Analytics Case Study: Ariat - Measuring Digital Marketing Success with Google Analytics
- Client: Ariat
- Industry: Apparel
- URL: www.ariat.com
- Campaign Type: Web Analytics
Measuring the success of online merchandising experiences and digital marketing programs with Google Analytics.
The issue
Ariat is the leading equestrian footwear and apparel brand in the United States. Their branded ecommerce website Ariat.com is the hub of their digital brand. The site has the responsibility for not only providing the most current promotional, corporate and product information, but also must facilitate bringing users all the way through the buying cycle, from product awareness to purchase fulfillment.
In 2010, Ariat invested heavily in the digital space by creating a powerful new ecommerce website, that would be responsible for not only educating visitors on the Ariat brand and products, but also be able to fulfill direct orders and provide channel partner options. In order to justify the cost of this new investment and report a return on investment (ROI), the new website would require a comprehensive web analytics and reporting program to measure the effectiveness of their new online store. Beyond the top ecommerce key performance indicators (KPIs) of revenue and conversion rate, Ariat needed to measure the usage and effectiveness of their new merchandising and promotional features and various different offsite digital marketing channels and online promotions that would be funneling traffic to the new site. With only a surface level understanding of web analytics best practices and platform options, Ariat needed a partner who could consult and execute proper analytics strategies.
“SwellPath has played an integral part in our ecommerce success. They provide in-depth analysis of all marketing channels and create clear and actionable recommendations, resulting in increased traffic, brand engagement and conversion. They are excellent business partners, strategic leaders, and a pleasure to work with. But, most importantly, they drive results!”
– Holly Carrington, Director, Ariat Online
The need for insight
Ariat reached out to SwellPath to assist in the evaluation of analytics solution providers and general consultation on the measurement strategies for their new ecommerce site. SwellPath provided Ariat with a solid understanding of Google Analytics, its capabilities and its ability to meet the specific analytics needs and goals of the organization. SwellPath then created a custom measurement strategy and analytics framework to measure the effectiveness of their internal merchandising creative campaigns, product sorting tools and product display page features, as well as correctly tag and segment their digital marketing channels. Beyond their initial needs SwellPath introduced Ariat to “micro” conversion metrics, including onsite email signups, social media off site clicks and channel partner off-site clicks to show additional success metrics.
Need: Report on performance of digital marketing channels (Display, Paid Search, Social Media, Email)
Solution: SwellPath created a global campaign tracking strategy with strict guidelines for using Google Analytics URL tracking codes on all digital marketing mediums. Custom advanced segments were then created in Google Analytics, for easy audience segmentation reporting for any conversion goals on the site.
Need: Measure effectiveness of home page creative promotions
Solution: Through the use of Google Analytics’ custom variables, Ariat is able to track the effectiveness of their homepage marquee and tout creative beyond the initial event click. This allows for measurement of the effectiveness of internal campaigns after the initial visit to the site. It also provides the ability to measure which creative and promotions are truly contributing to site revenue.
Need: Measure use of product sorting tool and product display features (Video plays, review reading and writing, product specification tab usage)
Solution: SwellPath developed custom Google Analytics event tags for each clickable sorting option and product display feature, which allows Ariat to capture the features’ use and interaction by visitors. This data is looked at over time to identify trends, conversion/sales assistance and overall use or non-use of any merchandising features.
Need: Track conversions beyond ecommerce orders
Solution: SwellPath created a tagging strategy for key soft conversions such as email signups, social media offsite clicks, and channel retailer clicks. This allows Ariat to measure the success of the new site in driving loyalty and purchase intent, beyond only measuring same-visit purchases on the website itself.
Business impact
Ariat has exceeded the aggressive sales goals and their new website is a financial success. During the first year of sales, homepage merchandising promotions were continually optimized due to insights and recommendations stemming from custom analytics data, leading to increased revenue from these promotions. The measurement of video usage on product pages provided invaluable insights on audience behavior and justified increased budget to be available for future product based videos. Consistent digital campaign tracking and attribution analysis identified key success factors in email campaigns, social media marketing and display campaigns, allowing for optimal budget planning and campaign optimization.
The Results after One Year
- Revenue increased 87%
- Total transactions increased 103%
- Ecommerce conversion rate increased 14.32%
- Cart abandonment decreased 18.46%
- Email signups increased 206%
- Channel partner offsite clicks increased 11.56%
Using advanced analytics and measurement programs through Google Analytics allowed Ariat to quantify its investment in the new website and accurately measure and improve all of their internal and external digital promotions. If you have any questions about Ariat’s success or just questions about your web analytics program in general, please send them our way.
