Patent ID: 7512542
Filing Date: 2009-03-31
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method of estimating purchases made by customers of a supplier of interest from other suppliers, wherein the method is performed on a computer, and wherein the method comprises: reading panelist data regarding purchases made by panelists from the supplier of interest and purchases made by the panelists from the other suppliers, wherein the panelists are a subset of the customers, and wherein the purchases made by the panelists from the supplier of interest are independent of the purchases made by the panelists from the other suppliers; determining a relationship between the purchases made by the panelists from the supplier of interest and the purchases made by the panelists from the other suppliers; reading customer data regarding purchases made by the customers from the supplier of interest; based upon the customer data and the relationship, estimating the purchases made by the customers from the other suppliers; aggregating the panelist data and the customer data according to categories; performing an unrotated principal components factor analysis on at least one of the aggregated panelist data or the aggregated customer data; and generating at least one factor matrix for scoring at least one of the panelist data or the customer data based on said aggregating and said performing the unrotated principal components factor analysis.