More firms to adopt web analytics

UK spending on tools to analyse web traffic is set to rise, according to analysts E-consultancy.

The UK web analytics market is set to grow by 22 percent in 2006 to be worth a total of £56m by the end of the year, according to a new report by internet marketing and ecommerce specialist E-consultancy.

Linus Gregoriadis, an analyst at the firm, said these figures are underpinned by a major growth in internet usage and e-commerce, and the realisation among marketing departments that they need to be more aware of web site activity and how it relates to business objectives.

"There has been a move in ownership of analytics from the IT department to the marketers," he explained. "IT used to look at the data but not necessarily share it with the wider business, but now it is seen as a tool to drive business improvements."

But there are still barriers to the uptake of web analytics, including a shortage of experienced staff who can extract meaningful data and "translate it into actionable insights for the business", he added.