Imagine if every step you took was recorded; well this is what they call a clickstream. A clickstream records what the user clicks on while using a program or surfing the web. After the user clicks around the site, everything they looked at is logged into a database. The information being saved can be helpful when doing Web analysis, employee analysis, testing software, and while researching a particular market. The downside of clickstream data is that some may feel that it is an invasion of privacy.
Clickstream data is very helpful for creating a business plan. Since every time a user clicks the site it records what there interest are, which sites they visit the most, and what they buy. People can be hired to analyze the web activity of a particular site. Then they can send all that info the market researcher who will then turn all the information to statistics. These statistics can be very helpful in finding a particular market that a particular project can pertain too. That is why when sign onto Yahoo or your favorite clothing website you get those pesky pop up ads. You were put into that particular market due to clickstream data. Since this type of information can be very valuable to certain companies. The information is sold to whoever may need it. By doing so it helps companies figure out there target markets. More and more people are purchasing their items from online stores. This means that a lot of these companies will need to use clickstream to their advantage. This will definitely help companies stay afloat. Clickstream data can help figure out certain usage patterns of their customer so that they can offer items which may be similar to those previously purchased. For example, the web site ecapcity.com is a custom hat website which has hats from all different teams and all different types of makers. Once you have shopped with them before, a profile is created for you each time you make a purchase. The clickstream data they collect to use what teams, color scheme or size hat you wear. So, every time you look at their website, on the left hand sides are related items to help find what you want. Clickstream data is very convenient for web user because it shows them what pages they have been too. Also, it makes pages that have been previously viewed easy to use and find. This type of data has been implemented in many browsers. When you type in a website on your web browser, it records the name of it and organizes it with the rest of them. When you choose to visit the site again, all you need to do is type in the first few letters and the browser should complete the rest for you. Another example would be when you sign into your Facebook or Myspace, you are required to have a username and a password. After signing in a few times, it begins to remember your username making it even easier and faster to check your “comment” or “wall post.”
Clickstream data is a very helpful tool in most cases. Even though at times some may feel it is an invasion of privacy because everything they do online is being recorded. Clickstream data is very helpful in building a more efficient and user friendly website. This is to ensure the satisfaction of new and previous users. Clickstream data is mostly used for good; it makes it easier to view websites that have been previously used. Also, when using certain websites, clickstream data allows them to provide you with related items that may catch your interest. All in all clickstream data is very helpful for the users and the researchers. |