Yogi Land

You're going to put surveys in holiday gifts this year, right? Well, if you're as customer-centric as Avinash Kaushik, Analytics Evangelist for Google, you just might. And next year's gifts will be even better.

Avinash has just published Web Analytics 2.0: The Art of Online Accountability and Science of Customer Centricity, also at http://tr.im/akweb. It looks to be a fantastic read by one of the foremost web analytics practitioners and teachers, who is seeing an undeniable evolution of web technologies and online trends, including social media, video, and mobile.

Video games, Legos and Transformers lead the way

With the holidays as close as they are, anyone still shopping for toys is either a great parent or a glutton for punishment. If you’re finding yourself in this conundrum, you might like to get an idea of the top toys for boys this season, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2009 Top Toys survey. Knowing these most-wanted boys’ gifts won’t make shopping any less insane, but it might save you a few precious minutes:

Video games – Video games and boys have been a natural combo for more than 20 years now, and 2009 doesn’t appear to show any signs of that trend ending. With big-name games such as “Batman: Arkham Asylum” and “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” topping wish lists this holiday season, boys across the world will likely be madly mashing buttons come Christmas morning.

Transformers – The huge success of the second Transformers movie only helped increase the demand for Transformers, which have been a popular favorite for boys for over 25 years now.

Lego – Though they don’t light up, plug in, make noise or play mp3s, Legos have been consistently popular for over 50 years, and according to the 2009 Top Toys survey, that’s not about to change this holiday season. And, as a matter of fact, today’s Lego has lines that do plug in and light up, so whatever your son prefers, he’s covered.

Cars (generic) – Show me a boy who doesn’t enjoy playing with cars, and I’ll show you a kid who’s probably too busy playing with Transformers, Legos and video games. But still, good ol’ toy cars are as popular now as they’ve ever been.

Nintendo Wii – Though the Wii has been around for a few years now and sales are starting to slow down a bit, the popular video game console is still a highly sought after item by kids and adults alike.

Nintendo DS – The recently introduced Nintendo DSi boasts bigger screens, 2 cameras and a bunch of fun new interactive games that should keep boys entertained, while keep parents from going crazy during long car rides.

Zhu Zhu Pets – One of the hottest toys this season has to be Zhu Zhu Pets. Kids are going bonkers for this interactive hamster, and Zhu Zhu Pets are flying off the shelves so fast that retailers are having trouble keeping them in stock. And with a low $8 to $10 price tag and a high cuteness factor, it’s easy to see why. The bad news: Due to the high demand, Zhu Zhus are now selling at sites like eBay for upwards of $50. So if you can’t snag one at a store, bringing one home could get costly.

Feel free to print out this list before you attempt your next mall incursion!

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Urchin analytics software has a long tradition of integrating with other software/hardware platforms, and today we are pleased to announce the latest such collaboration: Coradiant's new Analytics In A Box (AIB). AIB is an appliance that sits behind your firewall, passively collecting web traffic data via a packet-sniffing technique. This gives you the option of reducing your reliance on page tags, as Coradiant's system collects traffic data in an independent way. Log file headaches are also gone for good, which will be music to the ears of any sysadmin!

AIB uses a modified version of Urchin 6, in conjunction with Coradiant's complementary technologies to give you new ways to look at both your web traffic AND the performance of your site/server.

From Coradiant's press release:

"Analytics In A Box provides a comprehensive view into customer Web site interaction, and insights into online conversion outcomes. Analytics capabilities are substantially enhanced through access to a richer data model and customizable reporting solutions. A complete set of dashboards for executive consumption, as well as access to granular data allows deeper insights into marketing optimization, site performance, content optimization, conversion behavior and navigational analysis."

Please see Coradiant's site for more information.




Posted by Scott Crosby, Urchin Software Manager

It's easier for developers to program in the languages they know, so we updated the Google Analytics API Python Client library with the just-launched API version 2 features. We also added reference examples for both the Account Feed and Data Feed. Now it's easier than ever to automate your analysis workflow using our API.

Taking The Library For a Spin

With the updated library, we thought it would be a great time to highlight the power of the new features. So we created a sample application to do just that. The application uses the new Python library to retrieve metrics for a series of segments. It then performs some calculations on the data and creates bar charts using the GChartWrapper package, an open source Python wrapper for the Google Charts API. Finally, it uses the Python Imaging Library to add a title and legend, and stitches all the charts together into a single image. We decided to release this application as open source so you can create visualizations with your own data.

Solving Business Problems

Since social media is all the rage, let's use this new application to help Avinash Kaushik, our Analytics Evangelist, measure "engagement" on his popular Occam's Razor blog. We also wanted to determine if the time he spends participating in social media sites is valuable and sends new readers to his blog.

First we created segments to pull all the referrals from Facebook and Twitter. Second, we chose five calculations and corresponding metrics to compare the performance of these two segments. We then compared the segments to each other and, for context, for all the visits to the site as a control.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, here are the results:
Some interesting observations become apparent.

• Far more visits originate from Twitter (3.6x) when compared to Facebook, perhaps not surprising given Avinash's Twitter followers (~16,120)
  
  
• Visitors from Twitter tend to be new visitors, a good thing, but they view fewer pages and spend significantly less time on the blog.
  


• On the other hand Facebook delivers an audience that is loyal. These visitors come back to the site more often and spend a significant time on the blog (compared to Twitter and all other visitors).
  

The bottom line? Even though social networking sites are all the rage, they actually contribute very little to Avinash's blog. If this blog were a company, it would be wise to ensure the time and effort put into driving traffic from social media is proportionate to the actual volume of traffic and goal conversions from those sites.

Hopefully this example shows how powerful our new features can be.

If you're interested in running this report against your own data, the application is free and open sourced. Additionally, we made it really easy to change the metrics, segments, calculations and all the other visual properties to power your own visualizations. Download it here and give it a whirl, we would love to hear your feedback.


Posted by Nick Mihailovski, The Google Analytics API Team

Barbie, Hannah and Dora trump the Easy Bake Oven

The other day I was on an elevator with three women who were discussing the toys their children wanted for the holidays. One woman expressed concern that her daughter wanted an iPod Touch, and said “a two-hundred dollar electronic item for an eight-year-old girl? Whatever happened to the Easy Bake Oven?!”

I chuckled (to myself, since I wasn’t actually part of the conversation) and recognized that the landscape of gifts for girls has changed a lot since the days when girls just wanted toy ovens that cooked cakes with lightbulbs. iPod Touch aside, here are the other most popular gift items for girls this holiday season, according the National Retail Federation’s 2009 “Top Toys” survey:

Barbie – Most girls wouldn’t go ga-ga for a 60-year-old doll, but if that doll is Barbie, all bets are off. Even though she’s rapidly approaching AARP status, Barbie is still extremely popular among the schoolyard set.

Hannah Montana – Though they may one day occupy a landfill next to Lizzie McGuire and Spice Girls merchandise, right now, Hannah Montana items are hotter than ever.

Video games – They may lean more toward games about princesses than those where the object is  shooting zombies, but still, these days girls are reaching for the controller every bit as much as boys.

Disney Princesses – If there’s one thing that girls love, it’s young sovereignty. Add a little Disney to that and you’ve got a recipe that turns girls’ heads all over the world.

Dora the Explorer – Girls have been going nuts for this pint-sized Indiana Jones for over ten years, and the 2009 holidays don’t seem likely to curtail Dora’s exploring even in the slightest.

Zhu Zhu Pets – These little mechanical hamsters are one of the hottest toys this holiday season for both girls and boys. The only problem is, they’re also one of the hardest to find, due to their extreme popularity. With their low price tags and high desirability, Zhu Zhu Pets are being snatched off of shelves almost instantly. So if you see one, grab first and ask questions later.

Other top gift choices for girls include American Girl dolls, the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS.

Of course every girl is different, but for the most part, these are the items that today’s young lady would love to receive over the holidays this year. I think that it’s a little sad that not one of these toys will bake a cupcake, but I guess that’s progress.

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

The Google Analytics team would like to shout "THANK YOU!" to our users. We are so proud of the people using this product. It's a pleasure to be associated with you and build Google Analytics for you.

Join us in welcoming Urchin 6.602 to the world, the long-awaited multilingual upgrade to our "run-it-yourself" web analytics package. This release adds support for all 11 of our supported languages, including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Dutch, Japanese, Chinese (both simplified and traditional), and Korean.

Read the complete Changelist for all the details, or visit our Download page to get the goods.

Urchin 6.602 also includes a bunch of significant new features, including:

• Enhanced LDAP integration (more protocols supported)
  


• 1-Click Installer -- no need for an "outboard" database anymore
  


• GeoDB user adjustments -- don't need the full GeoDB? Run fast & light with Urchin 6.602
  


• Updated compression utility -- allows data archives greater than 2GB
  


• Option to select which profiles (and their overview data) to display on users' default "home" screen (aka, roll-up report)
  
  
• Bing.com support (hooray!)
  


• ...and lots of bug fixes and documentation updates
  

Urchin 6.600, released in June 2009, was a major upgrade, so you may want to revisit that blog post for more info.
Urchin 6.602 is available now as a full-featured 30-day demo from our download servers and licenses can be purchased from any of our Authorized Consultants for US$2995. Check it out!

Posted by Scott Crosby, Urchin Software Manager

Video game console and game sales are through the roof again this year

When it comes to holiday gifts, video games have been at the top of many people’s wish lists since Pac-Man first started gobbling power pellets in the early 1980s. As gaming technology has grown, so has the demand for the systems, games and add-ons that it takes to keep gamers happily mashing buttons (until the batteries run out).

According to the Entertainment Software Association, video game hardware, software and peripheral sales climbed to $22 billion in 2008, a 22.9% jump over the previous year. And that record was primarily set by the strength of video game sales in December of 2008, which came to $5.3 billion. That’s somewhat staggering when you consider that as recently as 1997, the industry generated only $5.1 billion over the entire year.

Without a doubt, sales are bound to be huge again this month, as shoppers clamor to make sure they’ve got the latest and greatest under the tree come December 25. And these are the items that are likely to be on gamers’ wish lists this holiday season:

Consoles
PlayStation 3 – With a recent $100 price drop and a sleek, new design, PlayStation 3 is suddenly on the tip of everyone’s tongue again. In fact, in September, PlayStation 3 outsold the Nintendo Wii for the first time ever, which indicates that the changes in price and form has had a huge impact among consumers. Throw in the fact that the PS3 has a blu-ray player, and suddenly movie buffs are turning their heads toward Sony’s console, too.

Nintendo Wii – Though the Wii’s been around for a few years now and the bloom is slightly off the rose, the demand for that rose is still quite high. A recent $50 cut in the price of the console should help shore up demand this holiday season, and the Wii’s family-friendly appeal means that many moms and dads will want to thrill their kids with one this season.

Xbox 360 – Always a favorite, Microsoft’s stalwart gaming console is on schedule to be a crowd-pleaser yet again this holiday season. Popular games that are specific only to Xbox, as well as a vibrant online community, make the console extremely appealing to several levels of gamers.

PSP GO – Sony’s recently released handheld is smaller than the original PSP, and is absolutely turning heads among gamers on the go.

Nintendo DSi – With bigger screens, two cameras and fun downloadable games, the DSi was a huge seller over Black Friday weekend and is poised to repeat that triumph when it comes to holiday sales.

Games
While video games are popular all year long, there are a handful that are expected be huge sellers this holiday season, such as:

• Rock Band: The Beatles (PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii)
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3 and Xbox 360)
• Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City (Xbox 360)
• Assassin’s Creed 2 (PS3 and Xbox 360)
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
• New Super Mario Brothers (Wii)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warware 2: (PS3 and Xbox 360)
• Borderlands (PS3 and Xbox 360)
• Forza Motorsport 3 (Xbox 360)
• DJ Hero (PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii)
• Halo 3 ODST (Xbox 360)

The demand for video games and consoles is stronger than ever, and it looks like a few new sales records will be set by the end of the year, which is good news for game sellers and players alike. This holiday season, it’s going to be “game on” for consumers!

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

As expected, consumers are tightening their budgets and looking hard for good deals

Though 2009 wasn’t the financial nightmare that many predicted it would be, there’s no denying that it hasn’t exactly been a pleasant night’s sleep, either. And while many pundits predict it’s nearing an end, the recession has changed the consumer landscape and forced shoppers to totally rethink the way they shop; how much they spend, where and when they spend, and, most importantly, why they spend.

Careful consumer spending will be in full effect going forward, and the 2009 holidays will likely be no exception to the “new normal” of consumer caution. Here are some of the trends being reported among shopping-savvy consumers this holiday season…

Consumer caution
While holiday shopping is happening, it’s being done with the same caution that shoppers have been exercising for several months now. In fact, according to a National Retail Federation survey, 84.2% of people interviewed said they’d spend less on holiday gifts than they did last year.

Also, changes in the economy have made consumers think twice about doing all of their shopping at big-name chain stores. Now they’re considering other sources, such as discounters, thrift stores and resale shops. The NRF reports that 70% of people surveyed were planning to shop at discounters, and that at least one in ten people would shop at thrift stores this holiday season.

Savings, savings, savings
It’s probably no surprise that in this era where everyone’s looking to cut back on spending, consumers are eagerly searching for the best possible deals that they can find. Coupons, discounts, free shipping and just about anything else that can shave a few bucks are highly desired by holiday shoppers. The NRF survey reports that nearly half (43.3%) of respondents chose sales or price discounts as the most important factor in deciding where they shopped this holiday season.

Additionally, the era of “grab it and go” appears to be over. Consumers are researching their purchases before they buy them, both to determine if they really need them, and to try to find the best possible deals. Product reviews, message boards and online videos are great resources for careful consumers, and in 2009 holiday shoppers are using those resources more than ever.

Impulse spending way down
Retailers hoping that consumers will make a lot of “oh, what the heck” purchases for themselves or others may want to give up that hope. All signs indicate that tightening belts will lead to a consumer crackdown on impulse purchases. Shoppers are going to be setting their budgets—and sticking to them.

While projected holiday spending for 2009 is down across most categories, it’s actually up when it comes to food and candy. According to the NRF’s survey, food spending will be up an average of $10 per person, which is the only expected increase in any category this holiday season. Whether people are buying food gifts for friends or just planning more parties at home, it looks like there will be more than enough to go around.

While most categories will suffer from spending declines, some will take less of a hit than others. For example, Americans say they’ll spend only 2% less on greeting cards this year. Since spending is expected to decline for friends and co-workers, this may mean that some people are getting a simple card instead of a gift this year. But hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst