Decision Trees uses Classification and Regression Tree (CART) modelling and can be applied to any sector involving a customer path to purchase journey.

In one example, Initiative partnered with Respondi and surveyed 2,000 British holiday-makers asking ‘what’s important to you?’ across a range of holiday types. Decision Trees then looked at what factors in the path to purchase affected the contentment with their holiday.

Among the insights it identified for this market were: the more enjoyable the planning experience, the better the holiday; families who want unusual destinations are more likely to be disappointed with their holidays; for beach holidays, the ethics of the travel company has a bigger impact on the success of the holiday than the brand does; and online advertisements are particularly helpful for holidays with friends.

Ben Haley, head of insight, Initiative UK said: “The beauty of Decision Tress is that it unearths the hidden factors behind our choices. Not what we necessarily think is most important, but what’s actually driving our decisions. The Decisions Trees analysis can be applied to any category, revealing more about consumer decision making than standard surveys do, enabling marketers to use this to their advantage.”