Archive for the ‘Web Analytics’ tag
Xchange Web Analytics Conference 2009
In the past five years there has been enourmous growth in web analytics related events, starting with web anlaytics wednesdays, Vendor events like Omniture summit, WebTrends Engage, Emetrics and few more.
I have been fortunate enough to attend few of these event travlleing all the way from India, However here’s a conference which is dedicated to Web Anlaytics Industry, and if you are a part of web analytics industry and want to a peak on what’s coming next, this event is certainly a must attend!
Here’s the icing on the cake, for all our readers here’s a discount coupon “XCTATVIC” which gives you 20% off on your registration, Get Started here
The X Change conference is the web analytics industry’s premier gathering, specifically targeting experts and those practitioners who are serious about digital measurement. Past participants include Best Buy, Schwab, AOL, PayPal, Turner, Intuit, Yahoo!, Avaya, The Gap, and many more.
It was initiated in year 2008 with joint effort of Semphonic and Web Analytics Demystified with the aim of bringing together a selective group of the best minds in web measurement for in-depth conversation in a unique peer to peer format.
Three Reason to attend the Xchange Conference 2009
Founding Father’s Keynote Speech
This time X Change Conference Announces its first ever gathering of the Web Analytics’s industry trailblazers Brett Crosby (Google), Matt Cutler (Visible Measures), Bob Page (Yahoo!), and John Pestana (ObservePoint) also known as “Founding Fathers of digital measurement” at X Change 2009.
Collectively, these four have had a hand in the vast majority of web and video measurement on the Internet. These “Founding Fathers Keynote Panel” members would talk about what they hoped to accomplish years ago, how they see the industry today, and where they think the digital measurement industry is heading.
Discussions in Huddles
X CHANGE is made up of small group conversations or “huddles” where participants join 12 to 15 fellow professionals and a facilitator who is considered as an expert in his/her field. Together they explore common problems and possible solutions. Choosing Huddle you want to be in is absolutely flexible.
It’s a fantastic opportunity to TALK and WORK in-depth with the best practitioners in areas they are most expert. Panel includes some of the renowned web analytics professionals from AOL, Barclays, Best Buy, Charles Schwab, Discovery, Forrester, HP, Intuit, Kohler, Nokia, Turner Broadcasting and The New York Times.
Think Tank Training
It is a unique opportunity to leapfrog countless hours of training with our 1 day Advance web analytics training and definitely an unmatched opportunity unavailable anywhere else.
The aim of this conference is to provide a unique experience tailored to web analytics Professionals and it would create unusual, personal, more reflective session for X Change’s deep, conversation-based explorations of the key issues in web analytics says “Eric Peterson co-sponsor of X Change Conference and CEO of “Web Analytics Demystified”
More information including registration and session details can be found online at xchangeconference or by calling SEMphonic at 800 763-2821
7 must use firefox addons for web analyst
It’s been a while since last post, but back with some useful tips
Ok alright not “must use” but definitely the best of firefox addons if your a web analyst and using Firefox. Now indeed Firefox is one most user friendly browser because of all the customization it allows.
As a web analyst one has to juggle from one screen to other, pre implementation testing, QA, reporting, competitive analysis and endless combination ain’t it ?
Ok here’s a list of 7 firefox addons
1.) WASP
WASP needs no special mention, iam sure it’s used by most of web analyst. It’s a great QA tool mind you not just for single analytical tool but most of them. If your not using you should, read more about it at Stéphane Hamel, site HERE and download the latest version right away.
2.) Grease monkey
Grease monkey allows you to customize the way a webpage displays using small bits of JavaScript. Here’s a list of scripts which’ll help web analysts, before that make sure u have latest version of grease monkey addons.
Get greasemonkey addon here
Useful scripts:
- MVT Vendor Detector:
- Statistics Detector:
- Custom Scripts for GA
- Show 100 profiles – Lunametrics
3.) Search Status
Search is a very effective tool bar for Quick SEO Analysis, A robust tool and must have for web analyst.Find more information here
4.) Web Developer Toolbar
One of the most used firefox addons, web developer toolbar is a one stop toolbar for all your semi or complete technical needs. Read more and get hold of it here.
5.) JS View:
This is a great plugin if you want to have a quick look to view source, or view those web analytics tool JS. You Can get it HERE
6.) Search All: SearchAll is a handy side-by-side search engine comparison tool which allows you to search at most 3 different search engines simultaneously and benchmark their performance in the status bar. This is a great plugin for your Natural Search Engine and Paid Search Analysis and research. Get it HERE
7.) FireShot: FireShot is a Firefox extension that creates screenshots of web pages. Unlike other extensions, this plugin provides a set of editing and annotation tools, which let users quickly modify web captures and insert text annotations and graphical annotations. This plugin is great when your analyzing sites, helps a web analyst take quick screenshot add notes then and there. Get it HERE
What’s your favourite plugin/addon ?, Add in via comments
Future Trends & KPI Online Travel Industry
Continuing from the earlier posts on Online Travel Industry in India
Post one: Online Travel Industry India and Web Analytics Status
Post Two: Marketing Trends in Online Travel Industry India
This post covers how Web Analytics Tools can be used for Online Strategy and Optimization.
To Step back a little, Travel Industry has evolved! Big time in India. It all started with the airline industry boom, followed by Train and now Bus services. It’s young and happening and evolving
THE PAST
Gone are the days when
1. You had to wait in a long Que for your air/train tickets!
2. You had to be on phone with travel agents
3. Spend time traveling to book and confirm tickets
4. Last minute cancellation/rescheduling was a tedious process!
5. you had to go to different agent for your hotel/holiday booking
6. Spend time negotiating on travel/holiday deals
7. when you had no idea of how your hotel/holiday destination looks before landing there!
THE CURRENT
Enter Online travel industry ! and just a few clicks and your all set! And what does consumer get?, a one stop shop for
1. No more going to Travel agents (options of e ticket or paper)
2. Click away from booking tickets and cancellation too
3. Meta Search with options like Price range, non stop, airlines options and instant booking
4. Online itinerary
5. Mobile alerts
6. Mobile booking
7. Great deals on hotels and holiday package
8. Customized travel deals
9. Preview of holiday destination (video, reviews and hotel looks)
THE FUTURE
So Here are some trends which one would see (some already existing) in travel industry and “undoubtedly” web analytics plays a key role here!
1. Increased Meta Search Penetration
2. Cross selling of related products
3. Increased Mobile Penetration
4. Improved Self Services
5. Increase in RIA ( Rich internet applications)
6. Travelers Review
7. Social Media Marketing
With market evolving and internet penetration increasing, every Online travel marketing firm will need to emphasize ( iam sure they do) on ROI on each Marketing efforts, new technology (RIA’s) used, Self Services and also keep a track of future trends ( Mobile, Social media etc)
Measuring What matters!
The two previous posts on online travel industry in India was on web analytics status and marketing trends in India. however there’s still lot’s of room for improvement.
Online Firms in India having been spending huge amount on “Awareness/Reach” that is Marketing efforts* (SEM, Banner, Affilates, Email, TV, Print) and are yet to
- Understand the Return of Investment (ROI) on Awareness
- Yet to measure Engagement and conversion
- Segmentation and Loyalty Analysis
- Leverage the “Power of Optimization”
* wish i could support this with hard facts, but this is based on my previous web analytics status check of online travel industry sites.
I could not agree more with Ravi ( who commented on the earlier post)
I think there is a bigger problem ,Indian Online travel industry is plagued with is all focus is on acquisition of customer and almost negligible focus on customer conversion. Obviously, all of them focus on how can they cheaply get a consumer to get to their site and thats it. few really understands that increasing user engagement will hugely drive conversion. Also it is less cost effective to increase sales via increase in conversion than to increase in acquisition of customer. However, this scenario will change very soon.
Yes Ravi the Scenario will change!, and will change for good for all the companies which embrace and understand the power of Web Analytics.
Key performance indicators (KPI’s) for online Travel Industry
Travel sites are challenging with so many moving parts and rich media applications which drives success. Remember KPI’s are bridge between your business objectives and web analytics data, Each site may it’s own specific set of measures
however, Here are 7 Key Performance indicators which will help one get started assuming you have your web analytics data implemented to capture this data.
- Revenue per Booking
- Sales Cycle
- Look to Book Ratio/Conversion
- ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
- Campaign Conversion rate
- Top Origin and Destination Cities
- Top Geography and Demography
Here’s a brief description of each Key Performance Indicators for Online Travel Industry
1.) Revenue Per Booking:
Revenue per booking will vary by season, product type, booking pace, and because of this variation it’s important to have a trended view of the KPI to give you an overview of your revenue performance.
2.) Sales Cycle:
Sales cycle will help you understand,
- Days Before first purchase: The number of days that elapsed between the customer’s first visit and
his or her first purchase. - Days Since Last Purchase: The number of days that elapsed between the most recent purchase
and the preceding purchase.
3.) Look to Book Ratio/Conversion:
The Look-to-Book Ratio is the percentage of visitors (looking) who actually make a purchase (booking).
Look-to-book Ratio helps
- Understand if there customers are satisfied with their visit/shopping experience.
- Understand how qualified the traffic to their Web site really is. Look-to-Book.
4.) ROAS (Return on Ad Spend):
Helps understand the return on various marketing spend, helping you do a quick SWOT analysis
5.) Campaign Conversion rate:
A quick overview of all your campaign performance.
6.) Top Origin and Destination Cities:
This probably is one of the oldest metrics used by airline industry, This metric can help
understand popular city pairs and also correlate with other metrics (example: Understand which airlines compliment with popular city pairs, measure look to book conversion for top origination and destination cities, Revenue per booking for popular pairs)
7.) Top Geography and Demography:
This metric gives great insight, the reason i emphasize this is coz of how internet booking is gained/gaining importance India, this metric will help you understand top cities and evolving areas where internet booking is growing.
So above was the list of top KPI’s for Travel Industry which will help travel firms provide actionable, real-time insight that can help them with both online and offline strategies.
Missing something, time to add your perspective via comments.
The Next Post would deal with Automobile Industry and it’s online presence in India. Until next post happy reading!
Web Analytics India Event Poll
Here’s a quick update, to help make this a great event, please help us with a quick poll.
If your in India and would like to see more of Web Analytics event, here’s a poll to voice your opinion.
You can click on the link below and start taking the 2 minute survey.
If you are interested in sponsoring the Event, Please reach out to Ravi Pathak ( ravi @ webanalyticsindia.net) or reach me via the Contact form for more details.
Thank you for taking out time to fill the Web Analytics Events India Survey.
Online Travel Industry in India and web analytics status
Continuing from recent post on Current Internet status and web analytics opportunities in India, this post focuses on Online travel industry in India
Before you proceed! here’s what the post is all about
- Current Online Travel status and emerging trends
- Top Travel sites in India and Web Analytics Tool Used
- Summary of opportunities
India is clearly an emerging leisure online travel market, attracting millions in start-up funding,the Indian online travel industry is in full form.Online travel is expected to be a $2-billion industry. Interestingly, more than 17 per cent of all the flight tickets booked in India are done via Internet websites.
Online travel company MakeMyTrip (MMT) has recorded sales of Rs. 1000 crore for the financial year ending March 2008, as per a release. However the air ticketing space has seen margins erode and with competition coming not only from other travel sites but also the airlines themselves, MMT has started looking at other avenues like railway ticketing, tour packages and even bus tickets.
Yatra Online is another well funded travel portal that is looking at raising more capital. The company is looking at offline retail outlets for selling its travel services to grow revenues. They have a planned outlay of Rs. 20 million over the next 12 months for the offline retail initiative. They have also roped in SIFY as a partner and Yatra services can be availed of from over 7000 SIFY cyber cafes across the country.
ClearTrip is looking at adding international ticketing to its service offering. The company has raised $12 million so far and is also yet to break even.
A new trend in this space is that of meta search engines. Ixigo and Ezeego are two players in this space. A meta search engine searches all the online travel sites (including the airlines sites as well) and displays the best deals for the user. Meta search engines can aggregate special deals from airline websites that aren’t offered to OTAs. They can also aggregate special deals from OTAs themselves (some of which the OTAs pay for out of their own pockets), thus giving consumers a wider choice, and often better rates.
International players like Expedia and Travelocity have already set up shop in India. Both of them are focused on hotels and bring to the table a strong technology back end and ready access to a huge inventory of international hotels. Travelocity has added air tickets to its set of services
What’s Latest?
Travel websites, such as Make My Trip India Pvt. Ltd and Yatra Online Pvt. Ltd, are battling to win over India’s Rs16,000 crore ($400 million) religious travel market. Both companies control about 90% of the online travel market, according to Phocus Wright, a company that analyses travel market, and both said they are interested in expanding their fast-growing religious travel segments. There will be packages for all: Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Jains.
Oppurtunity in Online Travel Industry: $2billion
Let’s now take a look at Web Analytics Status/Implementation/Tools used for Top 10 Travel Sites in India.
Web Analytics Tool Used: HBX
Overview of WA: Make my trip uses HBX, with HBX now taken over by omniture and if makemytrip decides to go with omniture it certainly would be first few companies to use omniture. Makemytrip using hbx clearly shows that they are keen on web analytics!
Web Analytics Tool Used: Google Analytics and DGM track (probably)
Overview of WA Tool Used: Nicely implemented site! Going a step ahead than merely implementing the general code. Campaign tracking seen.
Opportunities: Some of Features contain “ajax” and which seems to be not tracked
Web Analytics Tool Used: None
Overview of WA: Cleartrip is a great vertical search sites! gives quick result and a must mention hotel booking which looks great. I followed the process from choosing flights to logging in, but i was surprised not to find “any” web analytics tool installed. “May be” they are just going with log files.
Opportunities: They need one badly! with such a great UI and such good features a firm certainly needs to understand how visitors navigate thru their site.
Web Analytics Tool Used: Urchin
Overview of WA: ezeego1 uses urchin, with just basic implementation. It looks like ezeego1 having urchin to understand traffic.
Opportunities: Ezeego1 is a great site! it not only has flight booking feature, but hotels, visa, car cruise, forex! lots of them. To understand which of these products/services work better a good analytics tool is must.
Web Analytics Tool Used: Statcounter
Overview of WA: I was surprised by the WA tool used by Arzoo, no GA ?? as the name goes seems they just need the traffic figure
Opportunities: Arzoo certainly needs a WA tool, atleast Google Analytics to start with. I dint go further to explore the options but this site falls in the category which provides more than flights and hotels.
Web Analytics Tool Used: Google Analytics, DGM Flight and Hotel Tracking
Overview of WA: So here’s a combination of couple of tools, GA looks to be default, and a tool called DGM Flight and Hotel Tracking code exists. ( which i should admit iam not aware of)
Opportunities: It feels like there’s different tracking of traffic and search done, this certainly does not lead to a successful WA tool implementation. There is a great improvement scope here to try and get “one” dedicated provider to do that.
Web Analytics Tool Used: Urchin
Overview of WA: A Fair good implementation of Google Analytics, the search criteria captured in js might be used in conjunction with Google analytics.
Opportunities: Indiatimes is a big name in India internet, they have been around for a while. Indiatimes on a whole is huge network of sites serving various verticals. Indiatimes certainly needs robust tool to help increase user experience and engagement.
Web Analytics Tool Used: Google Analytics
Overview of WA: Basic Use of Google Analytics, filter and other basic features seen
Opportunities: This is a great site! i love the rich features here. Lot of ajax and easy to use UI is a great USP for this site.
Web Analytics becomes important to understand how these features are being used and this site certainly requires some advanced tool.
Web Analytics Tool Used: Omniture
Overview of WA: I was surprised to see omniture on travelocity, but since this site belongs to same as lastmintue.com, so that made it obvious. Implementation can be improved! lot of unnecessary codes and pagename (foundation of ominture) seems to be not in the order.
Monthly Traffic:
Web Analytics Tool Used: Urchin
Overview of WA: Basic Use of urchin, i bumped into a under construction page and found no analytics code in there.
Opportunities: A Clean Implementation is required! Period
Summary:
To summarize all of above, Travel industry is a vertical which has huge online presence in India and growing. All the firms are now expanding their services apart from just providing air tickets and stay. The competition increases as more service providers join the race and “this is where web analytics plays a key role” for a firm to be step ahead.
So undoubtedly this would help Web Analytics Agencies and also lead to increased Job Openings for web analysts in the Online Travel Industry
In the next post! again related to Travel industry will focus on the latest trends and marketing efforts done in India.
What do you feel about the Travel Market in India!, Pen down your comments/feedback/critics
Disclaimer: This survey of the Web analytics tool used is done just to explore and understand the current status of WA in Online travel Industry India. If you do find any information which is not updated or incorrect. Feel free to reach out via comments or Mail and appropriate changes would be made.