Last October Google announced their next evolution in what is now known as Google Analytics. Google is currently in beta for a product they are calling Universal Analytics. The name chosen for this product is quite prophetic. With UA and the new measurement protocols and collection APIs, you can now measure just about anything and tie it all together (universally even) to your existing web analytics.
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Imagine having data on cost analysis for not only Adwords but other networks you are working with as well. Now you can tie cost per conversion on your banner ad campaign to measure it’s success. Imagine comparing your conversions from your company’s mobile application to the same data your website produces all in the same report. Imagine tracking badge swipes for your building security doors to understand which areas of your office are trafficked the most and will make the most sense to post company memo’s to gain the most visibility. That last example seems kind of crazy but in the new future of Universal Analytics…this is entirely possible. It is a true marriage of offline data into the online world giving you the power of the Google Analytics reporting tools to make more informed decisions about how you run your business.
There was always a way to mash together this kind of information in past but never has Google actually provided the tools on their end to make it happen. The new tool is currently in beta but again another perk of my job as a consultant is to have the pleasure to work with big enterprise companies who get whitelisted into these kinds of betas. Right now I’m on a project that is using Universal Analytics to capture every interaction that happens in a point of sale system, gather up the data into a central computer from every POS terminal in every store, and then deliver the data each night to Google via the new Measurement Protocol. I’m learning lots of new tricks on this project so stay tuned for a new problem solving series of posts that cover such topics…
The good news is that Universal Analytics will eventually be available to all users. So for now take some time to read up on the new Measurement Protocol and start thinking of how you’ll use the new toys when they become available to everyone.
https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/protocol/v1/
