Online retailers need better analytics

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The young and old have very different attitudes towards online shopping, which UK retailers must understand before they can market their wares successfully on the web and via email.

Research conducted by

You Gov for digital marketing technology provider

Coremetrics has revealed that 77 per cent of 18-24 year olds view price as their top priority, while almost double the number of over 55s said their decision was brand related.

"I think it's quite surprising that the over 55s are prepared to pay a premium and younger people are prepared to sacrifice a brand at a price," said Richard Sheppard, vice president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Coremetrics. "This is just one of the many things that retailers must understand."

The research concluded that in order to keep up with the competition, retailers need to use web analytics tools that can build a profile of individual users, allowing them to personalise and tailor each customer's online shopping and direct marketing experience.

"This sort of survey shows that metrics need to be available to retailers as they are clearly very important. It just adds to the depth of information which allows retailers the information to make the best decisions they can in terms of how they prioritise, advertise and promote on the web."

Sheppard added that the US was around two years ahead in using such technologies, but Europe was catching up fast.

"You can buy something from places like the US, UK, Europe or the Far East so the playing field has to be levelled very quickly. The UK is very aggressive in this market, but we are also seeing a lot of activity in places like France, Germany, Spain and Scandinavia," said Sheppard.

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