Zeitler's Department Stores sells its products online and through traditional brick-and-mortar stores. The parallel-coordinates plot below displays data from a sample of 20 customers who purchased clothing either online or in-store from Zeitler's. The data include variables for the customer's age, annual income, and the distance from the customer's home to the nearest Zeitler's store.

The file ZeitlersElectronics contains data on customers who purchased electronic equipment either online or in-store from Zeitler’s Department Stores.

Click on the datafile logo to reference the data. 

Note: This problem requires the use of software outside native Excel.

(a) Create a parallel-coordinates plot for these data. Include vertical axes for the customer’s age, annual income, and distance from nearest store. Color the lines by the type of purchase made by the customer (online or in-store). Which of the four following versions displays the correct parallel-coordinates plot?

(b) How does this parallel-coordinates plot compare to the one shown in previous problem of clothing purchases? Does the division between online and in-store purchasing habits for customers buying electronics equipment appear to be the same as for customers buying clothing?

(i) Online customers tend to be older versus in-store customers for electronics. However, online customers for electronics still appear to have lower annual incomes and live farther from a store.

(ii) There does not appear to be a clear differentiation between the ages of online versus in-store customers for electronics. However, online customers for electronics still appear to have higher annual incomes and live closer to a store.

(iii) There does not appear to be a clear differentiation between the ages of online versus in-store customers for electronics. Online customers for electronics still appear to have higher annual incomes and live farther from a store.

(iv) Online customers tend to be younger versus in-store customers for electronics. However, online customers for electronics still appear to have higher annual incomes and live farther from a store.

(c) Parallel-coordinates plots are very useful for interacting with your data to perform analysis. Filter the parallel-coordinates plot so that only customers whose homes are more than 40 miles from the nearest store are displayed. What do you learn from the parallel-coordinates plot about these customers?

(i) All customers who live more than 40 miles away made their purchase online.

(ii) All but one customer who live more than 40 miles away made their purchase online.

(iii) Similar proportion of customers who live more than 40 miles away made their purchase either in-store or online.

(iv) Most customers who live more than 40 miles away made their purchase in-store.

(v) All customers who live more than 40 miles away made their purchase in-store.