data brilliance from eBay

I have a few dirty secrets – hard to believe, I know. Occasionally watching Jeremy Kyle is one (by the way, his current trailer where he sounds off about Facebook is classic) and a lunchtime dip into the Daily Mail online is another.

Sometimes, just sometimes, the latter throws up useful stuff. Here is a brilliant example of eBay using the mounds of data that it holds to give us a fun look into the style of jeans that sell best. In case you’re wondering, it’s that old faithful, the bootcut.

Yes, eBay is the privileged holder of shedloads of data, but most companies, if they look hard enough will find a story in their data to appeal to someone, somewhere. Sometimes they just need a helping hand to spot that story and the value it holds.