Analytics & Data
Our coverage of analytics recognizes that data drives ecommerce but collecting that data and interpreting it can be confusing. Our huge library of Google Analytics articles ranges from basic setup to the sophisticated interpretation of on-site activity of visitors and customers. We also analyze data security, blockchain topics, and ancillary tools such as Google Tag Manager and Google Data Studio.
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Analytics & Data
SEO: Monitoring Traffic from Domain Mergers, with Google Data Studio
January 27, 2019 • Hamlet Batista
A common practice among retailers is creating microsites to target different audiences. The strategy can produce strong conversions because the user experience is simpler and more relevant. Unfortunately, it is not usually helpful for organic search rankings.
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Analytics & Data
18 Basic Metrics to Review at Year-end
January 15, 2019 • Anna Kayfitz
This is the time to conduct your year-end analysis to help plan for 2019. Here are some basic metrics to analyze, to see what worked and what didn't.
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Analytics & Data
Google Analytics: How to Track PayPal Transactions
January 11, 2019 • Morgan Jones
“PayPal Payments Standard” is popular, but it can be challenging for Google Analytics to report the sale. Using PayPal Payments Standard, customers leave the merchant's website for their account at PayPal. After they complete payment, PayPal redirects them back to the return URL provided by the merchant.
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Analytics & Data
Fine-tune Google Analytics for a More Profitable 2019
December 24, 2018 • Pamela Hazelton
If there is one new year's resolution for boosting ecommerce conversions in 2019, it's to get your store's analytics in order. Otherwise, you will never understand the impact of changes to your site. You’ll also miss out on potential target audiences — long-term, loyal customers.
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Analytics & Data
To Analyze Data, First Form an Objective
December 11, 2018 • Anna Kayfitz
The most important part of analyzing data is to define an objective. This is often overlooked. Analysts tend to drill down for insights without really knowing what they are looking ...
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Analytics & Data
Google Analytics: Use Up-to-date Tags for Optimal Reporting
November 20, 2018 • Morgan Jones
Google Analytics periodically rolls out new tracking code. The updates present a challenge to ensure the latest tags are installed. They also present an opportunity: getting robust data and reports that help drive your business.
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Analytics & Data
Using Regression Analysis to Drive Ecommerce Sales
November 13, 2018 • Anna Kayfitz
Have you ever wondered what drives your sales? Ecommerce businesses typically know the source of their revenue and whether campaigns are working. Using regression analysis, a business can determine subtle causes.
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Analytics & Data
Using Google Analytics to Compete with Amazon
November 9, 2018 • Hamlet Batista
It is almost impossible to sell something online and not compete with Amazon. But how can you attract more direct buyers to your site? Through superior service and expertise. Observe the behavior of actual users in Google Analytics. Try to find areas of friction where the path-to-purchase can be improved.
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Analytics & Data
20 KPIs to Drive Customer Journey Campaigns
November 6, 2018 • Craig Smith
If you are developing a digital marketing campaign for your ecommerce business, then data should play a central role in your decision-making process. In this post, I'll look at key performance indicators to track in the entire campaign, to drive performance.
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Analytics & Data
How to Audit Google Analytics Data, for Ecommerce
November 6, 2018 • Morgan Jones
Data from Google Analytics helps ecommerce merchants make key decisions. But that assumes the data is accurate. In this post, I'll provide instructions for conducting a Google Analytics audit to confirm the accuracy of the data or identify potential errors.
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Analytics & Data
Guidelines for Data Cleaning, to Drive Performance
October 23, 2018 • Anna Kayfitz
Ecommerce businesses collect lots of data. Examples are newsletter signups, loyalty programs, sales transactions, and even supplier information. Regardless of the type, however, at some point you will need to ...
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Analytics & Data
Using Google Analytics to Track On-site Promotions
October 11, 2018 • Morgan Jones
Measuring the impact of banners and promotional links on the home page and other key pages can be challenging. In this post, I will provide instructions for identifying on-site banners and other key links that drive clicks and conversions.
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Analytics & Data
Use Google Analytics to Fine-tune Your Value Proposition
September 3, 2018 • Morgan Jones
A value proposition should address a sustainable competitive advantage that a company will have over competitors. Once the company defines it, the value proposition should be measured. Data from Google Analytics can be enlightening.
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Analytics & Data
Case Study: Data Analysis Increases Profit for Manufacturer
August 9, 2018 • Anna Kayfitz
My firm is frequently engaged by companies to analyze data. In one example, a manufacturer asked us to analyze sales data for customers, products, and regions to determine where to focus its marketing efforts. In this post, I'll describe that engagement its end result.
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Analytics & Data
Google Analytics: Dissecting Bounce Rates for Ecommerce
July 30, 2018 • Morgan Jones
There are many metrics in Google Analytics. The bounce rate is among the most prominent, but it’s also among the most misunderstood. In this post, I will address the bounce ...
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Analytics & Data
Creating (Free) A/B Tests in Google Optimize
July 9, 2018 • Morgan Jones
Executing a successful A/B test is easier said than done. The learning curve can be steep. Measuring the outcome can be confusing. Google Optimize aims to address these difficulties in ...
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Analytics & Data
17 Resources for GDPR Compliance
June 25, 2018 • Sig Ueland
The General Data Protection Regulation is now in effect. For website owners worldwide, compliance with GDPR seems daunting. Luckily, there are plenty of resources to help. Here is a list of ...
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Analytics & Data
How to Migrate Data in an Ecommerce Replatform
June 20, 2018 • Anna Kayfitz
When switching to a new ecommerce platform, merchants often overlook one key component: the data. Most providers claim that the data migration is easy. But that is not always the case. In this article, I'll provide a data-migration checklist.
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Analytics & Data
Tips to Track Content Marketing Performance
June 8, 2018 • Anna Kayfitz
Content marketing can attract customers, build brand loyalty, and create overall engagement. But how do marketers know if their content — blog articles, videos, social posts — archives those goals?
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Analytics & Data
Use Google Analytics, Data Studio to Plan Inventory
June 1, 2018 • Morgan Jones
Inventory planning is essential for merchants. Overestimating inventory needs can be costly. But underestimating can be costly, too — hurting revenue and profit. Just-in-time inventory preserves cash, reduces storage needs,
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Analytics & Data
Drowning in Data? Consider a Business Intelligence Tool
May 21, 2018 • Anna Kayfitz
Ecommerce businesses use multiple tools and services. Most have their own dashboards, which measure different aspects of the business. So how does a merchant pull all the data together to see the big picture? Many companies use business intelligence tools, which combine data from multiple sources and display it in a meaningful way.
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Analytics & Data
New Google Analytics Settings Reflect GDPR Requirements
May 15, 2018 • Morgan Jones
The E.U.’s General Data Protection Regulation becomes effective on May 25. Google and other data gathering services are protecting themselves by allowing users to control the data retained from customers and ...
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Analytics & Data
Internet Attorney on GDPR Compliance for Ecommerce
May 15, 2018 • Pamela Hazelton
The General Data Protection Regulation from the European Union takes effect on May 25. The law is sweeping, with massive fines for noncompliance. It affects most every company worldwide, large ...
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Analytics & Data
Getting Started with A/B Tests (to Drive Sales)
May 8, 2018 • Anna Kayfitz
A/B tests can improve conversions on an ecommerce site. There are many testing platforms — search Google for “A/B tests.” To run a test, identify a key conversion element, such as ...
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Analytics & Data
Does Facebook’s Data Debacle Impact Advertisers?
April 11, 2018 • Michael Stancil
Facebook is an enormously powerful advertising tool. There is no better mix of users, placements, and targeting. Sure, you have keywords with Google, and even audiences, but not with the ...
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Analytics & Data
Spy on Competitors to Improve Products and Promotions
April 6, 2018 • Anna Kayfitz
Spying on your ecommerce competition can help with product pricing and marketing strategy. The first step is to identify all competitors no matter how large or small. Once you’ve compiled ...
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Analytics & Data
Getting Started with Google Tag Manager, for Ecommerce
April 4, 2018 • Morgan Jones
Many websites lose reporting from one of their marketing or analytics platforms. The culprit is usually the removal of tags during updates to the sites. Tags are critical for ecommerce merchants. But they add clutter to websites. That's the purpose of Google Tag Manager — to manage tags and contain them in a single JavaScript snippet on all pages.
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Analytics & Data
Facebook’s Data Scandal Affects Ecommerce Companies
April 3, 2018 • Robert Brady
Facebook is facing a public relations nightmare surrounding its collecting and sharing of user data. Here is the short version. A Cambridge professor used a Facebook survey app to obtain profile ...
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Analytics & Data
3 Ways Customer Data Drives Ecommerce Conversions
March 27, 2018 • Anna Kayfitz
Data is important to ecommerce businesses. But many are not sure how to use it — to collect, analyze, and make meaningful changes to their business. The key ecommerce data is easy to obtain, however. It comes from customers. In this post, I'll review how to apply basic customer metrics to improve your ecommerce sales.
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Analytics & Data
Use Google Analytics to Audit PPC Traffic
March 7, 2018 • Morgan Jones
Pay-per-click advertising is a key revenue driver for many ecommerce businesses. But click costs can be expensive. Ensuring that all clicks are reported accurately in Google Analytics will help make informed decisions. In this post, I'll describe a process for auditing the reporting of PPC traffic in Google Analytics. I'll offer guidance on identifying issues with PPC reporting, with insights for how to troubleshoot and fix reporting errors.