How many visits result in conversion of the sale is first and foremost the metric web retailers demand from their analytics program.
But just measuring sales conversion rates may not be enough to give a retailer a full view of how customers are using the web to shop all channels, including stores and catalogs.
To gain a wider view, retailers may have to expand their analytics program to collect and measure other forms of customer shopping behavior, says Carrie Johnson, retail analyst with Forrester Research.
To gain a more accurate picture, Johnson says retailers should measure the conversion rate of shoppers who intend to buy and then make purchases across all channels.
This can be accomplished by expanding or adjusting an analytics program to better track the influence of the web site on store sales.
A prime example is using analytics to more closely track and measure an online incentive program where shoppers download coupons from the web site and later redeem them in the store.
Another suggestion is updating an analytics program with results from online surveys that reveal more about why customers left a site before making a sale.
“Retailers should measure multi-channel conversion metrics when possible,” Johnson says.
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