Analytics Magazine Analytics Magazine, July/August 2014 | Page 8

EXE CU TIVE E D G E Six ways of value-creation through analytics in E-commerce It has become imperative for organizations to be on the customers’ online radar with respect to new products or services and to be able to influence their choices. BY ROHIT TANDON AND SHRUTI UPADHYAY 8 | Increasing popularity and access to the Internet has changed the way marketers are interacting with customers. These customers are smart, well informed and empowered, as Internet connectivity is available to them at their fingertips and on the go. It has therefore become imperative for organizations to be on the customers’ online radar with respect to new products or services and to be able to influence their choices. Not surprisingly, according to one study, 34 percent of marketers are generating leads through Twitter. India’s online retail market grew at a staggering 88 percent in 2013 to $16 billion and continues to grow. These examples are a testimony to the growth of e-commerce. The Internet deluge has opened an assortment of opportunities. Customers are able to buy high-end fashion and designer shoes, book hotels, buy movie tickets and you-name-it. Therefore, an opportunity exists for business research to capture, compile, churn and store colossal bytes of information about customers, suppliers and operations. This is what we call the age of “big data.” We believe that this age is a natural progression in online business and is here to stay. We are already seeing a surge in adoption of digital channels such as social media, e-mail marketing and display ads in e-commerce. Imagine the amount of data this A N A LY T I C S - M A G A Z I N E . O R G W W W. I N F O R M S . O R G