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Data mining stalwarts SPSS Inc. and SAS Institute Inc. are each planning to add more predictive capabilities to their respective Web analytics software offerings.
SPSS announced last week a product called Predictive Web Analytics, which will combine the Chicago-based companys NetGenesis Web analysis software with its flagship Clementine data mining software.
SAS, of Cary, N.C., is developing a bundled offering of its own, to be known as SAS Web Analytics. It is expected to be generally available by the second quarter of next year, after a limited test rollout in the first quarter. The application is expected to combine elements of five existing SAS products to enable predictive analysis of Web site visits, officials said.
Most Web site analysis tools have usually focused on historical analysis of visitors activities at the site, such as page views, click-throughs, and the sites users came from or went to. But predictive capabilities could take that analysis and build customer segmentation models that could build better sites and marketing campaigns, as well as e-mail marketing campaigns, to generate maximum response.
SPSS Predictive Web Analytics will add Clementines data mining engine to NetGenesis Web analytics so that users will be able to detect patterns in large volumes of Web data and predict the best way to serve customers via the Web, officials said.
Clementine performs advanced predictive analysis on customer behavior data in the NetGenesis eDataMart and reports the results of that analysis to the NetGenesis reporting environment.
Users of Predictive Web Analytics will be able to segment site visitors based on their behavior; detect content and product affinities; identify the most significant paths taken through a Web site; and predict visitors propensity to purchase, view particular content or to churn, officials said.
Predictive Web Analytics is available now, with pricing starting at $135,000 plus services.
SAS, meanwhile, is developing a bundled solution for predictive Web analysis that will offer similar capabilities. While the company already delivers predictive Web analysis through its IntelliVisor hosted services for specific vertical industries such as pharmaceuticals and financial services, this bundled solution will add predictive capabilities to SAS WebHound Web analysis tool, officials said.
Plans call for SAS Web Analytics to include technology from WebHound as well as SAS Enterprise Miner, Web Report Studio, Portal and Interaction Manager applications, although the exact product bundling has yet to be determined, officials said.
