Retail Customer Experience tapped a data and analytics expert for his insight on new trends as well as the challenges retailers are facing this year when it comes to Back-to-School sales. Anil Kaul, CEO of Absolutdata, is a CPG data and analytics expert, and in the following interview he explains what’s driving those challenges and offers guidance on how retailers can hurdle the obstacles while maintaining a high quality consumer experience. Kaul has over 20 years of experience in marketing, strategic consulting and quantitative modeling. Before starting Absolutdata in 2001, he worked at Personify and McKinsey & Company. He holds a PhD in quantitative marketing from Cornell University.