Super Bowl 2019: Big Game Fuels Mobile Browsing

It’s the biggest televised sports event on the US calendar, but is the Super Bowl audience as rapt as we think it is? Do people really give the game their full attention, or is it business as usual in the world of digital retail? We analyzed 80,000 browsing sessions last Sunday to see whether the game had any impact on digital consumers behavior.

Unsurprisingly, we found that many people walked away from their computers to watch the game, with a noticeable dip in desktop traffic around 6pm. In fact, there was a significant 23% decrease in total desktop traffic between 6pm and 10pm from the previous Sunday. Desktop traffic spiked again at 9pm, and then decreased steadily the rest of the night.

Mobile traffic dipped slightly between 5pm and 6pm (-5%), and remained fairly constant until 11pm — a reminder that smartphones do not simply serve an audience ‘on the go,’ but are often a second screen for users who browse while watching television. Not surprisingly then, the remarkable number of Superbowl viewers led to a 9% increase in mobile traffic between 6.30pm and 7pm from the previous Sunday.

The mobile bounce rate rose 6% around 6pm, and then started falling until 10pm, when it rose again by 8%. The average number of page views was comparable to the previous Sunday on both desktop and mobile, and average session time stayed steady on mobile. The average desktop session, however, was 6% shorter than it was last Sunday.

Mobile visitors are seemingly willing to consume as much content as they usually would when browsing on their smartphone, showing the game is not getting in the way of window shopping. In fact, mobile conversions stayed fairly constant throughout the evening, with a couple of highs and lows. The biggest dip in mobile conversion rate from the previous Sunday happened around 7pm, when there was a 10% decrease to the average CVR. By 11pm, however, the conversion rate was up 22% from the previous Sunday.

In conclusion, watching the Super Bowl and window shopping are clearly not mutually exclusive, even though fewer game night journeys seem to end in conversions. Simplifying the purchasing journey, leading customers to product in fewer screens and taps, and streamlining the checkout process will help to shrink the number of abandoned journeys.

For more tips on how to optimize the digital experience for mobile users, read our Mobile Report.

8 Personal Touches You Can Add to Your Online Store That Customers Will Love

A guest post by Jake Rheude, Director of Marketing for Red Stag Fulfillment.

It’s a well-known fact that, when it comes to online shopping and advertising in general, people love to see who is behind a brand. We want to know that we’re interacting with and responding to real people, not just some ad machine or algorithm.

That’s even more important when it comes to spending our money in the mobile era, where we’ve got more people, apps, and ads fighting for our attention every second of the day.

You need to maximize the user experience and establish the connection that boosts sales. Thankfully, it is relatively easy to create familiarity and score some major points with a few simple efforts that include using the data you have, sharing photos of your staff, telling stories about your company and community, and many more customer service efforts.

We’ve got eight tips that you can start following right now, with items that focus on customers, customer service, and your company. A mix of elements and approaches is recommended to not only establish the relationship, but also to capitalize on it in a way that’s not overbearing or creepy.

1. Remember your customers’ names and preferences

This one is going to feel a little obvious but always start with customer names and information that you know. If you have accounts or rewards programs, give users the option to stay logged in for as long as possible.

A nice little greeting that says “Hi” and their name at the top of each page is the perfect way to strengthen your connection. It also makes customer service processes much easier because the user will be able to tell exactly where to click to get access to account information or support channels.

This practice is also useful for improving your email marketing. Remember, the user experience involves every touch point, not just your store’s websites.

It makes sense for Yelp to target a location, but its emails also rely on data about the places we’ve eaten at, left reviews for, or ordered from now that it also has a hand in GrubHub. This email was definitely speaking our language but didn’t feel overly promotional or intrusive because it’s the thing we want from them.

An interesting note about this for eCommerce stores is that Yelp based the email content on relevant information, without asking us beforehand. It timed this BBQ email with summer and recent eating habits that it collected, but never asked us to check off a BBQ box.

You likely are collecting a variety of data about your customers and their habits. Test multiple emails and campaigns to see how much of this information you can use to increase your connection and sales.

2. Ask about special occasions

Most eCommerce companies trade coupons and deals for a newsletter or account signup. While you want to limit the number of things you ask for right away (you don’t need an address or a phone number before someone places an order), consider asking for a customer’s birthday month and day.

This gives you a quick and easy chance to automate a coupon or special deal with a personal touch. It’s their special day, and you’re helping them celebrate — especially useful for that new product launch or big sale you’re planning.

If your products are associated with specific events, like weddings or anniversary gifts, you can ask about these too. You should also use the latest data to see how much outreach should be done via mobile for every customer, even luxury buyers.

One note about these options is that they shouldn’t be a mandatory part of the signup.

3. Consider omnichannel support

Personalization and personal connections mean reaching out to people in multiple ways.

You call your friends on the phone, share events on Facebook, like their photos on Instagram, and meet up in the real world for a variety of activities. Treat your company the same way.

Omnichannel support really means combining multiple avenues to deliver customer service, from social and chatbots to enabling email and telephone options. This means you’re always around and available, ready to help. You’re also providing customers with a way to reach you however they feel most comfortable with at that given moment.

4. Integrate your social channels

Social channels are amazing for eCommerce. They allow you to share your content and new products as well as provide direct customer service. Many now also support plugins and native eCommerce tools so you can sell directly from your social page or feed. Use these to target where your customers are.

Add social feeds to your website. Display tweets and Facebook posts to add credibility and give you an extra little boost when a new customer is looking at your site. They’ll get to see people praising you, coupon codes, or announcements about what’s new.

The more you facilitate and encourage interaction on your social channels, the more customers will feel like they’re interacting with a person, building that connection. Even in these social efforts, be sure your keywords match your goals.

5. Reach out if they need help

Sometimes people give up on a website when they’re confused, overwhelmed, or just uncertain. You know they arrived and were thinking about a purchase. Now, it’s time to find out why.

Re-targeting ads can help by showing these customers the same goods they were looking at to tip them over the edge into buying. However, there are much more active measures you can take as well.

One of our favorite examples for creating a personal experience when it comes to cart abandonment is Strolleria. The company gives customers a call if they leave something in the cart and don’t buy. They make about a dozen calls a day and most end in a voicemail, but they’ve told us that nearly one-third return to the cart and complete the purchase.

This might not work if you have large volumes of sales and carts — Strolleria focuses on high-cost goods — but it can be smart if you’re dealing with big ticket items or something that can confuse people.

Plus, customer service that goes above and beyond is a terrific way to land stellar reviews.

6. Showcase your brand and values

Another key part of creating a personal connection is to have content that features your company and your people. Customers want to connect with individuals more than with a faceless company. You get a stronger connection when you’re sharing your brand values if they align with your customers’.

Share the things you care about and consider framing them as items that your customers care about too.

Highlighting your values also allows you to showcase how you’re different, and the top services you offer. For us at Red Stag Fulfillment, it’s a terrific way to remind potential customers that we offer same-day order fulfillment for a majority of the country.

Sometimes, the right value statement on a product makes the difference for you securing a new sale or being the place people come back to on big events like Cyber Monday. Sharing your values is a best practice all year long, because you never know when people are going to think about what you offer. Birthdays, anniversaries, and other events happen every day. The holiday season makes it easy to remember these kinds of efforts, and we suggest you use that reminder to create a plan for every season.

7. Celebrate your people and events

What’s one of the biggest things that charity bike rides, music festivals, local raffles, and every major sporting event in the U.S. have in common? Sponsors. Companies know that if you see their name associated with something you love, then you’re more likely to associate them with that same loving feeling.

Prepping the warehouse for new products? Planning a pizza party or big lunch for the whole crew? Bringing in new staff or celebrating a birthday? Snap a few photos and put them up on your blog and Facebook page. Hosting a networking event? Highlight your employees who are there as well as members of the community. Or, showcase a talent that one of your staff has in a way that celebrates it.

Again, these are all actions designed to remind customers that you are real people with real hobbies and passions.

And, don’t forget to be a little silly about things:

8. Ask questions

People like other people who ask questions.

We all want to be interesting and want others to be interested in us. One of the best ways to get that feeling is to have someone ask us relevant questions that we want to answer. The key is asking questions in a way that engages customers and gets them talking about themselves, not your company.

So, this isn’t your “how many stars would you give us?” type of question.

Ask about what they need help with, where they’d like to go next, and what more they want. It’s such a successful tactic that even science backs it up as a great way to get someone to agree to a second date. Social science says we all just want to be liked. Make your customers feel liked, and you’re halfway to that repeat sale.

And remember, always make it look good on mobile.

How Brands Win Black Friday: Tips To Optimize Your Site For The Holiday Shopping Season Kickoff

Brace yourselves, Black Friday is coming. This infographic will break down three reasons why certain brands lead the pack during this period, and explore how three ContentSquare clients have harnessed the power of granular data to improve their site’s performance. See how they did it, and what tips you can follow to make sure you have the right tools to make the most of the holiday shopping season.

The winners of Black Friday will apply the lessons here year-round, maximizing their returns at every opportunity. Advanced technologies like UX analytics are crucial to empowering teams to work faster, smarter, and more efficiently. Are you ready to become a Black Friday winner?

For more insights and examples of how brands have leveraged behavioral analytics to optimize the customer journey and boost ROI, download our Black Friday report today.

What 62 Million User Sessions Reveal About Halloween Retail In 2018

Our data experts worked their sorcery on 62 million grocery shopping sessions over a three month period to better understand how consumers are browsing for Halloween retail products in 2018. Here are some of their fantastic findings:

#1 Shoppers fall under the Halloween retail spell in the first week of October

According to our data, shoppers go pumpkin-crazy the minute October rolls in. In fact, the likelihood of consumers reaching a page showcasing Halloween items goes up 552% from the previous week.

The magic keeps building in the lead-up to October 31st, with a 75% increase in the number of Halloween-themed pages reached from week one to two, and a further 23% increase between the second and third week of the month.

And the week one wizardry also extends to purchases, with the conversion rate on candy and ghoulish miscellany growing a supernatural 335% from the previous week. It seems the conversion spell wears off a little faster than the window shopping sorcery, however, as conversions don’t budge much over the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, grocery stores are more than catering to this Halloween frenzy, adding 833% more Halloween-themed pages to their platforms in the first week of October. New pages continue to trickle in as the holiday approaches, with 69% more Halloween-themed pages cropping up in the second week of the month.

And even though a month may seem like enough time to stock up on candy corn and fake blood, the data shows it’s never too early to start thinking about Halloween. In fact, the first Halloween-themed pages our analysts spotted were rather terrifyingly published the first week of August. And in the week of August 1-8, the number of new Halloween-themed pages went up a spooky 87%.

#2 Desktop shoppers browsing for Halloween stuff are 56% more likely to convert

So how actively are shoppers haunting these Halloween-themed pages? ContentSquare data shows that desktop visitors browsing for Halloween items will consume around 84% more pages than the average non-bounce shopper — that’s 22 pages versus 12. They also spend 64% more time trawling through products, and are 56% more likely to complete a purchase.

The statistics for smartphone shoppers are not quite as imposing. They view on average 44% more pages than mobile users who do not reach a Halloween-themed page — 10 pages versus 7. Their average session is 20% longer, and they are 17% more likely to convert.

Seems that despite the general enthusiasm for Halloween shopping, our fans of all things horror are left scared (and perhaps a little scarred) by mobile UX.

#3 Which country is winning at Halloween eCommerce?

One hair rising find from our research is that the US, where trick-or-treating is a national sport, has the lowest conversion rate on Halloween items (9.94%). In fact, only 0.97% of US-based grocery shoppers will reach a Halloween-themed page during their navigation.

Shoppers in Germany, however, can’t get enough of Halloween goodies, with 9.94% of users reaching Halloween-themed pages during their visit. In the UK, that figure drops to a grisly 3%.

UK-based consumers win the conversion rate competition, though, with a very healthy 25.52% conversion rate average on Halloween products.

#4 Halloween shoppers convert more on candy but spend more time checking out booze

So what is our global Halloween-crazy audience spending its money on? Unsurprisingly, the highest conversion rate goes to candy (32%), followed by alcohol and snacks for all those hellraising partygoers (22.3% conversion rate) and finally, the decor and costume category (21.06% conversion rate).

Despite having the lower conversion rate, Halloween costumes and home decor are the items that most pique consumers’ interest, judging by the higher reach rate on these items — 0.7% versus 0.55% for candy. People spend more time (42.2 seconds on average) looking at alcohol and snacks than any other Halloween party items. These items also have the highest scroll rate of the lot — 63% versus 60% for candy and 61% for decor/costumes. Decorations and costumes, however, have almost double the reach rate of party drinks and snacks — 0.7% versus 0.41%. Users are most active when browsing for trick or treating supplies, with an average 17.5% activity rate on pages featuring candy.

#5 Halloween shoppers do not necessarily spend more

The average cart for desktop buyers who reached Halloween items during their journey is $138 — 4.84% lower than the average cart of buyers who did not peruse special Halloween pages. And on mobile, the average cart for shoppers who viewed Halloween-themed pages at some point during navigation is $77 — 25.32% lower than the average cart of non-Halloween buyers.

Consumers are hungry for Halloween-themed shopping experiences, and brands are responding to this enthusiasm with a huge content push in the first week of October. While they may be in the market for ghost costumes and zombie masks, users are not interested in a spooky UX. Brands that can leverage behavioral data to understand their visitors’ buying goals and navigation patterns will be able to increase conversions across all devices, and get maximum ROI for their seasonal content.

ContentSquare Launches Augmented Reality Tool for Brands Seeking Instant Digital Customer Analytics

CS Live Allows Companies to Glean Instant Best Practices Insights in the Time it Takes to Browse Their Site

New York, N.Y. (September 26, 2018) – Continuing to provide marketers and brands with deeper analytics and insights into how and why online users do what they do, ContentSquare, a digital experience insights platform, today announced a new solution – CS Live – that delivers customer experience (CX) information in real-time with one click.

“Because digital is a mission critical channel today, we want to make sure that, for companies we support, key stakeholders can access customer experience insights as easily as they can walk into their brick and mortar stores, and observe where customers are going, which display they are looking at, where they hesitate, where they might experience frustration, etc. In particular, we believe senior executives needs to access this data directly, without needing to rely exclusively on expert analysts,” said Jonathan Cherki, CEO and Founder of ContentSquare. “Relying on a handful of experts is neither efficient nor scalable. Enterprises — many of which are overwhelmed with data — need to make their website optimization decisions based on insightful experience data that drives conversions instead of on their gut feeling.”

Now, by simply downloading ContentSquare’s CS Live browser plugin from the Chrome Web Store, users can browse their respective sites for instant CX analytics. With CS Live, entire teams can easily access customer experience insights, get answers to their CX and visitor engagement questions as quickly as it takes to browse their website, and complement their existing website testing strategies. From CEOs to analysts, internal teams can now benefit from advanced CX and visitor engagement analytics with no training required.

“CS Live helps GoPro immediately identify engagement metrics without having to load and sift through reporting data – this reduces time required for analysis and accelerates our decision making process,” said Eumir Nicasio, Head of Product, Digital & eCommerce of GoPro.

“Universally, web users have grown to have zero tolerance when it comes to searching for and receiving information online,” added Jonathan Cherki, CEO of ContentSquare. “CS Live is a practical solution for brands seeking immediate feedback – like Amazon one click buying or Uber one click taxi – on how customers are utilizing their sites. We refer to it as AR analytics because it augments your site with actionable behavioral metrics that can be understood and shared across teams, enabling a true democratization of data. It’s a bit like having a real-time performance review with your website. CS Live has an array of use cases, from a conversion manager needing answers as to how her visitors are engaging with a new checkout process to an ecommerce manager inquiring about which piece of content has generated the most revenue on his company’s site, even in a particular region like France, that month.”

CS Live can be used to perform side-by-side site comparisons and discover how a brand’s A/B test strategy drives customer engagement. It can also be used to analyze dynamic content and influence content marketing strategies. Allowing for deeper insights, CS Live can also easily attribute customer experience KPIs from engagement to return on investment (ROI) for all active content elements. Further, it does not require a tagging plan, and is compatible with ContentSquare’s zone-based heat maps to compare and contrast content performance regardless of where the content is placed on the site or what device was used to view or access it.

ContentSquare is a digital experience insights platform that helps businesses understand how and why users are interacting with their app, mobile and web sites. They compute billions of touch and mouse movements and transform this knowledge into profitable actions that increase engagement, reduce operational costs and maximize conversion rates. Using behavioral data, artificial intelligence and big data to provide automatic recommendations, ContentSquare empowers every member of the digital team to easily measure the impact of their actions and make fast and productive data-driven decisions to optimize the customer journey. ContentSquare offers its services to a range of companies including Walmart, L’Oréal, Tiffany’s, Clarks and Unilever.

For more information about ContentSquare, please visit: contentsquare.com

About ContentSquare
ContentSquare is a digital experience insights platform that helps businesses understand how and why users are interacting with their app, mobile and web sites. We compute billions of touch and mouse movements, and transform this knowledge into profitable actions that increase engagement, reduce operational costs and maximize conversion rates.

Using behavioral data, artificial intelligence and big data to provide automatic recommendations to marketers, ContentSquare empowers every member of the digital team to easily measure the impact of their actions, and make fast and productive data-driven decisions to optimize the customer journey.
Learn more at contentsquare.com.

Contact
Jason Heller
(212) 584-4278
contentsquare@5wpr.com

Contentsquare Unveils Immersive Analytics Plugin For CX Insights

As part of its mission to revolutionize digital team workflow with easy-to-read, easy-to-leverage insights into digital user behavior, ContentSquare has launched CS Live — a new browser plugin that gives clients immediate access to all the performance metrics they need to create engaging and gainful experiences.


In just one click, ContentSquare clients can now display CX KPIs such as revenue per click, hesitation time or click rate directly onto their own site, mobile site or app. “It’s a bit like having a real-time performance review with your website,” says Jonathan Cherki, CEO and Founder of ContentSquare.

“It’s a bit like having a real-time performance review with your website.”

The game-changer here is that CS Live allows you to measure the performance of your platform without ever having to leave your site. No need to close one window in order to log into a dashboard — simply activating the plugin overlays engagement and attractiveness metrics directly onto each content element of a site.

 

Transforming the Way People Work


Removing the need for a dashboard brings brands closer than ever to the reality of customers, allowing them to both visualize and measure their UX in the same browser window. With CS Live, digital teams can be in direct conversation with their website to find out about their users’ end goals, preferences and struggles.


By visualizing the experience they think users are having side by side with the reality of digital journeys, teams are better equipped to bridge the experience gap fast and effectively. In the same way, they can immediately visualize ROI hotspots and locate the main drivers of engagement on their platforms.


In short, the plugin makes an easy-to-use digital experience insights platform even simpler. Some ContentSquare clients are already enjoying the speed and efficiency of one-click analytics, and have reported a positive impact on their workflow.


“CS Live helps GoPro immediately identify engagement metrics without having to load and sift through reporting data – this reduces time required for analysis and accelerates our decision making process,” said Eumir Nicasio, Head of Product, Digital & eCommerce of GoPro.

“CS Live helps GoPro immediately identify engagement metrics without having to load and sift through reporting data – this reduces time required for analysis and accelerates our decision making process.”


“When you’re in the middle of a meeting and the CEO asks you what is the content that generates the most revenue or across different markets or potentially the highest-performing filters, you’re able to answer that question in a manner of a few clicks,” says Niya Noneva, Digital Analytics Manager at Feelunique, Europe’s largest only beauty retailer.


And because it’s so intuitive, CS Live can be used by anyone on the team, without the need for training. And with zero barriers to use, brands will see daily adoption in no time. One of the key pillars of the ContentSquare solution is to put the data directly into the hands of those who need it. With this new plugin, digital teams can enjoy the same standards of convenience as the consumers they develop experiences for.

 

How It Works


CS Live uses ContentSquare’s Auto-Zone technology to automatically scan a site, isolating each element of content — including non-clickable elements — and removing the need for customized tagging. The Zone Based-Analytics functionality flags which in-page elements are driving conversion, and which are are causing friction along the customer journey.


The new plugin lets teams query data for specific segments, over a specific time period, and on any device — a real time-saver when it comes to side-by-side comparison of customer engagement drivers. It also adds an invaluable layer of insight to a brand’s testing strategy. And because ContentSquare captures all the data, all the time, teams can go back in time and quiz their site about past performance.


CS Live is available now to ContentSquare clients, and can be downloaded from the Chrome Web Store. Get in touch with us if you’d like to see it in action on your site!

 

Good UX Is Always In Fashion: Two Influencers Share Their Pet Digital Peeve
With fashion week upon us once again, brands are focused on pushing the latest trends, and keeping their digital audience engaged around the season’s must-have looks and accessories.

And it’s not only styles that are changing fast and furiously — throughout the past decade, the fashion sector has experienced a great deal of transformation. Digital innovation, the rise of social media, and the emergence of new standards for customer experience have all impacted digital buying behavior.

We reached out to two experts in all things fashion to hear their thoughts on how brands can make their mark and stay ahead in this rapidly-changing industry.

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Photo: Gitta Banko, Blondwalk

GOOD UX VERSUS BAD UX

In this age of instant choice, where consumers have access to hundreds of competing stores right at their fingertips, digital convenience and hassle-free shopping have become a key factor of brand loyalty. If you have a winning product but a terrible digital experience, you’ll still lose customers.

Gitta Banko, a stylist, fashion blogger and digital influencer who showcases the latest styles on her sartorial diary Blondwalk, agrees that the customer experience is make or break. “The worst online shopping experience, even if I love the clothing, is when the site is not working properly,” says Gitta.

Long load times, broken links, lack of information — today’s consumers have a very low tolerance for any friction along the digital journey. If even one part of the digital journey seems confusing or difficult, it only takes a few seconds to switch to a competing brand.

Today’s consumers have a very low tolerance for any friction along the digital journey.

For Gitta, navigation turns problematic when “the images load too slowly, or it (the site) keeps showing errors.” Frustrating delays in-site will not endear you to customers – particularly when shoppers are flicking through multiple product images or viewing inspirational content. In fact, ContentSquare data shows that digital shoppers make their minds up very quickly, with 40% of e-Commerce buyers converting on the first visit.

An intuitive path through the site is also a must-have. “What I feel is also annoying is when the page navigation is not well done, meaning it redirects me to the landing page when I have already clicked my way through product page 16,” explains Gitta. Imagine walking through a museum — you want to walk from one section to another seamlessly without having to go back to the main lobby to ask for directions. The same goes for shopping online.

Shipping is also a key component of the customer experience. Like many fashion fanatics, blogger Jessica Windle, who shares style pics and stories on Jeans & a Teacup, is always on the market for a good deal on delivery and some sort of promotion.

“If shipping is too expensive or the return process is difficult, I won’t go through with a purchase,” says Jessica. “I like a deal, too, so sometimes I won’t go through with a purchase if an item isn’t on sale or I can’t find a discount code.” Indeed, ContentSquare found that 28% of shoppers abandon their carts due to unexpected shipping costs. Making shipping costs and discount codes known at the start of the customer journey can make all the difference between a conversion and a bounce.

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Photo: Jessica Windle, Jeans & a Teacup

MOBILE FIRST — A TREND THAT’S HERE TO STAY

As more and more retail traffic shifts to smartphone (49.1% versus 38.2% desktop), fashion brands are allocating a bigger chunk of their marketing budget to connecting with their mobile customers. “A smartphone is great if you need to make an emergency purchase while you’re out,” says Jessica.

But while today’s fashionistas may be glued to their phones, ContentSquare data shows that a majority still switch to desktop to go through with purchases — 2.33% CVR on desktop versus 1.16% on mobile. “I like to browse on my smartphone but I usually end up purchasing from my laptop at home”, confirms Jessica, citing poor internet connection as one of the hurdles to mobile conversion. She also flags sites that “mobile-friendly” as a major frustration.

Gitta confirms the need for a mobile-first design when shopping on her smartphone. “If I use my mobile device I prefer using apps if the shops offer them, as they are better to handle than desktop versions on mobile devices.” She describes her pet mobile UX peeve as “pop-ups that are hard to close.”

Confirming that mobile users have little patience for anything less than a seamless journey are the higher bounce rate and cart abandonment rate on handheld devices. ContentSquare data shows that for fashion e-Commerce sites, the mobile bounce rate is 41.4%, compared to 33% on desktop. “I usually use my laptop for online shopping as I can see everything better on there,” notes Gitta.

ContentSquare data shows that for fashion e-Commerce sites, the mobile bounce rate is 41.4%, compared to 33% on desktop.

Brands that can crack the formula of inspiring on a small screen will be able to tap into this eager audience. And fashion lovers have very specific needs when it comes to information. For Jessica, that’s “great photos of the product and a detailed sizing chart so I know exactly how an item will fit.” Gitta says “the entire design” as well as the site’s “pictoral language” are crucial to her experience.

Understanding what matters to users is key to delivering the experiences that can help them meet their digital goals. AI-driven analytics can help brands decipher consumer expectations and needs, and keep pace in the world of fast fashion, ensuring all those runway looks get the digital attention they deserve.

See you in the front row!

Read our Little Black Book of Luxury

Helping Brands Measure the Value of their Digital Experience Investments

ContentSquare CEO Jonathan Cherki answers burning questions about digital experience and customer journey optimization. Follow this series.

Last week, ContentSquare was at Adobe Summit in Las Vegas, meeting digital leaders and digital experience teams from all over the world. One of the questions I got asked a lot during the event was, “How do I know which type of content to invest in?”

A change to the User Experience (UX) only becomes an improvement once it evidences a positive impact. That’s why having the ability to measure the performance of digital investments is invaluable to brands wishing to see a healthy ROI for their digital assets. Brands need strong data attribution models so they can react fast and confidently to their customers’ needs and usage patterns.

A change to the User Experience (UX) only becomes an improvement once it evidences a positive impact. That’s why having the ability to measure the performance of digital investments is invaluable to brands wishing to see a healthy ROI for their digital assets. Brands need strong data attribution models so they can react fast and confidently to their customers’ needs and usage patterns.

REVEALING HIDDEN DIGITAL EXPERIENCE OPPORTUNITIES

One of the motivators for starting ContentSquare in 2012 was the realization that many companies developing sites had no idea what was happening online. Their website was like a black box that no one could open, full of information about the digital behavior of customers and prospects.

This challenge is one of the things that got me interested in analytics in the first place—making obvious what was hidden until now to help brands distribute time and resources in the most productive way.

In the luxury industry, for example, brands have vast budgets to develop inspirational content with extremely high production values. But how do they know whether this content or campaign is working for them and driving business?

Being able to attribute revenue to content at an elemental level – seeing not just which page, but which individual pieces of in-page content encourage conversion, and which are obstacles in the navigation – is key to identifying where your UX budget is best spent. Whether that’s a menu item, CTA button, thumbnail image, video, etc. – getting an accurate measure of content value allows teams to focus on prioritizing and validating optimizations, and invest in the areas of highest impact.

DEMOCRATIZING THE REVENUE ATTRIBUTION PROCESS

Furthermore, a clear, shareable attribution model has the power to change brands’ digital marketing culture by empowering even non-analysts to measure their contribution to a company’s digital revenue goals. The ability to pinpoint where and why you lost visitors helps you determine where you should invest efforts and resources to get the highest ROI. It’s also more efficient to A/B test when you can tell not just which test but what element, in a variant, led to better results.

A CLEAR, SHAREABLE ATTRIBUTION MODEL HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE BRANDS’ DIGITAL MARKETING CULTURE.

Analytics have come a long way in recent years, and today, marketers know that understanding the expectations and behavior of digital consumers is the backbone of a good online experience. In the same way, understanding the needs and challenges of brands with online assets is vital to developing a good digital insights platform.

Certainly for us, improving our product would not be possible without listening to the people who use it day-to-day. We want the solution to keep growing with your goals, which is why we put brands at the heart of our research and development strategy. When we develop new features and capabilities for our product, it’s in direct response to the feedback and questions of those who want to leverage big data into a better connection with their customers.

So – keep those questions coming—email us at askmeanything@contentsquare.com—keep talking to us, and we will listen and work to solve the issues most important to you.