Top 1500 Retail & E-Commerce Business Web Analytics Technology Adoption Report

Top 1500 Retail & E-Commerce Business Technology Adoption Report

Companies are always faced with a challenge when trying to identify the right software for their business objectives. With all the different functions companies are required to perform, it sometimes seems overwhelming when choosing from the exponentially growing list of options.

In this article, we look at technology adoption and platforms usage for Web Analytics, AB Testing, Content Optimization, Personalization, and Tag Management across the globe’s Top 1500 Retail and e-Commerce companies.

Source: Clientspectrum

Web Analytics

From our sample, we identified over 67 different solutions and tools used for conducting web analytics. Since we last performed this analysis, over one year ago, we observed that the ‘long-tail’ of company solutions in this domain has more than doubled.

We also discovered that most businesses in the retail and e-commerce industry use an average of 4 to 5 web analytic tools. Not to anyone’s surprise, Google Analytics stands on top of that list with an 88% adoption rate. With its high-level functionality and free-to-use model, Google Analytics makes it easy and practical for companies to adopt. Omniture stands at a far second, with 28% of the companies leveraging this platform.

As well, with an increased demand for trying to understand audiences, Tapad holds a 14% use rate. Typically, Tapad helps companies gain a better understanding of audience interest and behaviors. We identified other tools for this category, but none compared to the 14% adoption rate.

We also found around 350 companies who use tools to assist them when tracking actions on their platforms. Things like mouse movement, click rates, and website browsing path types are some of the significant indicators to study behavior. With that said, 23% of companies have adopted a tool just for this niche functionality. Moreover, 26% of the companies have a dedicated heatmap solution to help visualize all the actions on their pages.

AB Tests and Content Optimization

Every company wants to determine the best promotional and marketing strategies for their business and eventually streamline a path to success. Using AB Tests, Content Optimization, and Personalization software helps companies monitor, test, and make improvements as projects move forward.

We observed that 30% of the companies use a dedicated AB Testing/Content Optimization solution. A surprisingly small number in comparison to the web analytics tools, but still equates to approximately 450 companies out of our sample. We totaled 18 AB Testing/Content Optimization solutions; however, 87% of the sample uses one of the following five tools – Optimizely, Monetate, Visual Website Optimizer, Sitespect, and Qubit.

Tag Management

Companies typically use tag management solutions to simplify the deployment of their tools and platforms through their online properties or websites. We identified 12 dedicated tag management solutions across 1065 companies – 71% of the entire sample. Out of the 71% where we identified a dedicated Tag Management solution, 63% percent used one of the following systems: Google Tag Manager, Adobe Dynamic Tag Management, Tealium, Ensighten, and Adobe TagManager.

So, Which Software is Right for Us?

Our aim with this report was to educate our readers on the different software choices available on the market by looking at both platforms and adoption numbers. Truthfully, this is not a “one size fits all” situation for any industry or an individual company. However, it is safe to say that the retail and e-commerce industry stands as one of the leaders when it comes to marketing and advertising technology. The diversity of platforms and high adoption rates show that the retail and e-commerce industry is extremely sophisticated at building their marketing ecosystems. They set a benchmark when it comes to marketing technology ecosystems – something all marketers can appreciate.