Nihad Aytaman, a senior technology manager at Elie Tahari, a private $500 million-a-year maker of designer clothes for women and men, is an enthusiastic proponent of analytics technology. The information housed in the company’s data warehouse has grown fivefold in the last three years, and is constantly mined for sales trends and to orchestrate supplies and shipping. “It takes all this data and makes it visible and meaningful, so you can make sense of it and act on it,” said Mr. Aytaman, an engineer with an M.B.A. “But you’re not creating something that wasn’t there. Designers and merchandisers have to go with their gut if they are making something new. “No computer can mimic human intuition,” he said.
— Unboxed - A Data Explosion Is Remaking Retailing - NYTimes.com
