Digital Experience Analytics: What Is It and Why Do You Need It?

Digital experience analytics tell you exactly how your product or service is working or, more specifically, if it's working as well as it should.

In this guide, we'll define digital experience analytics, explain how it can benefit your brand, and discuss best practices for using analytics tools for websites and mobile apps.

What is Digital Experience Analytics?

Digital experience analytics (DEA) is all about understanding how people interact with your website or app. It looks at where users click, how they move through your site, what grabs their attention, and where they drop off.

By analyzing this data, you can figure out what works and what frustrates your users, which can help you make your digital spaces more user-friendly and effective.

How Does Digital Experience Analytics Work?

Digital experience analytics tools like Google Analytics and FullSession help you get a good grasp of user behavior and customer journeys. 

Here's how the process typically works:

• Collecting Data

It starts with gathering data and user journey mapping. This involves using tools that track what users are doing on your site—like where they click, how far they scroll, and what they're ignoring.

• Analyzing the Data

Once you've got the data, you crunch the numbers to see what's going on. This might involve looking at heatmaps to see digital touchpoints where users click the most or watching replays of user sessions to catch any stumbling blocks they encounter.

• Generating Insights

The analysis helps spot trends and issues. For instance, if a lot of users bail on the checkout page, something off-putting might need fixing.

• Taking Action

Based on your digital data, you might make changes like tweaking a confusing part of your site or simplifying processes that users struggle with.

• Iterating

It's an ongoing process. After making changes, you keep an eye on how these adjustments affect user behavior, tweaking more as needed to keep improving the user experience.

Why Should You Use Digital Experience Analytics Tools?

Using digital experience analytics tools can make a big difference in how effectively you manage and improve your digital platforms. 

Here’s why they're worth integrating into your strategy:

Better User Experience

These tools help you gather and analyze how users interact with your digital channels. By identifying patterns, such as common drop-off points or frequently used features, you can better understand what users need and want.

Once you understand user behaviors, you can tailor experiences to better meet their expectations. 

For example, if analytics show that users prefer video content over text, you can adjust your content strategy accordingly.

More Conversions

You can make targeted changes to keep them engaged longer by mapping out where users typically exit your conversion funnels. This might involve simplifying the checkout process or making navigation more intuitive.

A good tip is to use analytics to run A/B tests on different page versions to see which one performs better in terms of user engagement and conversion rates. This data-driven approach helps make sure that the changes you implement are effective.

Data-Driven Decision Making

Web and product analytics tools allow you to see which parts of your site or app are underperforming and which changes have the most substantial effect on user behavior. 

This helps you allocate resources more efficiently and zero in on updates that offer the biggest return on investment.

Plus, many digital data analytics tools provide real-time data, which gives you immediate feedback on changes you make. A quick loop between implementation and observation speeds up your ability to fine-tune the user experience.

Stay Ahead of Problems

Regular monitoring can alert you to new or worsening issues as soon as they arise, from slow page load times to confusing navigation. Addressing these issues quickly helps maintain a quality user experience and prevents minor annoyances from becoming major deterrents.

Analytics can also reveal long-term trends in user behavior or recurring problems over time, allowing you to anticipate future challenges and opportunities. 

For example, if you notice an increasing number of users accessing your site via mobile devices, you might prioritize mobile optimization and responsive design.

Best Practices for Digital Experience Analytics

Analyzing the digital customer experience is not always a straightforward process. There can be bumps along the way that throw you off the goals you want to achieve with analytics. 

So, it's best to keep these best practices in mind to avoid roadblocks:

Know What You Want

Start with the end in mind. What are you trying to achieve with your site or app? Maybe it’s more sales, fewer complaints, or just getting users to stick around longer. Set these as your targets.

Then, decide on the specific metrics that will tell you if you’re hitting your targets. This could be anything from the number of completed purchases, the time spent on your site, or how many users take a specific action.

Extend Your Data Points

Don’t just focus on the obvious stats like clicks and page views. Look at everything from user feedback to how they navigate your pages. The more data points you collect, the clearer the picture you can paint.

If you have a website, an app, and maybe even a physical presence, make sure your analytics tools are working together so you can see the full picture regardless of where your users are coming from.

Segment Your Data

Not all users are the same, so don’t treat them that way. Group your users based on their behavior, preferences, or demographics to see how different types of users interact with your site differently. 

Doing so can help tailor your approach to fit each segment.

Implement Your Insights

The real value of analytics comes from using what you learn to make improvements. If the data shows users get lost on a certain page, fix it. If they love a feature, consider doubling down on it.

Additionally, always be testing. Use A/B testing to pit two versions of a page against each other and see which one performs better. It’s a great way to keep refining and optimizing based on solid data rather than guesses.

Iterate, Iterate, Iterate!

The digital world moves fast, and you need to do everything you can to stay ahead lest you end up playing an involuntary game of catch-up. Make it a regular task to check in on your analytics and see if what worked before is still working now.

Finally, adjust your strategy as needed based on the latest data and trends. A good digital experience analytics platform should help you see where the trends are heading so you can stay ahead.

How to Use FullSession for Digital Experience Analytics

FullSession is a powerful web analytics tool that helps you understand user behavior on your digital platforms. 

Here’s how you can use FullSession to its full potential:

1. Installation and Setup

Start by adding FullSession to your website. It involves placing a simple script in the header of your website’s HTML. This script will then capture data from user interactions across the site. 

Then, customize settings based on what specifics you need to track. You might want to adjust data collection settings according to privacy regulations like GDPR.

2. Start Tracking User Interactions

FullSession records individual user sessions, which means you can watch replay videos of how users interact with your site. This lets you see exactly where users face issues or enjoy the content the most.

You can also monitor user actions as they happen. Immediate insight can be invaluable for better customer understanding, especially for unexpected interactions.

3. Analyze Heatmaps

Use heatmaps to see where users click, touch, and scroll. Heatmaps show you hot spots (areas with high activity) and cold spots (areas that users ignore), which can help you optimize page layout and design elements.

Then, break down heatmap data by different demographics or user behaviors to understand how specific groups interact differently with your site.

4. Collect and Analyze Feedback

FullSession allows you to collect user feedback directly through your website. You can set up surveys or feedback forms that appear based on user behavior, such as exiting a page or spending a certain amount of time on a site.

Aggregate and analyze feedback to understand common themes or issues that users are experiencing. This direct input from users can be a gold mine for improving user experience.

FullSession Pricing Plans

The FullSession platform offers a 14-day free trial. It provides two paid plans—Basic and Business. Here are more details on each plan.

• The Starter plan costs $39/month or $32/year and allows you to monitor up to 5,000 monthly sessions with up to 6 months of data storage.
• The Business plan costs $75/month or $60/year and helps you to track and analyze up to 100,000 monthly sessions with up to 12 months of data storage.
• The Enterprise plan has custom pricing and offers customizable sessions plus full access to all features.

Book a demo today.

Access Digital Experience Analytics Tools Right Now

It takes less than 5 minutes to set up your digital analytics tools with FullSession, and it's completely free!

FAQs About Digital Experience Analytics

Is digital experience analytics only useful for e-commerce sites?

Not at all! While e-commerce platforms can hugely benefit from DEA, any business with a digital presence can use these tools to improve their user interfaces, marketing strategies, and more.

How technical do I need to be to use DEA tools?

Basic tech-savvy is helpful, but many DEA tools today are designed with user-friendly interfaces that marketing teams can use without deep technical knowledge.

Can digital experience analytics replace traditional market research?

While DEA provides significant insights into user behavior online, it's best used in conjunction with traditional market research methods to provide a comprehensive view of consumer behavior.