Dell is no stranger to the web analytics. Since the inception of dell.com in 1996, we have been collecting and analyzing dell.com Web traffic data. And since 2003, we’ve used a global internal IT system to continuously improve the user experience and drive online sales.
But yesterday marked an important milestone in our web analytics history and probably my career as well. We finally implemented Omniture Sitecatalyst across business segments and units. This is significant for several reasons:
- Democratization of online data – By getting more information about what’s happening on our site into the hands of more talented Dell marketers, we will generate more awareness, discussion and insight about what’s working and what’s not working on the site.
- Increase in number of testing ideas – Testing is one of the most powerful tools we have for tuning the site based on customer behavior. With easier access to information about what customers are doing on the site, we expect more testing hypotheses to be generated that will flow into the MVT testing roadmaps in various segments around the world.
- Global Metrics Standardization – Over the years, different segments around the world have created their own reporting silo’s and metrics, making it almost impossible to compare performance around the world. With the release of Omniture SiteCatalyst, we are standardizing web metrics globally for Dell. Being able to compare apples to apples around the world will help us extend best practices around the world and measure impact of changes globally.
So personally I am excited. But I am also aware that Sitecatalyst is no panacea no matter how good it is. I am a firm believer of Avinash’s trinity strategy and I think we are far away from integrating clickstream, outcomes and experiences data together to drive holistic, insightful and actionable recommendations. But I feel that we are on the right direction and I am proud to be a member of this movement in the company.
