Web Analytics Tool Selection: 10 Questions to ask Vendors » Occam’s Razor by Avinash Kaushik > Web Analytics Blog
(tags: analytics webanalytics webbstatistik)

Web Analytics Tool Selection: Three Questions to ask Yourself » Occam’s Razor by Avinash Kaushik > Web Analytics Blog
(tags: analytics webanalytics webbstatistik)

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According to my information, Webtrends has some limitation. The Marketing warehouse, which I believe is the same as the Marketing Lab you are reffering to, is not the option to meet our needs. The reasons are as follow:

We have to use the SDC - that is tracking clients by the use of a java script embedded into each page of the site. Many clients turn off js for fear of the scripts including a virus. Those clients with js turned off would not be tracked in MWH.

Different data sources: To get information from two data sources ie comparing filtered vs non filtered logs, you would have to write a custom SQL script since this is not a setting you can turn on in MWH and hence forth have that data.

MWH seems to bring more reporting flexibility as a Marketing campaign analytic tool (qualified visitors which respond to campaigns) than as a general Web analytic tools. Only some information qualifies to go INTO the database. Most technical info is filtered out of the database to streamline the system. Which means that without client groups set up, MWH serves no purpose for us.

Cost & support: MWH is not a WebTrends add-on, but a separate system, it too has its own annual license and support costs (presumably also based on usage of the system).

Thanks,

Thierry

HBX also has a “report builder” where you can do some flexible reporting / extraction, especially for Excel purposes. Unica’s NetInsight solutions also provide flexibility in reporting anything by anything.

Other high end tools allow you more advanced custom reporting. Were you not able to do this with WebTrends Marketing Lab? I think you should totally be able to do it.

-Avinash.

Let me know, Thanks :0)

Thanks,

I just found out that two of the very best web analytics minds have new books coming out shortly: Avinash Kaushik and Jason Burby. This is great news for anyone with an interest in analytics or online marketing. Readers of……

Sorry for our late reply (I’m catching up my reading ;-)). Thanks for your post we also relly like your number 10 question. And I think that this question is way better than references ;-)

we would add a little question regarding their financial situation and warranties regarding the continuity of the product in the case of a merger or acquisition. We are living times of change in the Web analytics industry as the Instadia sale to Omniture has showned us recently.
Getting back to Instadia we wonder what their clients are actually thinking about their data. The data is currently in Europe and a migration towards Omniture tools would mean a data transfert to the United States. Are financial Scandinavian Institutions confortable about that?

I take this opportunity to call for support regarding a possible ‘privacy’ issue and thoughts about a possible possible petition for Omniture to install a data center in Europe who would fall under the European law (and not US). Does any one know womeone at the European Commission that might support such an initiative?

Avinash, I hope you’ll forgive our plug ;-)

A Rifkin convert couple (The European Dream
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-rULPjX8VM),

Aurélie & René
http://webanalytics.wordpress.com
http://www.ox2.be

With this rush of analytically minded visitors we’re seeing today based on the link from Avinash, I thought I’d take the opportunity to solicit some information. So you may have thought you were coming to read a blog, but I’d……

As targeting becomes more ingrained into marketing technologies this type of cross-platform sharing of data clusters will become essential.

As someone who is occasionally used as a reference by one vendor I’m always conscious of a feeling of some sense of responsibility which can make the process a bit restrained. Until we get on to the subject of the area in which they really excelled and then the (favourable) truth bubbles out, I think.

The other obvious thing to do is to search around and you’ll usually unearth users of a system posting about it. In one case (CRM not analytics) I came across some ex-colleagues who were using one of the systems on our short list. I gave them a call and learnt some very frightening details about what keeping it running smoothly involved…

Weird that the vendors should be moaning about your apparent ‘bias’ against them. Why would they expect you to swallow their Kool-Aid? Web analytics (or the industry, at least) is full of smoke and mirrors; the questions you pose here are a good tool at blowing some of the smoke away (although #10 does have a certain bowel-loosing quality about it).

I can say with honesty that when I worked for an enterprise WA vendor, there was always the list of ‘ugly little secrets’ that we hoped no potential clients would stray onto. For us, it was always performance, with support at #2.

Ian

My favorite in your list is the problem reporting one, you are absolutely right about the sense that will provide.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your comments.

-Avinash.

My favorites are #4-TCO, #8-Integration and #10-Judging relationship potential.

I agree with Melinda, I don’t sense any bias. In fact your name came up constantly in our recent vendor discussions and they were quite complementary about your blog.