Web Analytics Tips for E-Commerce Success

More online deals, better shopping carts, new payment solutions, mobile apps, upgraded smartphones, and tablet computers have all created new ways for retailers to serve online customers. 

The key to deciding what works best on your e-commerce site is to first verify some basic analytic details to ensure your marketing channels are optimized to help customers complete the sale. These tips can help your small business become a competitor in the fiercely competitive e-commerce landscape:

• Shopping carts: Select shopping carts that permit adding an analytics tag to the receipt page. This logs what shoppers are clicking on. Analyzing this clickstream can help you investigate how shoppers go through the purchase process. For instance, you might find that a shopper did not complete a purchase because of page loading problems.
• Search engine optimization: Make product Web pages discoverable through SEO and social media tactics. Make sure that Web page titles include relevant keywords. Use SEO identification basics, such as tags, page title, and page name to highlight products. Consider adding social media share buttons, such as Google +1 and Facebook Like buttons. Finally, make sure the sitemap reflects the layout of your Web pages.
• Analytic code: Anticipate customer maneuvers on your site and offer product details. If you are unfamiliar with Web code language, ask a Web analyst with coding experience or a Web developer to help insert analytic code. This will capture the right measurements as shoppers navigate from your e-commerce site to your shopping cart. For instance, some analytics modifications can gather total transaction information such as SKU, price, and item number and provide e-commerce breakouts based on the transaction information.
• Goals, funnel analysis, and heat maps: Discover general customer preferences on your site. Visitors may navigate your site in a different way than you intend. Set goal pages based on where you expect your visitors to navigate, then review your funnel analysis reports to see where visitors are exiting and whether it makes sense. Heat maps are helpful in determining better placement for products by indicating what sections of a Web page generally draw visitors' line of sight.
• Mobile monitoring: Monitor how closely mobile visits are occurring on your site. An increase in mobile visits may mean an opportunity for offering specific deals, implementing Quick Response codes (which are special barcodes in ads that lead mobile users to your site, also known as "QR" codes), or using location-based services for special check-in deals. These make use of the geographical position of the user's mobile device.
• Landing pages: E-commerce sites typically contain many products on a page. Linking your pay-per-click ads, banner ads, or QR codes to a landing page can keep visitors from becoming too overwhelmed and leaving your site. The page can contain a "learn more" button or some other call to action to bring visitors to your product page or other information.