Future Trends for Web Analytics in China

In China and worldwide, "social media analytics" receive a ridiculous amount of attention, while people are not even able to deal with their "traditional" online channels. So which is more important?

Together with Baidu and other partners, we talked in-depth on web analytics with tens of companies, including innovative MNCs, family businesses that have gone public, as well as traditional SMEs, in a province in southeastern China. Understanding and expectation on web analytics from those clients did impress us, and we really gave much thought on future trends of web analytics development in the country.

China is a large country with typical disequilibrium of development. Professionals working at CBD in Beijing or Shanghai process data mining models, while some marketers still deal with tens of millions dollars businesses using spreadsheets. Web analytics firms have to use their methodology based on automated tools or hands-on services to solve clients’ problems, take care of their cross businesses, and guide them to set boundaries for web analytics.

1. Routine data and reporting is good, but clients need insights to actually solve their problems.

As new comers to the world of web analytics, marketers in China are still obsessing about shining key performance indicators (KPI) dashboards, complicated technical implementations, and abundant data reports. Even worldwide, the industry also complains about how no one takes action on any data or routine reporting provided by web analytics tools. We need to embrace business centric structured approaches, such as attribution models, and finally, to choose testing and optimization as a way of life.

The good news is marketers in China are getting more and more innovative and with enough budget for trial and error. Here is one of the best practices we served clients: standardized reporting in the first year, systematic training on in-house marketers and other related 4A agencies in the second, and monthly analysis on certain tasks of actual digital problems during the last final years.

2. When client’s business is integrated, web analytics need to be cross channels, cross platforms, and cross devices.

Bubbling and de-bubbling of China’s online B2C shows online and offline becoming more and more entangled in business nature. The best business and marketing strategies will be those that can take advantage of this integration between different channels, platforms and devices, along with customers that switch between online and offline. Clients will naturally search for such solutions, while web analytics find itself on the path to convergence to provide a more complete intelligence.

Mobile is recognized as one of the important touch points among customer relationship management category, and these applications will be enrolled into Web analytics solutions as a must-to-arm component. It’s the same, even with more general group of end users; just where they come to you, whether on a mobile phone, a tablet, or at the desktop, is different.

3. Analysts should help and guide clients to set boundaries for analytics activities.

In recent months, in China and worldwide, “social media” or “social media analytics” receive ridiculous amount of attention, while people are not even able to deal with their “traditional” online channels, such as websites/mini sites or search engine. Tens of thousands of followers on Sina Weibo, Renren.com, or satisfied and profitable customers from paid search and organic traffic, which is more important?

Stop trying to do everything and put first things first, that’s the truth dealing with our web analytics activities in the year 2012, and other digital things as well.

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Whitepapers

US Mobile Streaming Behavior
Whitepaper | Mobile

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

5y

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

Streaming has become a staple of US media-viewing habits. Streaming video, however, still comes with a variety of pesky frustrations that viewers are ...

View resource
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups
Whitepaper | Analyzing Customer Data

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups

5y

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics f...

Data is the lifeblood of so many companies today. You need more of it, all of which at higher quality, and all the meanwhile being compliant with data...

View resource
Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its people
Whitepaper | Digital Marketing

Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its peopl...

2y

Learning to win the talent war: how digital market...

This report documents the findings of a Fireside chat held by ClickZ in the first quarter of 2022. It provides expert insight on how companies can ret...

View resource
Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy
Report | Digital Transformation

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy

1m

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Exp...

Customers decide fast, influenced by only 2.5 touchpoints – globally! Make sure your brand shines in those critical moments. Read More...

View resource