DemandTec

About the DemandTec Retail Challenge

The DemandTec Retail Challenge is a scholarship competition with a goal to get students excited about math and science.

Did you know that American students show a sharp drop-off in math and science skills after elementary school? It’s a fact—American students are well below the international average in math and science literacy*. Beyond just grasping the core concepts, students often struggle with understanding why math matters and with identifying exciting professional roles that leverage analytical skills on a daily basis.

At DemandTec, we want to help find a solution for what we believe to be a serious issue in our country.

The DemandTec Retail Challenge originated in 2005 as a local competition in the San Francisco Bay Area and has now expanded to many regions nationally. Its goal is to present math, science and business concepts creatively through an online simulation giving students a taste of how retailers and consumer products manufacturers make pricing and inventory decisions.

Students compete to win a monetary scholarship to help further their education and for a chance to partake in the Grand Championships at NASDAQ in New York City.

Challenge Timeline

Regional Contest: October/November

Beginning in the Regional round, the top three teams from each region with the highest profit present the details of their analysis to a panel of judges. The judges will determine the Regional winning team, whose members will be awarded a monetary scholarship to assist with furthering their education.

Semifinals: December

Each Regional winning team is invited to compete in the Semifinals round, consisting of a one-day, time-intensive contest where the top five teams with the highest profits advance to the Grand Championships at NASDAQ in New York City.

Grand Championship: January

The top five Grand Championship teams are funded to travel to New York City and participate in the Grand Championship round at NASDAQ, again analyzing a typical retail problem and presenting their findings to a panel of judges representing the field of Retail and Consumer Products analytics.

*Sources: American Institutes for Research and The Boston College Chronicle.