Cabela's Uses Web Analytics to Drive and Maximize Sales

As a major sporting goods and outdoor gear retailer, Cabela’s attempts to integrate their various ways of making sales. The company implements in-store, online, catalog and phone sales, as well as provide customers the option of a mobile experience with applications and a mobile website.

As the nation’s largest direct marketer and a leading specialty retailer of outdoor merchandise, the company must rely on analytics in all forms in order to understand their customer base, including their online resources. The company’s thriving website helps drive their total sales. 

Analytics are a key factor in understanding how to manage their website traffic. Much like the in-store operations, it is necessary to know how customers are finding out about the store, what they are doing while they are there and why they are leaving in the online environment.

Web Analytics

Cabela’s retail locations are very large, with some locations coming in at over 175,000 square feet. While the in-store locations are large, the online space must be even larger. The brand needed a way to not only be able to test their website, but also to be able to provide the services necessary to optimize the website themselves. In order to develop a testing solution, Cabela’s integrated SiteSpect into their current web space. In 2009, the company hired Webtrends for analytics tracking. This inclusion allowed the company to have real-time access to the site’s data and to aggregate information in new ways. 

Content vs. Conversation: Is There A Clear Winner?

There is an ongoing debate, in this social media driven world ours, about the importance of content vs. conversation. People feel strongly about the topic and emotions run high when they defend their own personal stances. The debate is regarding the importance of content and conversation and which one is “king.” Ironically, both arguments admit the critical importance of the opposing view. 

Those who feel that content is king, argue that without good content, there is nothing to talk about. Those who feel that conversation is most important, acknowledge that it takes good content to spark conversation. So which one is king? Can there even be a "king" between these two disciplines? 

Content is King; it will bring conversation.

This side of the argument feels that content is what matters most; the rest will follow as long as the content is good enough. 

Michael Greenberg explains: “First, social marketing efforts need to be driven by content, not vice versa. Without content, there is not a whole lot to talk about. Developing content is not for the faint of heart. You have to constantly develop new ideas and think of new ways to keep your readers or viewers engaged. But think about the benefits. 

Most e-commerce marketers already know how to distribute information. Whether it is through Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, YouTube, press releases, your PR firm, or one of a dozen other channels, there are plenty of ways to get the message out. By making this minor change, thinking of social as purely another mechanism for distribution and taking one step back and viewing yourself as a content publisher, you can really take the best advantage of social marketing.”

Conversation is King; content is just something to talk about.