
484 Chapter 12 Simple Linear Regression
Alliance Data Systems (ADS) provides transaction pro-
cessing, credit services, and marketing services for clients
in the rapidly growing customer relationship management
(
CRM) industry. ADS clients are concentrated in four
industries: retail, petroleum/convenience stores, utilities,
and transportation. In 1983, Alliance began offering end-
to-end credit processing services to the retail, petroleum,
and casual dining industries; today it employs more than
6500 employees who provide services to clients around
the world. Operating more than 140,000 point-of-sale
terminals in the United States alone,
ADS processes in
excess of 2.5 billion transactions annually. The company
ranks second in the United States in private label credit ser-
vices by representing 49 private label programs with nearly
72 million cardholders. In 2001,
ADS made an initial pub-
lic offering and is now listed on the New York Stock
Exchange.
As one of its marketing services,
ADS designs direct
mail campaigns and promotions. With its database con-
taining information on the spending habits of more than
100 million consumers,
ADS can target those consumers
most likely to benefit from a direct mail promotion. The
Analytical Development Group uses regression analysis to
build models that measure and predict the responsiveness
of consumers to direct market campaigns. Some regression
models predict the probability of purchase for individuals
receiving a promotion, and others predict the amount spent
by those consumers making a purchase.
For one particular campaign, a retail store chain
wanted to attract new customers. To predict the effect of
the campaign,
ADS analysts selected a sample from the
consumer database, sent the sampled individuals promo-
tional materials, and then collected transaction data on
the consumers’ response. Sample data were collected on
the amount of purchase made by the consumers respond-
ing to the campaign, as well as a variety of consumer-
specific variables thought to be useful in predicting sales.
The consumer-specific variable that contributed most to
predicting the amount purchased was the total amount of
credit purchases at related stores over the past 39 months.
ADS analysts developed an estimated regression equation
relating the amount of purchase to the amount spent at
related stores:
where
Using this equation, we could predict that someone
spending $10,000 over the past 39 months at related
stores would spend $47.20 when responding to the direct
mail promotion. In this chapter, you will learn how to
develop this type of estimated regression equation.
The final model developed by
ADS analysts also
included several other variables that increased the
predictive power of the preceding equation. Some of
these variables included the absence/presence of a bank
credit card, estimated income, and the average amount
spent per trip at a selected store. In Chapter 13 we will
learn how such additional variables can be incorporated
into a multiple regression model.
y
ˆ
x
amount of purchase
amount spent at related stores
y
ˆ
26.7 0.00205x
Alliance Data Systems analysts discuss use of a
regression model to predict sales for a direct
marketing campaign.
ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS*
DALLAS, TEXAS
STATISTICS in PRACTICE
*The authors are indebted to Philip Clemance, Director of Analytical Devel-
opment at Alliance Data Systems, for providing this Statistics in Practice.
© Courtesy of Alliance Data Systems
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