Anuj Kumar

Anuj Kumar is the Walter J. Matherly Full Professor of Information Systems at the Warrington College of Business, University of Florida. He holds a Ph.D. in Information Systems from the Heinz School of Information Systems and Management, Carnegie Mellon University. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Thermal Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, India, and a Master’s degree in management from the Indian Institute of Management, India.

Professor Kumar’s current research utilizes information technology to improve skill production in under-resourced K-12 schools in developing countries. He has developed and implemented an EdTech platform for thousands of students in several Indian K-12 schools. His research indicates that proactively inducing peers to motivate and help students through group contexts can improve skill production. He has also examined the role of information technology in (1) Omnichannel customer behavior in technology-mediated multi-channel operations and (2) The economic value of online product recommendation networks in e-commerce.

Professor Kumar was honored with the ISS Sandra A. Slaughter INFORMS Early Career Award in 2018 for his contributions to research in Information Systems. His work has garnered several competitive research grants from organizations such as the Marketing Science Institute and the Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative. Additionally, his papers have earned best paper awards from the INFORMS-Industries Association and the Workshop on Information Systems and Economics. Professor Kumar’s research has been featured in prominent media outlets, including The New York Times, 74million.org, and Total Retail. He was also invited to deliver a TEDx talk on his research regarding online school ratings and segregation in America at the Boston Bio Hub. His work has been published in leading academic journals, including Management Science, Information Systems Research, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, Management Information Systems Quarterly, and Production and Operations Management.

Publications

• Wan (Shawn), Xiang, A. Kumar, X. Li. (2025) “Is it Beneficial to Recommend Differently Priced Products? Experimental Evidence from an Online Product Recommendation System.” Conditionally accepted for publication in Production and Operations Management. 
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• Hasan, S. and A. Kumar. (2023) “Who Captures the Value from Organizational Ratings?: Evidence from Public Schools,” Strategy Science, 9(3), 248-266.

• Invited to give TED talk in Boston on October 5^th, 2019 on the effect of school ratings on segregation in America. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElvZR94HyMI&feature=youtu.be)
• Appeared in New York Times Article  (‘Do You Support Busing?’ Is not the Best Question)
• Featured among the top most-read stories on education in The 74Million.org (Our 12 Most Popular Articles on Education).

• Ananthakrishnan, M. U., S. Hasan, A. Kumar (2023). “Gentrification and Racial Distrust in Communities: Evidence from 911 Calls” Management Science, 71(1), 708-730. 
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• Wan (Shawn), Xiang, A. Kumar. X. Li (2023). “Retargeted Versus Generic Product Recommendations: When is it Valuable to Give Retargeted Recommendations,” Information Systems Research, 35(3):1403-1421.
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• Wan, S. X., A. Kumar, X. Li (2023).”How do Recommendations Help Consumers Search Products? Evidence from a Field Experiment,” Management Science, 70(9), 5776-5794.
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• Kumar, A., K. Hosanagar (2019). “Measuring the Value of Recommendation Links on Product Demand.” Information Systems Research. 30(3), 819-838.
  • Appeared as a featured story on September 11, 2019 in Total Retail (When a Website Tells You What to Buy, Does it Work?).

Kumar, A., A. Mehra, S. Kumar (2019). “Why do Stores Drive Online Sales? Evidence of Underlying Mechanisms from a Multichannel Retailer” Information Systems Research,30(1), March 2019, 319-338.

• • • Appeared as a featured story on September 11, 2019 in Retailminded.com (Brick and Mortar “Showrooms”? How Stores Can Survive in the Digital Age).
    • Mentioned in Tampa Bay Times (Tampa Bay Times: Is the future of department stores off-price? Macy’s Backstage opens in Tampa).

• Kitchens, B, A. Kumar, P. Pathak (2018). “Electronic Markets and Geographic Competition among Small, Local Firms.” Information Systems Research, 29(4), December 2018, 928-946.
  • Appeared as a feature story on the University of Florida and Warrington College of Business homepages and social media  (UF News: Using big data to improve business performance).
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• Kumar, A., T, Yinliang (2015). “Demand Effects of Joint Product Advertising in Online Product Videos” Management Science,61(8), August 2015, 1921-1937.
  • Received Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative Research Grant on “Innovative Approaches to Understanding Advertising Effectiveness”.
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• Jerath, K., A. Kumar, S. Netessine (2015). “An Information Stock Model of Customer Behavior in Multichannel Customer Support Services.” Manufacturing and Service Operations Management. 17(3), Summer 2015, 368-383.
  • Received Marketing Science Institute and Wharton Interactive Media Initiative Research Grant.
  • Nominated for the best paper award at Workshop on Information Technologies and Systems (WITS) 2012.
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• Kumar, A., R. Telang, M. D. Smith (2014). “Information Discovery and the Long Tail of Motion Picture Content” Management Information Systems Quarterly, 38(4), December 2014, 1057-1078.
  • Received Marketing Science Institute and Wharton Interactive Media Initiative Research Grant.
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• Kumar, A., R. Telang (2012). “Does the Web Reduce Customer Service Cost? Empirical Evidence from a Call Center” Information Systems Research, 23(3), Part1 of 2, September 2012, 721-737.
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• Kumar, A., R. Telang (2011). “Product Customization and Customer Service Costs: An Empirical Analysis.” Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, 13(3), Summer 2011, 347-360.
  • First runner-up award for the INFORMS-Industry Studies Association Best Paper Prize.

Research Software Platform

“AI-enabled Knowledge Diffusion EdTech Platform for Upgrading Education.” An algorithmic EdTech platform designed to induce peer-driven learning in K-12 classrooms. It is especially suitable for improving educational production in K-12 schools with scarce educational resources. Currently, over 3,000 underprivileged K-12 students are using this platform in Indian schools.

Business Case Studies

Kumar A. “Economic Value of Joint Product Advertising in Online Product Videos.”

Kumar A., A. Mehra. “Omnichannel Customer Behavior Analysis for Multichannel Retailers.”