E-commerce: What to Track and Why: Four Brief Analytics Profiles

Q: What metrics do you need to build an accurate purchase history?

Adam Silverman, senior manager of e-commerce, The Wet Seal: First, recency, frequency and monetary value. We need to know the difference between a casual shopper and a regular.
Tom Rath, CEO, Rock Bottom Golf: We’re a bit of an odd ball. We track dexterity and handicap, because we need to know if customers are right- or left-handed, as well as how well they play, in order to know what golf equipment to market to them.
Pinny Gniwisch, executive vice president of marketing, Ice.com: We focus on personas. We have our Sara’s, women who purchase 12 to 15 times per year and whose conversion rate is very high. We also have Davids, who buy once or twice a year, with low conversions and high average order values. These typically are gift buyers.