News Releases

Big data, artificial intelligence and advanced pricing algorithms make it easier than ever for companies to fine-tune prices for individual products to closely reflect their unique value and cost. The conventional wisdom is straightforward: better data, better algorithms and sharper segmentation should produce better profits. But new research suggests that the most profitable answer isn’t always more fine-grained pricing across a product line. In fact, it is fewer, better-chosen price points.

As artificial intelligence and data-driven analytics rapidly transform online retail, a surprising dynamic is emerging: some e-commerce platforms deliberately allow third-party analytics tools to scrape or access marketplace data, even though doing so could weaken the platform’s competitive advantage.

INFORMS proudly celebrates the election of two distinguished members to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), one of the highest professional honors in the field. 

Managers looking to improve worker performance are increasingly turning to AI tools to boost productivity and decision quality. But new research published in the INFORMS journal Management Science suggests technology alone won’t determine results. The biggest gains come when workers understand their own strengths and limitations, which helps them know when to rely on AI.

New research published in the INFORMS journal Information Systems Research finds that giving low-wage workers access to their earned wages before payday can significantly increase saving behavior, financial monitoring and long-term planning.

While inflation has cooled in recent months, consumer prices remain well above where they were five years ago, continuing to strain household budgets. But higher sticker prices are only part of the story. New research published in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science shows many consumers may be paying more without realizing it because they are getting less product for the same price.

Grocery retailers may not need new technology—or behavior change from shoppers—to meaningfully reduce food waste. New research in the INFORMS journal Management Science finds that small operational decisions already under a retailer’s control, including how perishable items are displayed and when (and how much) they’re discounted, can increase profits while reducing spoilage.

For years, social media platforms have wrestled with how to curb misinformation without inflaming debates over censorship. New research from INFORMS members suggests the answer may be hiding in plain sight: let the crowd speak and let transparency do the rest.

A federal consumer protection law fundamentally changed how Americans review businesses online. After the Consumer Review Fairness Act took effect, online reviews became more negative, more detailed and more informative, suggesting that previously suppressed criticism finally surfaced.

New research published in the INFORMS journal Operations Research shows that healthcare systems can substantially reduce overtime, idle time and overall staffing costs by adopting a multilocation, dynamic staff-planning model for anesthesiologists. The study is based on the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), which cut daily overtime and idle time across 11 hospitals, generating over $800,000 in annual cost savings.