Big data

This story from the BBC describes how Pizza Hut Restaurants UK is using data. Here are some good quotes.

1. "It's easy to see results and take the wrong read of them"
2. "The answer ... is to run control experiments, much in the same way that they test for the efficacy of new drugs."
3. "'We saw 40% growth in some of our really big investments, which was truly transformational,' says Mr Platt. 'Before we started, average customer spend was about £9, now it's around £11.'"
4. "Data analytics and continuous testing help us to draw the right conclusions from evidence - something that humans are not naturally good at."
5. We are prone to "cognitive bias", or wonky thinking, because we don't weigh up the evidence correctly or ignore it altogether, swayed by our prejudices, emotions and lack of logic."