3 Top Reasons Why You Should Choose a Flexible Analytics Tool

Do you want to expand your online store? Sooner or later you’ll find out that you need an analytical tool. Up-to-date and properly selected information will help you make more accurate business decisions, and automatic report generation - to save a lot of time.
 
There are many tools for analytics available on the market, and choosing the right one can be difficult. The first thing that comes to mind is reaching for free of charge and bacis platforms for data collection and processing. Unfortunately, these are not always worth recommending. In this article, we’ll explain why it’s implementing a flexible and powerful tool early on in your business is the right choice.

Your store is unique

You may think that your store is quite similar to other online stores. After all, it offers assortment divided into relevant categories, displays sliders and promotional banners, and has dedicated subpages for each product. It seems obvious that the buyer must first add the item to the shopping cart, then fill out several forms, and finally confirm the order. But, hold on - are you sure?
 
In fact, your store may significantly differ from the others, in many ways. Let’s take a look at a few examples:
 

• Your store has a wishlist or product storage feature,

• You offer the ability to quickly preview a product without going to the product page,
  Your "Add to Cart" button is located directly on the product list,

• It is not necessary to create an account and log in to place an order in your store,

• You have a very simple or very comprehensive order form,

• You sell physical products, digital products or both,

• You offer a variety of payment and delivery methods.
   
  As you can see, even if your store is based on exactly the same template as many others, the combination of functionalities and settings is always unique. This is why data analysis conducted with a tool not prepared for various scenarios may turn out to be difficult and incomplete.

2. Your purchasing and logistics process is unique

Another important reason to consider using a flexible analytics tool is your order placement and fulfillment process.
 
Information about transactions in your shop are probably stored in the database of the platform you use, such as Woocommerce, Magento, Shoplo or Shopify. However, this is not the only source of data, as you can use many external systems which are much more comprehensive.
 
Think about it: you most probably work with an accountant or an external logistics company. What's more, you may also have (or will have in the future) installed add-ons such as marketing automation programs or mailing and advertising systems. A simple tool will never be able to provide you with a configuration which would be advanced enough to cover all your data.

3. Your needs are unique

In addition to the fact that the functioning of your store and the purchasing process are unique, you may also have other needs related to data analysis. Usually they depend on the specificity of your industry. The disadvantage of ready-made platforms available on the market have pre-programmed functionalities with reports built on specific templates. Without having too much influence on their design, it will be very difficult for you to configure and customize them accordingly to your individual needs.
 
Of course, you can always opt for such solutions. However, be aware that you will probably need to supplement the data obtained by the platform with additional spreadsheets. Preparing them manually will take a long time and thus you will never be able to enjoy fully automated analytics.
 
What is a good analytics tool?
So, is there an analytical tool which will fit all the factors and needs mentioned above? Has it ever happened to you that you could not add a new column in your analytical system or that the tool was like a closed box?
 

 
Finding a ready-made solution which would be up to this task is actually impossible. If you want your data analysis to be really reliable and bring measurable results, consider implementing a tool that will really be able to flexibly adapt to your needs.
But what does it mean to “flexibly adapt”? Here are some examples:
 

• It allows you to create additional columns to your report with values of your choice,

• Combines data from all sources, even custom ones,

• Presents data in charts, tables, and dashboards flexibly,

• Allows you to export data and use it in other places and programs.

To give you an example, WitCloud stores all your data in raw form on Google BigQuery. This way you can always have full access and use it in any way you like, e.g. by creating additional attribution models or sending them to Google Ads for automatic campaign optimization. Thanks to this solution, you will not only be able to freely analyze the data, but also immediately use it in your marketing activities.

How to choose an analytics tool?

 
Before choosing a particular analytics platform, ask yourself some important questions:
 

• What data do I want to analyze and in which form should it be presented in reports?

• Can this tool be easily customized to meet my individual requirements?

• Can I make changes to the settings on my own?

• Can I create customized reports?

• Can I integrate the analytical system with other tools?

• Can I export data?
   
  Answering these questions will give you a clue as to whether the tool you are considering has a chance to meet your expectations.
   
  Keep in mind that as your business grows, your needs and the infrastructure of your store may, and will certainly change. All the more it is worth reaching for a flexible tool that you will be able to flexibly adapt to the current situation.
   

A few words about WitCloud

Are you still with us? Then take a look at our WitCloud analytics tool. We've created it to ensure simple and quick adjustment to whatever needs its users may have.
 
Here’s the list of some WitCloud’s perks:
 

• It stores all your data in the form of Google BigQuery, so you can export and use it in any way you want, including optimizing ads in Google Ads and creating new attribution models,

• It creates reports in an easy-to-use tool (Google Data Studio), so you can flexibly edit and adapt them according to your individual needs,

• It enables easy integration of CRM systems data or advertising accounts with Google Analytics data,

• With your knowledge of SQL language or our help it can be almost freely modified and used to create dedicated enterprise projects that will exactly match your needs.
   
  If you are still wondering which analytical tool is the right choice for you, feel free to contact us. We will be happy to advise you on solutions which are worth checking out at your stage of online business development, and, if necessary, we will show you the work and configuration options of our tool.