Google is a Girl's Best Friend...

So let’s talk about my major. I’m studying business marketing with a minor in fashion merchandising. What I initially liked about this track was how qualitative it was; I wanted to know more about how to appeal to consumers on a psychological level while staying in touch with my love for aesthetics, trend forecasting, etc. This track really allowed me to delve into some of my curiosities and look at the more creative side of business. Most importantly, I didn't see myself running into numbers on this path and I really liked the idea of leaving the quantitative things to the finance nerds. (Kidding. Kind of.)

All of that being said… I’m starting to realize just how important the numbers game is, and in fact it’s not so bad (despite previous, traumatizing experiences with freshman calc). My marketing research class in particular has opened my eyes to the power of numbers and how critical they can be when looking at those qualitative things I love so much (trend forecasting, consumer behavior, etc.) We've been doing a lot of work with data analysis, identifying correlations and putting that information to use in marketing plans and other real world applications.

I stumbled upon this NY Times article this morning, which was oddly relevant considering my recent, albeit reluctant acceptance of “numbers”. The article takes a look at Google's recent and suave entrance into the wonderful world of fashion forecasting.

A look at the way Google is identifying current trends, using data analysis based on user activity. From the NYT website.

What Google is doing is tracking user activity, popular searches, keywords, etc. and using that information to make trend predictions. It’s impressive and smart the way they’re taking advantage of their immense resources to get into the fashion game on a real level, especially with “fast fashion,” (think H&M, Forever21...). Tabuchi writes, “accurate forecasting has become vitally important as fast fashion speeds up product cycles,” which is exactly why Google could become even more of a powerhouse to fashion companies everywhere. Their use of this tangible, raw data and they way they process the numbers is incredible.

It makes sense that Google is utilizing their data and expanding their scope of power, especially given the interconnected nature of this world. I think this is a fascinating tool and something that will be really interesting to pay attention to going forward. It makes me think maybe numbers aren't so bad… and my love of all things qualitative will only be complemented by things like data analysis and project management.