IBM Coremetrics Benchmark™ Black Friday Report
Now Available |
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| A new report from IBM Coremetrics Benchmark illustrates key economic trends across the industry related to e-commerce activities on Black Friday 2008. Overall the industry report reveals sharp decreases in e-commerce key performance indicators in the U.S. Retail vertical between Black Friday of 2008 and Black Friday of 2007. Most troubling of these downward trends are sessions that included visitors browsing products and sessions where buyers completed their orders–each were down by about 2 percent. However, the report also exposed positive trends in shopping basket sessions (up by 0.5 percent), average items per order (up 2.5 percent) and onsite search sessions (up 5 percent). |
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| Examining the sub-vertical level below retail illustrated additional bright spots, with the most positive being the Department Stores and the Gifts sub-verticals. The Department Store sub-vertical saw a 12 percent increase in order sessions, 30 percent increase in average items per order, and 10 percent increases in average order value and in shopping basket conversion rate. The Gifts sub-vertical registered an increase in the percentage of shopping basket and order sessions, as well as an up tick in transaction measurements. The average number of items per order, average order value, and new visitor conversion rate went up between 1 percent and 6 percent. Additional information insight about Black Friday can be found in the complete report, located here. |
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| IBM Coremetrics Benchmark offers a rich set of industry and peer data to customers of IBM Coremetrics. We currently offer a complete industry view of the retail market and associated sub-vertical markets. We are also rapidly expanding to offer similar insight into additional verticals. To view the monthly retail benchmarking data on our website, click here. |
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Businesses Turn to Analytics to Weather
Economic Down Times |
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| In today’s economy, it is more critical than ever before to know precisely how your marketing budget is performing. Jupiter Research analyst John Lovett recently blogged: |
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“I do believe that the accountability that Web Analytics brings to Marketing is irrefutable. My clients that currently use analytics are stating that they’re getting more responsibilities and attention from the upper ranks of their organisations. While new dollars may not be flowing into these analytics teams, they are relatively intact and viewed as important sources of information regarding performance of online initiatives.” |
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| Businesses in all industries are using analytics to measure the effectiveness of their online initiatives and to ensure that the budget is spent in the best possible fashion. To learn how to make the best decision about where to invest your marketing resources, read our Measuring Marketing Effectiveness in 3D white paper. |
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| Download white paper >> |
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| Seton Hall Leverages IBM Coremetrics for Better Allocation of Marketing Spend |
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| While all online businesses focus on conversion cycles, the recruitment cycle for higher education institutions is especially long and complex, ranging from 18 to 36 months. Seton Hall University wanted to understand how each of their acquisition channels, including web site promotions, affiliates, paid and natural search, email, direct mail and college fairs were impacting new leads and resulting in enrolled students. |
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| Seton Hall uses IBM Coremetrics’ flexible attribution management system to capture complete, precise behavioural data to make informed decisions on how to best invest their marketing budget. For example, the university ran two cases to compare registrations by students who had received direct mail as well as digital promotion to those who only received the digital promotions. Although direct mail is costly, registrations from the group who received both was 376 percent compared to 76 percent for the digital-only promotion. The huge impact that direct mail played in driving registrations made it clear that the investment was worthwhile. To learn more about how Seton Hall is using IBM Coremetrics attribution management to allocate their marketing spend, download the case study. |
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| Download the case study >> |
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| Over 100 Attendees Gather at Inaugural European Client Summit |
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| IBM Coremetrics welcomed over 100 clients and partners from across EMEA to the inaugural IBM Coremetrics European Client Summit in London on 14-15 October 2008. The two-day event began with IBM Coremetrics University, followed by a series of visionary presentations from IBM Coremetrics executives and guest speakers. Among the highlights was Eric Peterson, CEO and Principal Consultant, Web Analytics Demystified, whose presentation “Competing on Web Analytics” outlined how people, process, and technology should be leveraged to create a competitive advantage. Clients such as Boden, El Corte Ingles, Lipsy and Wehkamp shared their success stories and lessons learned in digital marketing. |
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| “IBM Coremetrics has done a great job in getting their most advanced customers to share their achievements,” said Christophe Loyce, European eBusiness Analyst at Epson Europe. “As a new customer myself, I found the Summit inspirational, while close to the day-to-day reality of Web Analytics. It was really useful in understanding how to drive change in your own company.” |
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