Google Analytics recently added a cohort analysis report as a feature. This report is very easy to set up, and useful when you are looking at user behavior over time. The true value of the report comes from segmenting the data. In the video example below, the segments of data are “All Sessions,” “Email,” “Paid Search,” and “Users who completed a transaction.” We can use this data in combination with our marketing efforts to better understand post first visit interactions with the website.
Conclusion
With the holiday’s coming soon, many sites see additional traffic. This is a good time to make use of cohort reporting. You can use the report to analyze behavior in the days and months following the holiday shopping cycle. The reporting gives you a view into your traffic retention, and knowing the buying cycle can help you time marketing campaigns to improve your traffic and retention.
