Online Measurement and Strategy Report 2012

The fifth annual Online Measurement and Strategy Report, carried out in association with web analytics consultancy Lynchpin, contains a comprehensive analysis of issues affecting the web analytics industry and valuable insights into the use of analytics and business intelligence tools. 

Beyond web analytics, the report also looks at a range of data sources and information requirements, and the extent to which companies are able to develop a coherent measurement strategy. The report also looks in detail at the use of Google Analytics, including Google's Premium product. 

The 84-page report is based on a survey of 700 client-side and supply-side respondents, and follows four similar studies carried out between 2008 and 2011. 

A PowerPoint presentation summarising the key findings is also available for download. 

The report findings are divided into the following sections: 

• Information requirements
• Business performance and measurement tools
• Google Analytics
• Resourcing and budget
• Joined-up measurement and strategy
• Barriers to success

Highlights include: 

• A shortage of skilled analysts continues to hold back company progress in making the best use of data.
• The growth of Google Analytics reaches a plateau, but a significant number of companies are considering upgrading to Google Analytics Premium.
• There has been no increase in the number of companies performing attribution and tracking customer journeys both online and offline.
• Companies are struggling to integrate business intelligence and web analytics tools as part of an integrated approach to decision making.
• A lack of budget and resources is the most commonly cited barrier to having an effective online measurement strategy.

Table of contents

1. About Econsultancy
2. About Lynchpin (research sponsor)
3. Executive Summary and Highlights
4. Foreword by Lynchpin
5. Methodology and Sample
6. Findings
1. Information requirements
1. Level of priority for information requirements
2. Business performance and measurement tools
1. Use of business performance tools
2. Use of business intelligence software
3. Measuring online reputation and social media activity
4. Use of web analytics vendors and products
5. Selecting an appropriate web analytics tool
6. Interaction with online measurement tools
7. Sharing online measurement data
3. Google Analytics
1. Use of Google Analytics
2. What is Google Analytics used for?
3. Frequency of Google Analytics usage (compared to other tool)
4. Reasons for using additional (non Google) analytics tools
5. Reasons for not using Google Analytics
6. Tools used for reporting or insight (Google or other vendor)
7. ROI from non-Google (other) analytics tool
8. Use of Google Analytics Premium
4. Resourcing and budget
1. Number of dedicated web analysts
2. Number of regular contractors
3. Days of outsourced analysis
4. Outsourced analytics functions
5. Web analytics resourcing (increase or decrease)
6. Web analyst tasks
7. Total web analytics spend
8. Breakdown of web analytics expenditure
9. Annual change in web analytics budget
10. Ownership of budget
5. Joined-up strategy and measurement
1. Company-wide strategy
2. Driving actionable recommendations from analytics
3. Percentage of useful data
4. Integration into broader business strategy
5. Integration of analytics with data from other sources
6. Analysing customer journeys that cross online and offline
7. Barriers preventing frameworks for analysing online and offline data
8. Attribution modelling
6. Barriers to success
1. Barriers preventing an effective online measurement strategy
2. Main frustrations involved in managing web analytics
7. Appendix
1. Respondent profiles
1. Company turnover
2. Business sector
3. Type of supply-side company
4. Geography

Download a copy of the report to learn more.

A free sample is available for those who want more detail about what is in the report.

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