Potential buyers make offers for analytics provider Visual Sciences

Visual Sciences Inc., which provides technology that analyzes data from web sites and other channels, says it has hired investment bank Goldman, Sachs and Co. to evaluate “a number” of unsolicited offers to buy the company.

“We’ve asked Goldman to lead a quick and orderly assessment of the best way to maximize shareholder value,” says Jim MacIntyre, CEO of the San Diego-based company formerly known as WebSideStory Inc.

Visual Sciences also released preliminary estimates of second-quarter revenue of between $19.5 million and $19.8 million. That would represent growth over Q2 2006 revenue of $15.2 million but fall short of the company’s previous projection of revenue of $21.3 million to $21.9 million.

In a call with analysts, MacIntyre called the second quarter disappointing and attributed the revenue shortfall in part to substantial turnover in the sales force, particularly those selling to larger, enterprise-class clients. He said a quarter of the company’s 44-person sales force had joined the company in the past six months and half in the past year.

But MacIntyre said he remains optimistic about the company’s prospects, particularly in selling its analytic tools to larger customers. “Given the large market opportunity for enterprise-class, real-time analytics solutions, we continue to be very focused on this large and growing market,” he said.

Visual Sciences’ technology analyzes data from such channels as web sites, point of sale, kiosks and contact centers. Its retail clients include Macy’s, AutoZone and Best Buy.