Real-Life Math
In the early 1980s, neon colors were in fashion. People wore bright
pink socks, glowing orange T-shirts and lime green headbands. A designer has
recently come out with a new line of neon wear for this year.
You think
the bright colors are refreshing, but will the public go for it? Before you
recommend this clothing to any of your clients' stores, you do a survey.
"In
quantitative analysis where you're asking questions, conducting surveys
and analyzing all that information, mathematics is extremely important," says
Jayne Mountford. She is a fashion forecaster. "You're putting that information
into percentages such as 25 percent of Generation Y has a computer, or those
type of statistics."
Some forms of trend forecasting require less math.
Those who study socio-economic trends tend to study more qualitative values.
"You're making analyses of trends based on more subjective findings,"
says Mountford.
These are the questions you ask consumers:
Would
you consider purchasing a neon-colored sweatshirt this season?
89
respondents said definitely not
36 respondents said it was highly unlikely
10
respondents said it was a possibility
15 respondents said definitely yes
Would
you consider purchasing a neon-colored headband this season?122
respondents said definitely not
20 said it was highly unlikely
5 said
it was a possibility
3 said definitely yes
- What percentage of people said they would definitely purchase a neon-colored
sweatshirt this season?
- What percentage of people said they would definitely purchase a neon-colored
headband this season?