In 2012, Cowen’s Director of Research began seeding Cowen’s data science initiative. As a result, Cowen’s Research department now leverages over 200 third-party data sources in its equity research.
In April 2018, Cowen formed Kyber Data Science, LLC as a stand-alone subsidiary, to focus on developing and selling unique datasets across a variety of sectors to institutional investors and corporations. Kyber Data Science was launched with two proprietary survey datasets focused on the consumer retail and internet sectors.
In May 2018, Harvard Business School recognized the forward-thinking nature of Cowen’s Research department and Kyber for being at the forefront of developing new data tools by publishing a case study. White paper available upon request.
Cowen owns the rights to all of the survey data that are collected.
Subscription Details
We offer free trials for prospective customers and annual paid subscriptions.
Update Granularity
The survey data for each tracker are captured throughout the month and customers are provided updates on a monthly basis.
However, we are able to provide weekly granularity via the User Interface, and daily granularity via our raw data / machine readable offering.
For surveys, Kyber has developed two monthly datasets, the Retail Tracker and Internet Tracker where we conduct recurring proprietary web-based surveys through a respected third-party provider.
Each monthly survey wave consists of 2,500 US based consumers to understand shopper behavior patterns, device and platform engagement, demographic analysis and changes in brand preference.
Cowen’s Research department scientifically constructed the survey questions and survey design to elicit the most accurate answers and details from consumers on their behavior patterns and preferences.
The survey utilizes a number of quality controls (including red herring questions and questions that require internal consistency) to ensure respondents do not speed through the survey (via timestamps and straight-liner checks).
The survey data is captured throughout the month to account for holidays and any changes in weather.
We have paid meticulous attention to census representative recruitment (by age, gender, region, income, and ethnicity) for every month of data collection since each project’s inception. We recruit survey participants using the same panels/methodologies that Fortune 500 companies use to conduct their own market research.
Once the data has been indexed to mirror that of the US-census, it is delivered to Kyber in raw format every month, and also uploaded onto our User Interface/Business Insights tool.
We have the ability to build customized queries for our users via our User Interface which leverages over six years of longitudinal history.
All of the data is available in raw, machine-readable format as well.
Every survey respondent is compensated for participating in the survey and accepted terms and conditions to share the data.
All participant data is anonymized before it arrives to Cowen/Kyber.
Regional Coverage
United States
History
For our consumer retail tracker, we’ve been collecting monthly data since December 2012.
For our internet tracker, we’ve been collecting monthly data since January 2016.
Cadence
The survey data for each tracker are captured throughout the month to account for holidays and any changes in weather. The survey data results are updated monthly, on average between 5-7 business days after month-end.
Themes Covered
Kyber’s survey data is focused on the consumer retail, apparel, internet and e-commerce sectors currently.
Within our survey datasets, we provide market intelligence and qualitative business insights into over 170 public and private consumer retail and internet companies.
Cowen’s equity research department has made many prescient calls through leveraging the survey data. For example, conclusions derived from the survey data relating to Amazon’s apparel share gains, user engagement decelerating at Twitter and Snapchat, market share gains at Adidas vs. Nike have all correlated to equity share price performance.
Known Biases
The data is biased towards the domestic United States only.
Granularity of Data
Our survey data is used for insights into private brands, public companies, business lines, store visitation, purchase conversion, user engagement, and device ownership, among others. This is for brick-and-mortar and digital, both desktop and mobile.
It is also used for demographic, psychographic and sentiment focused analysis, including customer satisfaction, brand affinity and value perception.
Sectors / Companies
Kyber’s survey data is focused on the consumer retail, apparel, internet and e-commerce sectors currently.
Within our survey datasets, we provide market intelligence and business insights into over 170 public and private consumer retail and internet companies.