Got algorithm? Machine learning quickly evolving to solve business problems

"These three forces are really turning on its head how we are applying analytics to solve business problems," said Seetharaman, director of the Center for Analytics and Business Insights and W. Patrick McGinnis Professor of Marketing at Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. "There's a lot of exciting research going on in understanding how consumers think and feel," he said. For example, one recent project by some of his colleagues shows that ambient scents in supermarket retail makes a big difference in what customers put in their shopping carts. "If you have the smell of cookies in the air, then consumers buy more healthful foods. You heard that right," Seetharaman said.