Online game stores turn to Webtrends for customer analytics

GameStreamer, a b-to-b network that offers digital distribution and streaming of online games, has tapped Webtrends to provide analytics and customer insight for both the company and its partner retailers.

Webtrends Analytics 9, chosen from a field of 5 vendors in a due diligence and testing process, will help GameStreamer and partners monitor visitor activity to their online game stores. GameStreamer offers the analytics tools to its clients as part of its digital distribution service. Information like what types of games customers looked at, where they spent time on the site and what they purchased will be used to help the game stores optimize their content and marketing campaigns.

“We really needed a tool to analyze our own traffic, to know where to localize our services and spend money and development time, but as a b-to-b provider we needed a tool that allowed us to set up sub-accounts to offer Webtrends Analytics 9 as a free service to our customers,” said Timothy Roberts, CEO, GameStreamer. “We wanted an easy-to-use real-time reporting system for our partners, and we also wanted to be able to analyze marketing missions so they can justify the marketing that they're doing on our content.”  

Eventually, GameStreamer will also integrate Webtrends marketing and statistics tools.

Roberts said that his past experience with Webtrends — at Savvis Communications Corp., which he founded — helped steer him toward the analytics company for GameStreamer. He also liked Webtrends for its in-depth dynamic reporting and ability to process large amounts of data. Webtrends is replacing GameStreamer's previous system, which couldn't support the data needs of its white label partners.

GameStreamer operates 3 data centers, each with about 50 servers and has close to 5000 games in its catalog, available for live streaming and downloading. Webtrends works with a variety of high-data-volume clients, including Microsoft, Reuters, General Mills and Ticketmaster.