selling a product and you’re trying to appeal to the target market. I also liked this article because it really opened my eyes to really pay attention to the different totes that I see people carry and what exactly I can personally tell about that person carrying the tote like the writer in the article