Insights Driven Computing Realizing Web Analytics Strategy
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WHITE PAPER INSIGHTS DRIVEN COMPUTING REALIZING WEB ANALYTICS STRATEGY Paper discusses the methods and techniques to leverage the web analytics based services to gain insights into customer behavior to enhance user’s online experience by providing a personalized and customized experience. Enhanced user experience would translate into increased business revenues. The paper also discusses a framework to realize the analytics seamlessly from the business team without the involvement of implementation team. Finally the relevance and utility of Web analytics for the emerging markets is discussed. Introduction most popular ways to understand the user behavior on Web was done in one of the Traditional online platforms were a following ways: Sample Business Required Analytics one-way traffic wherein the key design Scenario • Market research elements including the main user interface, How eective is my online Track clicks on campaign and conversion navigation, flow etc. were designed by the • Beta testing the web site and collecting seasonal campaign? ratio Track site usability metrics including organization. The end-user had little or no the feedback How useful is the existing site trac, visitor prole, exit rate, online platform? visits duration. say in that. With the emergence of web 2.0, • Perform usability testing from the web is now more user-focused than How can we improve Track the recently viewed products and specialized third-party agencies. the product user interests to provide personalized ever. The complete online experience is recommendation? product recommendations However all these methods lacked one shifting towards the intuitiveness which is important factor: real-time end-user Table 1 : Web analytics sample scenarios likely to engage the end-users and keep feedback and analysis. Some of the them interested an increase the likeliness e-commerce sites need to analyze user Understand customers by their clicks : of their participation. behavior in real-time to promote and Many a times customers do not explicitly User centered experience is changing the recommend their products. They also provide feedback/rate their online way information is presented. It is in the need this information to understand any experience. However we can get a rough interest of business that the presentation seasonal patterns, emerging trends etc. so idea of their overall satisfaction by is designed which appeals to the end that they can customize their selling based “connecting the clicks” user did on the site user and the information is presented around it. and other key metrics like time spent on in its most intuitive fashion. The same site, conversion ratio etc. Web analytics In scenarios such as these, the business thing applies for navigation design as play a vital role in making sense of these needed an analytics system which well. Analytics is a broad area which deals user clicks and metrics to uncover any continuously monitored user behavior with capturing and understanding user’s hidden trends, providing customer insights and provide real-time feedback in intuitive explicit and implicit actions and trying to and to make a sense of overall online reports so that the business heads can make sense out of which. This in turn will strategy. make sense out of their customer behavior be used to optimize the business operates. and prepare their action plan around The importance of metrics also varies Web analytics mainly deals with collecting, it. It would also help them measure the across industries. For instance following measuring, analyzing, and reporting the effectiveness of their web site UI, online metrics would assume importance in data on presentation components. campaign etc. e-commerce industry [9][10] : In this paper, I introduce the key business Measuring analytics of Web is a two-way • Clickthrough rate process steps in designing a web analytics traffic: strategy for an online platform. In addition • Traffic to that, I have also narrated an intuitive • Business wants to measure and • Revenue per visit way of realizing a web analytics framework improve their intended and promoted • Bounce Rate from business team in real-time without online strategies • Page view the need of implementation or operations • Business also wants to understand team. The paper is structured as follows: the patterns emerging from their • Value per order It provides the general advantages and customers’ behavior • Repeat customer frequency relevance of web analytics in section II. Web analytics play a key role in analyzing Section III discusses the key business • Conversion rate both the intended and emerging topics in process steps required for implementing a real time. Following are some of the key web analytics strategy. Section IV discusses benefits by successfully implementing a about steps in the implementation of web web analytics strategy: analytics and Details of realizing a web analytics framework is discussed in section • Visualize the key site data (traffic, time V. Section VI provides the performance spent, exit rate etc.) in intuitive fashion. management details and Section VII • Track and measure the effectiveness of provides the relevancy of web analytics online campaigns for emerging markets and section VI • Derive patterns, emerging trends and summarizes the paper. gain valuable customer insights. Following table provides web analytics Analyzing Web usage for few typical web scenarios: Prior to the arrival of web analytics the External Document © 2018 Infosys Limited External Document © 2018 Infosys Limited Analytics Driven Online key metrics and monitored. In addition, main business goals. This set would Business the business also needs to set-up generally include all key features of the appropriate real-time notification website. “If you cannot measure it, you can’t and exception handling process to • Step-2 Mark and measure the improve it” holds true for managing and manage and improve these metrics. categories, flows and transactions: improving online business. Hence the For instance if the page view metrics Once the boundaries of the online primary step for a business is to layout the drop below a pre-configured threshold, business transaction is established criteria for measuring their online platform. the notification mechanism should through key categories, flows and I am providing below two broad strategies alert the relevant business team transactions they can be marked. This which follow the “measure-and-improve” to investigate this further and take is done by page tagging using a web model. appropriate action. Some of the critical analytics framework. The page tagging metrics like page load times; availability will add client-side JS event handlers A. Measure effectiveness of needs immediate attention to avoid which triggered when the event occurs. intended strategy risking customers. The event could be as small as clicking In this strategy the business wants to • Monitoring process a link to as large as completing a full • Notication Process Measure, measure the effectiveness of their intended • DR process Manage & Maintain order processing flow. online strategy. A three step process in • Site usability metrics • Conversion metrics • Step-3 Identify patterns: This is the implementing this strategy is given below: • Items per order Identify Key Metrics • Page views complex step in the overall process. • Step-1 Establishing business goals: • Increase Information The business analysts have to monitor discoverability Establish Business • Maximize revenue Identify the key business success per visit Goals the graphs regularly and identify any factors for the online business. For patterns that emerge. For instance if instance a manufacturing website Figure 1 : Hierarchy of steps in a particular type of clothing product is designed with the key intent implementing web analytics intended outsells all other types in summer strategy of enabling “easy information season, business needs to perform discoverability” for its customer; B. Identify and act on emerging detailed analysis of the product an e-commerce site is designed to trends/patterns strategy attributes, seasonality factor to offer “maximize revenue per customer” more attractive packages. Similarly if It is not enough that business monitor and Step-2 Identification of metrics the bounce rate has increased after a • manage their intended business strategies; for measuring business goals: The site redesign it needs to be analyzed more often than not they need to watch business needs to identity the metrics if any of the UI elements caused this out for emerging and hidden trends from which will measure the business goals issue. their customers’ behavior. In the absence identified in step – 1. Below mentioned of such strategy, business will not be able It needs deep business and customer table provides an indicative mapping to react to seasonal trends and patterns. understanding to derive the patterns from of goals – metrics: Implementing this strategy is easier said customers’ behavior. Often a combination of multiple factors can contribute to Business Goal Measuring metrics than done as it is often difficult to arrive at establish the correct pattern. For instance, Improve information Site Usability metrics (page views, time on emerging patterns. Following are key steps discoverability site, click paths, exit rate, bounce rates, trac source) in implementing this strategy: if there is an increase in exit rate/bounce Conversion statistics (site trac, new visitor, returning