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Individual Coursework

CANDIDATE NUMBER (C-NUMBER) C-2106580

MODULE NAME Digital Marketing Analytics
WORD COUNT 2500

SUBMISSION DATE 1st October, 2024

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Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Part A...........................................................................................................................................................3
Strategic Analysis–...................................................................................................................................3
Tactical Use Analysis................................................................................................................................6
Performing Reporting..............................................................................................................................7
Economic purchase overview..................................................................................................................8
Part B: Campaign Strategy...........................................................................................................................9
Persona and Journey Mapping:...............................................................................................................9
Customer Journey Mapping for Kiara Austen........................................................................................10
Demographic Overview.........................................................................................................................12
Strategic Recommendations..................................................................................................................12
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................15

Figure 1 Overview of Traffic Acquisition.....................................................................................................4

Figure 2 Q1 Overview..................................................................................................................................5
Figure 3 Q2 Overview..................................................................................................................................5
Figure 4 organic direct social referral) in Q1 and Q2 from GA4 Traffic Acquisition......................................6
Figure 5 Graph showing the average engagement time and engaged sessions per user for the selected
period..........................................................................................................................................................8
Figure 6 top conversion paths starting from session start to page view and subsequent interactions........8
Figure 7 product performance and revenue trends for Q1 compared to Q2 in GA4 Ecommerce Overview.
..................................................................................................................................................................10
Figure 8 Economic purchase overview.......................................................................................................12
Figure 9 Age over view..............................................................................................................................15
Introduction
For an improved business performance and the modern-day efforts to develop improved digital
marketing techniques, analytical solutions are crucial. The main emphasis of this project is to
evaluate the role and efficiency of the analytics in the context of using the digital marketing
techniques for Merchandise Store of Google. A comparison between Q1 and Q2 business
reporting periods was conducted with the help of the data from Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Using
these data sets, this study seeks to find out the measures that can enhance the traffic rates as well
as the conversion rates to enhance good business results (Chaffey, 2021).

Google Analytics GA4 gives customers and traffic source data, which is important when
developing strategies. Appreciation of these data sets allows digital marketers to create specific
market and customer oriented strategies. Other metrics under consideration here that are vital for
decision making are user engagement rates, new users, and product metrics. Thus, this
quantitatively based approach will make it possible to identify specific issues concerning the
quantitative results of Q1 and Q2, alongside with possible advantages and disadvantages.

Part A Research and Analysis

Strategic Analysis–
This paper critically explores the place that analytics occupies in the area of digital marketing.
Analytics is therefore highly relevant for an e-commerce business especially when it comes to
creating strategies for the digital marketing of a site such as Google’s Merchandising Store
(Kaushik, 2020). In this piece, I am going to explain how GA4 can help businesses assess the
customer’s behavior and enhance their online promotions. Combined with the measurement of
key parameters including session engagement and new users, this work provides the idea of the
current level of the store success and potential challenges.
Figure 1 Overview of Traffic Acquisition
In this case, the GA4 Overview Screen is helpful when it comes to studying user behaviours in
the store since it offers an initial snapshot. The general traffic and the activity of users in Q1 and
Q2 demonstrate the capacity of a store to bring and engage the customers. Growth can be
identified as an increase in the number of new users visiting a particular website from Q1 to Q2
resulting from marketing or content optimization. Conversely, high bounce rate can mean that
people have little interest in the content, so there can be problems with the site’s usability..

Q1 Description:

Direct traffic dominated the percentage of new users and overall sessions new in Q1, as depicted
in the first graph. The direct sources showed that more than 58,000 users reached the site, which
would mean repeat business and customers who type in the URL to the site. Next came Organic
Search with more than two thousand users, which proved the good results of SEO work carried
out. While Referral traffic contributed a smaller percentage, it still contributed to the rise in
numbers of the total number of users.

Figure 2 Q1 Overview

Q2 description with comparison

The graph shows sessions in each primary channel group over time with Direct traffic leading for
the duration observed. On June 27 the site recorded 3.577 sessions mainly from Direct traffic
which included 2.733 sessions and Organic Search saw 614. The trend shows that Direct traffic
is crucial for generating user sessions in this period.
 Figure 3 Q2 Overview

The use of GA4 analytics is important in the major decisions made about users with regard to
acquisition and engagement. When these statistics are studied and interpreted on a routine basis,
the incidences of a business experiencing stagnation or poor customer satisfaction in their digital
marketing efforts are avoided. It also allows organizations to keep up with competing rivals and
other current users’ behavior changes and trends in the marketplace.

Tactical Use Analysis

Thus, it is critical to assess the effectiveness of the digital channels in order to identify how
people get to the site and which of the channels brings most of the traffic and conversions
(Jansen, 2008). The Traffic Acquisition report in GA4 allows you to evaluate the performance of
the several marketing sourcing, as it relates to website hits. For purposes of comparison, we can
group the data from Q1 together with Q2 and then be in a position to know which channel needs
to be strongest or which channel is actually weaker.

Organic search also might have a good influence in Q1 of the site traffic showing that SEO
strategies were effective. It is likely that in Q2, paid campaigns and social media activities
contributed to raising the level of direct traffic. Being able to monitor how traffic sources change
means that we can notice shifts in channel efficacy and decide whether such shifts were expected
and a conscious strategic decision, perhaps an increase in ad expenditure during Q2, or whether
the shift is natural and has arisen because certain types of content have suddenly become popular.
 Figure 4 organic direct social referral) in Q1 and Q2 from GA4 Traffic Acquisition

Graph Caption: Chart illustrating how traffic sources vary by type direct organic, referral,
unassigned, and paid search.

However, converting data is also important when it comes to evaluation of the digital marketing
strategies and promotion campaigns. Which can be observed by GA4’s Conversions Overview
report to see the comparisons in Conversions to Q1 and Q2. In the case that the value of
conversion rate is higher for Q2 than for Q1, it may suggest better website design or successful
campaigns.

A reduction in the organic search conversions might be attributed to the alterations in SEO where
changes may be required on the product descriptions or the blog information. On the other hand,
higher conversion rates at some point in Q2 can be attributed to paid advertising or the strategies
and creativity incorporated into those ad campaigns.

By reviewing this analysis, it becomes clear that channel performance and conversion data
should be frequently evaluated to guarantee that marketing endeavours produce favorable
outcomes (Tuten, 2022). In this respect, the store needs to concentrate on increasing ROI on such
media and improving unsatisfactory ones for digital marketing.

Engagement Metrics
I chose GA4’s Average Engagement Time which tells how user spend time on the website
interacting with content. The graph shows that active users spent average of 59 seconds engaged
during this period, down 21.2% from the prior period. Also, the frequency of active sessions has
reduced to 0.8 per user. This decline indicates that some of the areas within the site maybe
require updating or redesigning so as to regain the users attention and enhance their interaction.

Figure 5 Graph showing the average engagement time and engaged sessions per user for the
selected period.

Conversion Path Analysis

The Conversion Path Analysis shows how users engage with products, content or services before
using the conversion path to make decisions. In the path of conversion shown below, users start a
session and move on to activities such as, views session, first session etc. This graph enables
firms to determine the chronological flows of activities that lead to the desired conversions so
that they can improve on the positive sequences for greater effectiveness. In this way, it is easier
for marketers to increase dedicated interaction paths while not increasing the total interaction –
the objective being to get more people to travel the paths that lead to conversion.
 Figure 6 top conversion paths starting from session start to page view and subsequent
interactions.

3. Key Insights:
This is by linking the data from GA4 Traffic Acquisition, Engagement Overview, Conversion
Overview to be able to decide the user behavior. The reasons for decline in UX engagement rates
should be a focus on which Direct traffic and Organic Search can be helpful to identify. Looking
at engagement metrics it appears that while traffic might be there, it is engaging less and for less
time. This signals the issue of need to review more closely contended issues of content quality
and users’ interactions within the website.
Performing Reporting
To assess more objectively the store performance, independent of the first quarter’s and the
second quarter’s exceptionally strong sales, it is necessary to compare the key channels and
customer segments. Consequently, GA4’s Audience Overview section can be used to review user
characteristics important for defining the best customers and potential promotional approaches
(Kingsnorth, 2019).

For instance, if the data reveals that the users in the age bracket 25-34 from a particular
geographic location were more active, the store converted better in Q2 then the store’s product
line as well as content needs to be more in sync with this segment. The same is true with GA4’s
Ecommerce Overview reporting which provides complete data about what products are
performing well and which ones are the best sellers per quarter. It is possible to ask such
questions as, for example, was there an increase in sales of a specific product in Q2, then it is
important to take a closer look as to the reasons for that have been appeals, seasonal sales, a new
trend, etc.
It is necessary to consider that the analysis of the key differences between the two quarters
provides essential shifts in the customer segments and the traffic sources. In Q1, the primary
customer group included the age group of 25-34 years, and the most valuable traffic source was
organic search, which showed good conversion. But in Q2 the attention was heard on the
segment of 18-24 age which had a quite impressive conversion of 4.5% through paid search.

The Ecommerce Overview shows the top selling products by period (Rayan, 2020). For example,
if Product A had high percentage increase between Q2 and Q1 showing they did well when
compared, could be due to well executed marketing strategy or because Q2 is a peak season. On
the other hand, if Q2 sales figures was below expected then it may be necessary to reconsider the
marketing mix or even price strategy of those products.

Figure 7 product performance and revenue trends for Q1 compared to Q2 in GA4 Ecommerce
Overview.

This type of representation illustrates engagement activity of active users by country – for the
current and previous periods. The US dominates the list with more than 120,000 active users,
thus substantiating the claim that it is the market of chief importance to the Google
Merchandising Store. This strong index underscores marketing effectiveness to support the
continued growth from the previous period in the US.

Canada, India, and Japan are also moderate but are nowhere closer to the kind of activity the U.S
holds. At the same time, the overall and monthly active users demonstrate an upward trend,
especially in Canada and India, yet, the weakness in the Chinese and Japanese markets remains
questionable: the store probably does not pay much attention to those markets or may not be able
to target them properly. This information supports the managerial notion regarding the specificity
of the US market need but also highlights how greater efforts might be made to break into the
underexplored markets like Canada, India, and areas that are currently showing relatively weak
users’ engagement like China and Japan. Special offers, that can be run for targeted groups of
users or for specific regions, can likely elevate active user rates as well as provide the needed
sales spike for these areas.

Ecommerce Overview
The Ecommerce Overview displays product views to the current and prior periods to provide
insights into changes in customer interest. As the views worldwide are close to ten thousands,
Android Classic Collectible can be considered the most popular item. Other products including
the Cozy Chrome Dino, Super G Timbuk2 Recycled, and Chrome Dino Warm have each reached
nearly 6,000 views and continues to hold consumers interested. While the Google Campus Bike
and Google Sensory Support Event received significantly less view count, their rates did not
change significantly between the two periods. Consequently, this analysis implies that whereas
market leaders’ products remain popular among consumers, increasing the exposure of other
products could help spur more product interest and sales (Sterne, 2019).

.
 Figure 8 Economic purchase overview

Part B: Campaign Strategy

Persona and Journey Mapping:

Demographics:

 Name: Kiara Austen

 Age: 30
 Gender: Female
 Location: London, UK
 Occupation: Digital Marketing Manager
 Education: Bachelor’s degree in marketing
 Income Level: £45,000 per year
Kiara Austen is a digital marketing executive working in London, who loves the demanding
nature and focus on technology. Having great love for fashion, ecological concerns, and
technology, Kiara always tends to buy goods that she wants for herself. Given this, she is
knowledgeable about the latest trends in the market and uses social networking sites to engage
with brands and merchants, and to stay updated, as well as when making her purchases, she takes
time to do research on the internet. By being keen on digital tools, Kiara is an ideal customer for
some brands especially those that focus on sustainability and deliver fashionable products.

Customer Journey Mapping for Kiara Austen

https://www.rightsourcemarketing.com/glossary/what-is-customer-journey/

Kiara Austen is an example of the target lifestyle market segment of Google’s Merchandising
store to capture. In the Awareness stage, she finds out about the store mainly via sponsored posts
on Instagram and through Pins on Pinterest Advertising that focuses on sustainable fashion
bloggers, for instance, can grab her attention. While she follows and interacts with her friends or
with bloggers, she can get lost in thousands of marketing messages and hardly filter really
valuable recommendations which can be made respecting her values.
While in the Consideration stage, Kiara tends to read the information gathered from product
comparison sites, brand’s web-sites, e- newsletters. However, she now battles issues to do with
the authenticity and quality of the products available to her online. Overcoming these issues
might be achieved by improving product insights, and thus, improving the site navigation.

During Decision making, Kiara first checks Google Shopping and brands’ platforms before
proceeding with a purchase. After that, she gets some mails to know about the quality of the
product and she also write reviews on social media being more genuine. For Merchandising store
for a Google, action points may be suggested to increase the engagement and loyalty level for
Kiara from the purchasing activities (Stokes, 2018).

Demographic Overview
A target audience is essential to know in the process of creating an efficient online promotional
campaign. Google Analytics GA4 has a Demographics Overview report that enables the creation
of customer persona through statistics like age, gender and geographical location of users. A bit
more detailed information is given by the data received in the second quarter of 2014 (April –
June 2014) where majority of the Google Merchandising Stores’ visitors are in the age group of
25 – 34 years old, male, and mostly coming from United States and Western Europe. Started in
2013 by a young, sophisticated urbanite interested in fashion accessories particularly those
related to technology. Using Google Search to reach its many products through organic traffic
and direct traffic, they might likely convert through promotions or referral blog posts.
 Figure 9 Age over view

Strategic Recommendations

To enhance the marketing strategies for Google’s Merchandising store, several recommendations
are aligned with Kiara’s lifestyle and preferences:

1. Personalization through Data Analytics: This way, she has to walk about with specific
buying habits that can be easily noted by sophisticated analytics and machine learning
to be marketed to.
2. Sustainable Practices: Working with green brands is a good fit for Kiara’s beliefs and
helps build a nicer brand LAS which can appeal to the sustainability-first consumers.
3. Optimizing Omnichannel Experience: The company will be able to effect a proper
strategy for the availability and patronage of its products across the different
channels, thus promoting a proper sales strategy and proper customer service,
customer affection and loyalty.
4. Strengthening Social Media Engagement: Active and singular user content will foster
trust, entailing Kiara to share her shopping stories.
5. Post-Purchase Communication: Communications after the purchase can increase
supporter loyalty and word of mouth advertising.
 6. Loyalty Programs: A token or news of future products will be enough to lure the
same client back into making further purchases.
It is also necessary to compare the differences of the performance in sales between Q1 and
Q2 since the results can be affected by external factors such as market conditions or shifts
consumers’ behavior. Knowledge of these factors helps firms to apply proper approaches
based on real numbers and improve the outcomes for increasing their revenue and company’s
growth (Batra, 2016).

Strategy Analysis
Defining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Evaluated measurements will include conversion
rates, AOV, CAC, and ROAS and GPA.

1. Utilize GA4: Evaluating user activities across points of contact using GA4 shall
enhance performance.
2. Segment Audience Analysis: Accommodation of tactics will be eased from the
segmentation of lifestyle audiences by demographic characteristics and past
experience in buying.
3. Implement A/B Testing: It will be possible to identify effective strategies of testing
visuals, landing pages and email.
4. Monitor Real-Time Data: Real-time analytics can also used to make decisions with
reference to the current trends.
5. Monthly Performance Reviews: Trends will be noticed from month to month, and
will be implemented in the following month’s marketing plan.

Conclusion
It focuses on the weaknesses of digital marketing by analyzing Google Merchandising’s store
audience profiles, types of interactions, and frequency of visits. With such data driven models
and relevant advertising approaches, the store may enhance effective rates and sales volume for
lifestyle targeted segments, which can be the case of Kiara’s character. The idea that the
marketing strategies will be frequently adjusted, will ensure sustained success in the highly
saturated threat of e-commerce business.
 References
Chaffey, D., 2021. Digital marketing: Strategy, implementation, and practice. 8th ed. Harlow:
Pearson Education.
Kaushik, A., 2020. Web Analytics 2.0: The Art of Online Accountability and Science of Customer
Centricity. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Jansen, B.J. and Mullen, T., 2008. Sponsored search: An overview of the concept, history, and
technology. International Journal of Electronic Business, 6(2), pp.114-131.
Tuten, T.L. and Solomon, M.R., 2022. Social media marketing. 4th ed. London: SAGE Publications.
Kingsnorth, S., 2019. Digital Marketing Strategy: An Integrated Approach to Online Marketing. 2nd
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Ryan, D. and Jones, C., 2020. Understanding digital marketing: Marketing strategies for engaging
the digital generation. 5th ed. London: Kogan Page Publishers.
Batra, R. and Keller, K.L., 2016. Integrating marketing communications: New findings, new lessons,
and new ideas. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), pp.122-145.
Waisberg, D. and Kaushik, A., 2021. Google Analytics 360 Suite: Marketing Analytics in the Digital
Age. Mountain View, CA: Google Press.
Stokes, R., 2018. eMarketing: The essential guide to marketing in a digital world. 6th ed. Cape
Town: Red & Yellow Creative School of Business.
Sterne, J., 2020. Artificial intelligence for marketing: Practical applications. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.