Analyzing Customer Data to See What Works, What Doesn’t

When he was a graduate student at Stuart School of Business, Karan Tupe’s summer internship at BMW Technology Corporation—which turned into a part-time job the following semester—enabled him to take what he learned in his marketing analytics courses and apply it in the business world every day.

As a member of the data analytics team, he helped field requests from departments in the company, such as marketing, sales, or design, to find out what was working and what could be improved. 

“My job was to analyze the data we were getting from user actions and user history through the BMW app and then produce visualizations to give insight into how each department or function was performing from a data perspective,” Tupe says. For example, how are people using the app? Is the user interface effective? Why do customers stop using the app?

The program’s curriculum paved the way for success in the internship, he says. “The way the semester is designed [in courses at Stuart], it makes you ready for summer internships with enough knowledge so you can go out there and implement it.”

The work atmosphere and the mentoring Tupe received from his supervisor at BMW were pluses, as well. “One of the biggest takeaways I learned is that you are as good as your team members are,” he says. “If you have a team that is collaborative, then your work is going to be better.”