Comments on: Walking a Fine Line With Web Analytics Data

By: Jordan Lane

Jordan Lane — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:25:35 +0000

Thanks for the reply Jason. Yes, it does seem that the shotgun approach was utilized in this case. A more targeted segment would have been better if that data was available.

By: Jason Rushin

Jason Rushin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:45:52 +0000

I don’t agree with your first takeaway. I think that companies should go deeper into browser behaviors to get an even more accurate segment to which to market. In your example, the email list Amazon used was obviously not targeted enough. They probably just looked at visitors who browsed any meat category page just one time. However, if they would have gone deeper into the data to segment visitors who looked at multiple meat category pages, did so multiple times in the past 30 days, and added a meat item to their cart, then the relevance to the recipients would have been much higher (and conversions would have been much higher), and you wouldn’t have made the list at all.

Deep behavioral analysis is the best way to differentiate “interested” from “casual browser.” Web analytics isn’t enough, and usually results in your scenario. Since there’s limited data and limited ability to slice and dice it, companies are forced into taking the shotgun approach and hoping that their 10,000 emails hit a few hundred actual targets.

Jason Rushin
Quantivo

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:30:13 +0000

I think you make a good point that products browsed on a site are often better used as content that compliments a more generic main message, such as cooking in your example. Whereas the main message in the email you received was about a specific type of cookbook. However, in testing many types of programs using web behavior, typically the larger portion of targeted customers were browsing items that they were interested in versus products they reach by accident.

By: May Tessach

May Tessach — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:45:24 +0000

There’s also the risk that the friend of a PETA activist could have borrowed their computer and triggered the e-mail, unwittingly precipitating a cyber-jihad against amazon.com. Assuming there isn’t one already ongoing.

By: Ben Alschuler

Ben Alschuler — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:28:56 +0000

I think the stalker concern is a valid one, but what ruffles people’s feathers the most is when they feel a label has been misapplied to them. It’s always jarring to see how other people perceive us, no matter what the context.