Last updated - August 20, 2023
As the owner of an online store, you might be aware that a thorough understanding of your website’s performance is essential to managing a successful eCommerce business. Making educated decisions that will increase conversions and revenue requires analyzing and evaluating visitor behavior.
This article will introduce you to the top 10 eCommerce analytics tools that can provide you with useful data about the functionality of your website and aid in the optimization of your business’s operations.
Why Should Businesses Monitor Their Website’s Performance?
The success of your online business depends on the effectiveness of your website. It is crucial to recognize any flaws or issues that could be influencing how users interact with your website and take the required steps to address them. You can make sure that your website is operating efficiently, loading pages quickly, and giving users a seamless experience by keeping an eye on its performance.
One of the main reasons why you should monitor your website’s performance is to ensure that it is accessible to your target audience. Visitors may become impatient with your website if it loads slowly or goes offline frequently, which will discourage them from returning.
You can keep track of crucial data like page visits, bounce rates, and conversion rates by tracking the performance of your website. These metrics give you important information about how effectively your website is running and whether it is achieving its targets. You may see specific places where your website may be failing and make the necessary adjustments by routinely checking these analytics.
Gaining an edge over competitors is another reason to keep an eye on the performance of your website. It is crucial to constantly evaluate your website’s performance in order to make sure you are staying ahead of your competitors.
By regularly monitoring important metrics and taking necessary actions based on the insights gained, you can ensure that your website is always accessible, user-friendly, and driving conversions.
1. Google Analytics
No list of eCommerce analytics solutions would be complete without Google Analytics. With over 28 million websites employing this robust, free software, it has become the industry standard for website analytics. Google Analytics provides a plethora of data, including the number of visitors, the devices they use, the sites they spend the most time on, and even the pages they abandon (known as the bounce rate).
Enhanced eCommerce, the most recent Google Analytics release, provides even more detailed data for online businesses. Metrics like conversion rates, average order value, and the speed with which customers add items to their baskets can be tracked.
While Google Analytics can be intimidating for newbies, its extensive features make it a must-have tool for monitoring and evaluating the performance and success of your website.
2. Matomo
Self-hosted analytics platform Matomo, formerly known as Piwik, is regarded as a more privacy-conscious alternative to Google Analytics. Matomo offers features such as visitor location, product performance, and marketing channel analysis. But one of Matomo’s main advantages is that you have total control over your data, which might make it simpler to adhere to regulations like GDPR compliance, etc.
Matomo is a flexible alternative for online businesses because of its simple integration with well-known eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce and Shopify. Matomo offers precise information to assist you in analyzing the performance of your website, whether you choose a self-hosted solution or a free WordPress plugin.
3. Klaviyo
eCommerce requires effective email marketing, and Klaviyo is a flexible tool that does exactly that. Depending on the purchases the users made, the emails they opened, or the actions they took within a certain period of time, you may segment them into different categories. You may use this to conduct tailored, targeted email campaigns that boost sales and brand loyalty.
You can measure things like email open rates, revenue earned, and customer engagement using Klaviyo’s thorough reporting and eCommerce analytics. Both newbies and experienced marketers who wish to improve their email marketing might benefit from Klaviyo. Additionally, Klaviyo integrates with popular platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce.
4. Hotjar
Hotjar is a user feedback and analytics tool that gives useful information about how users interact with your website. Hotjar’s ability to capture screen recordings and heatmaps is one of its major features, providing you with a visual depiction of how people navigate and engage with your content and product listings. Heatmaps, as the name suggests, show “hot spots” where people click, move, and scroll, allowing you to detect areas of interest as well as possible interface issues.
Hotjar, in addition to heatmaps, allows you to collect user input via feedback boxes and custom surveys. This feedback might help you understand how your site is viewed by users and find areas of growth. Hotjar is a helpful tool for boosting the performance of your website because of its thorough analytics and user feedback features.
5. Visual Website Optimizer
eCommerce businesses need to be proficient in A/B split testing, and Visual Website Optimizer (VWO) makes the process easier. You can create several copies of important website elements including buttons, images, headlines, and sales copy with this tool. You can figure out which versions work the best by categorizing visitors into different groups.
The ability to divide traffic based on location, traffic source, and demographics sets it apart from other A/B testing services. You may fine-tune your content and landing pages for optimum conversion rates with this degree of control. VWO is a useful tool for enhancing the speed of your website thanks to its user-friendly interface and advanced segmentation features.
6. Hootsuite
While it may not be a traditional eCommerce analytics tool, Hootsuite is a powerful social media management platform that includes comprehensive analytics capabilities. A strong social media presence is essential for driving traffic to your online store, and Hootsuite’s analytics can help you track the performance of your social media posts and campaigns.
Hootsuite provides graphical reports that show engagement metrics, such as tweet engagement, shared links, and follower trends. You can also use Hootsuite to monitor social media influencers and track mentions of your products and services. Hootsuite’s analytics can offer useful information on the success of your social media marketing activities even though they are not solely focused on website performance.
7. Woopra
Cart abandonment is a significant issue for eCommerce businesses, with a 70% abandonment rate on average. Woopra is a solution that was created specifically to address this problem by evaluating the complete customer experience and finding locations where potential purchases are abandoned. With features like live chat sessions, blog article effectiveness, ad campaign performance, and upsell opportunities, Woopra’s analytics can help you analyze user engagement.
You may optimize your website to enhance conversions and prevent cart abandonment by identifying areas of concern in the sales process. While Woopra has a steeper learning curve and is better suited for larger eCommerce businesses, its comprehensive analytical features make it an invaluable tool for evaluating and enhancing the performance of your website.
8. Smartlook
Smartlook is an innovative product that combines several functions of other website monitoring tools while adding unique features of its own. Smartlook uses session recordings to capture user interactions, including mouse movements, clicks, and form fills. These recordings provide valuable insights into how visitors are interacting with your website and can help you identify and resolve any usability issues.
In addition to session recordings, Smartlook offers heatmaps to visualize user attention and identify areas of interest and underperformance. The platform also provides detailed data on user behavior, total traffic, returning visitors, and sales funnels. With its combination of session recordings, heatmaps, and comprehensive analytics, Smartlook is a powerful tool for optimizing your website’s performance.
9. Screaming Frog SEO
Unlike other eCommerce analytics tools, Screaming Frog SEO examines your website’s SEO performance. The software searches your website and looks for SEO issues such as broken links, banned URLs, poor security, and low-quality content. While these faults may not have a direct influence on sales, they might have an impact on your website’s visibility in search engines.
Screaming Frog SEO is available in a free version as well as a paid version. You can guarantee that your website performs well in search engine rankings and attracts organic traffic to your online business by analyzing it for SEO problems and rectifying them.
10. Shopify Analytics
If you’re using Shopify as your eCommerce platform, you already have built-in analytics capabilities right at your fingertips. Shopify Analytics provides a comprehensive dashboard that gives you valuable data on your sales, customer behavior, and marketing performance. With this tool, you can compare different sales pages, track average order value, and understand customer demographics and traffic sources.
Shopify Analytics offers a range of eCommerce metrics, including conversion rates, revenue trends, and visitor engagement. With its user-friendly interface and seamless integration with the Shopify platform, Shopify Analytics is a convenient and powerful tool for monitoring and optimizing your website’s performance.
Conclusion
Understanding your website’s performance is crucial for running a successful eCommerce business. The top 10 eCommerce analytics tools we’ve discussed in this article offer a range of insights and capabilities to help you make data-driven decisions and optimize your online store.
Whether you choose Google Analytics for its comprehensive features, Matomo for its privacy-focused approach, or any other tool on this list. Investing in website analytics will undoubtedly drive successful outcomes for your eCommerce business.
We hope this post has helped you choose the right tool to track and improve your website’s performance!
