PUMA Uses Google Analytics to Kick Up Orders

Web analytics, as we know it, is part of every digital marketer’s arsenal of tools. If it’s not, then s/he is not a real digital marketer. Companies are investing more resources – both human and technological – to get actionable information from web data.

According to eConsultancy, roughly 48 percent of companies who responded to the Online Measurement and Strategy Report 2010 are planning to increase the number of employees they have dedicated to web data analysis ("Companies spending more," 2010).

What’s even more assuring is that “87% of companies surveyed are using Google Analytics for online measurement. Of these firms, 38% are now using this tool exclusively, while 49% are using it alongside along with another measurement tool” ("Companies spending more," 2010).

That said, I thought it would prove useful to review how a big name brand leverages Google Analytics (GA) for its insight. Thankfully, Google provides a repository of case studies on some of the biggest name brands on the market.

PUMA Integrates Google Analytics, Increases Order Rate by 7 Percent

According to the Puma case study provided by Google, the brand’s goals were simply (Puma kicks up, 2011):

• Gain insights into content and product popularity to drive strategy
• Understand which content is engaging customers and contributing to sales within each region
• Improve conversion and customer experience online by optimizing the web site

Puma’s primary challenge was to keep up with an evolving market just as fast as its products are evolving across various product categories. Its global reach also presented a challenge since engagement varies depending on the geographic region. In other words, they want to keep a unified and distinct web presence no matter what part of the world visitors are viewing the website from, or what product categories visitors are interested in (i.e., PUMA Running, Golf, Football).

PUMA Overcomes Challenges With Google Analytics, Viget

It doesn’t take long for brands as big as PUMA to make a change and see results. With the help of Viget, an agency that develops digital products, they created the right formula for success.

Through Custom Variables in GA, which segmented visitors based on test variations, PUMA compared “how each test variation affected visitor ability to complete a variety of goals and the micro-conversions along the way”. 

But the web analysis didn’t stop there. The brand used profiles and filters to create a 360-degree picture of PUMA.com as well as separate, targeted views of each category site. To gather further insight into the behaviors visitors were having with the site, PUMA developed Event Tracking to measure interactions with dynamic page elements (i.e., social sharing widgets, search boxes, multimedia) and Advanced Segments to track how visitors from various regions interact with the PUMA site.

Making Something Out of Web Metrics

The data digital marketers gather is only useful when put into use. Through testing various website elements, a variation was found that “increased online orders by 7.1 percent”, according to the case study. When coupled with other insights from GA that led to changes to the website, the results have led to more than twice the amount of time visitors spend interacting with PUMA brand content (news, videos, images, etc.). PUMA has also experienced “47% more traffic from growing regions such as China and India.”

What About Social Media Metrics?

Every marketer faces a challenging question on a daily basis: What else can I do? In truth, there’s always something. Without knowing the full details of what other tools and metrics Viget provided PUMA with, I recommend applying a variety of social media monitoring tools that can be coupled with its current website analytics monitoring efforts. 

I will be the first to say that I love it when Google comes up with new tools to track even more aspects of the behavior between a website and its audience. The following is a slew of features Google has given us, known as Social Interaction Analytics, which can be found on GA.

• Tracking Social Actions: Through the use of simple code, every social action (likes, tweets, shares, pins, +1, etc.) can be tracked in order to measure and compare what social actions PUMA’s audience prefers, as well as which pages receives the most social actions.
• Monetizing Social Actions: Of course, every brand wants to see the “ROI of social media”. GA provides conversion reports that enable social media marketing accountability. In other words, the report shows conversion rates and monetary value of conversions that occurred due to visits from social networks.
• Knowing Which Social Networks Provides High-Quality Traffic: Inclusive of the aforementioned are other components of tracking social with GA.  is the ability to see the number of social platforms refer the highest quality traffic to the brand’s website. GA has broken down social into its own referral traffic source, thereby giving digital marketers the ability to: see which networks send traffic; visualize visitor flow from social networks through the site; and identify which content is popular
• How Social Media Affects Conversions: The power of social media lies in its ability to influence a conversion. Google’s Assisted Conversions and Assisted Conversion Value track sales and conversions where the social network assisted. In other words, you can see when someone visits your site, leaves without converting, and then returns later to convert.  

 

But What is Social Media Saying About Us?

While every effort to measure online activities – both within a website and around its brand in social media – is important, we can’t forget about how the general public views the brand. 

Social Media monitoring is an important part of every digital marketer. If a brand’s general influence is low or negative, then no amount of advertising will help gain business. Platforms like Radian6 or Sysomos measure a brand’s online health and position against its competitors.

These listening tools measure how people engage with one another when mentioning your brand, your competitors and/or your industry. With this information, brands can paint a clear picture of what their audience looks like, what they’re saying about you and more importantly, how you can tailor your integrated marketing efforts.

References:

Companies spending more on web analytics: survey. (2010, June 09). Retrieved from http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/6045-companies-spending-more-on-web-analytics-survey

(2011). Puma kicks up order rate 7% with insights from google analytics and viget. Google Analytics. DOI: PUMA Kicks Up Order Rate 7% with Insights from Google Analytics and Viget

Using google analytics social reports to measure your website content and engagement in google [Web log message]. (2012, April 23). Retrieved from http://analytics.blogspot.com/2012/04/using-google-analytics-social-reports.html