News Releases

CATONSVILLE, MD, February 10, 2020 – Two INFORMS members – Stephan Biller, vice president Offering Management Watson IoT and Chief Innovation Officer for IBM and Jorge Nocedal, Walter P. Murphy professor at Northwestern University – have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. They join more than 100 new members also recently elected. 

CATONSVILLE, MD, February 6, 2020 – Product reviews and ratings have a strong impact on consumer consideration. In restaurant reviews, new research in the INFORMS journal Information Systems Research shows that location bias, based on the popularity difference between the reviewer’s hometown and the distance to their destination, can affect a reviewers online rating by as much as 11%. 

CATONSVILLE, MD, February 3, 2020 – In the public interest, governments often regulate the marketing activities of certain industries like tobacco, financial services, alcohol, and gaming. 

CATONSVILLE, MD, January 30, 2020 – New research in the INFORMS journal Information Systems Research finds that the purchasing decision of customers considering buying e-books is significantly influenced through easy access to a combination of e-book previews and reviews, resulting in a staggering 31% increase in a consumer’s likelihood to purchase an e-book. When exposed to either previews only or online reviews only, purchase likelihood is between 7 and 17%.

CATONSVILLE, MD, January 29, 2020 – Consumers want what they want, and they want it now. Drone delivery has long been talked about as an option to satisfy consumer delivery demands, but how realistic is it? New research in the INFORMS journal Transportation Science looks at how possible and desirable it is to use drones for delivery for e-retailers considering cost and effectiveness in certain population areas and in certain locations.

CATONSVILLE, MD, January 20, 2020 – News aggregators help to simplify consumers’ search for news stories by gathering content based on viewing history or other factors. Commonly used aggregators include Google News, Yahoo! News, and others. They offer links to news stories published by news outlets and save consumers considerable time and effort in finding news.

CATONSVILLE, MD, January 14, 2020 – How long has it been since you logged onto a Web site and you were prompted to decide whether to opt out of “cookies” that the site told you will enhance your online experience?  Minutes? Hours?

CATONSVILLE, MD, January 13, 2020 – Eating out, ordering in or carrying out? Most Americans indulge in some form of restaurant eating. Consumers believe that cleanliness at these establishments is a key factor in determining where they satisfy their cravings. 

CATONSVILLE, MD, January 8, 2020 – Live chat tools allow for communication between sellers and buyers. They are popular instruments for e-commerce sites that don’t have the advantage of face-to-face communication that brick-and-mortar stores do. New research in the INFORMS journal Information Systems Research says these live chats can actually increase sales and boost profits.

CATONSVILLE, MD, January 6, 2020 – The popularity of bike-share systems has grown in popularity thanks to the younger, more environmentally conscious generation. While they have garnered considerable attention in cities from Paris to Washington, D.C., their promise of urban transformation is far from being fully realized.