The switch to Google Tag Manager has led to a threefold increase in customer touchpoints that InsureandGo can measure. Previously the team monitored three touchpoints during the purchase journey, while now they look at nine. With more data at their disposal, it's easier and faster to put new approaches into effect.
Approach
Implemented Google Tag Manager
Used Google Analytics auto-event tracking, custom dimensions and advanced segments
Tested new approaches in real-time
Goals
Gain holistic view of customer journey
Understand consumer decision making process
Apply insights to website optimisations
Results
Reduced time to test strategies from months to weeks
Increased measurable touchpoints by threefold
Using insight from tracking product events, cut a specific product price to increase ecommerce rate and transactions by 5%
InsureandGo is the biggest travel insurance specialist in the UK. Online from the start, the business launched in 2000 to offer customers high value travel insurance at low prices. InsureandGo started using Google Analytics several years ago to get insights on site conversion rates, funnels, customer behaviour and page optimisations. "Transactions and revenue are the end metric," says digital marketing manager Foster Congrave. "Google Analytics is a key reporting tool."
Putting customers into sharper focus
In recent months, the team has increased its emphasis on comprehending the full customer journey. Foster explains, "We've done a lot on event tagging so we can understand the decision making process in each area of the business, to see what the different conversion rates are and which products to display and where."
Google Analytics is at the core of understanding our customer website journey.
To make this easier, InsureandGo began using Google Tag Manager. "Now we're tagging everything we can on the site, which has made a big difference to our insights," Foster says. "It brings the power of tagging into the marketing team."
Google Tag Manager requires just one standard snippet of code to be added to each page of the website. Its simple user interface stores all tags in one place, so you never have to access the code again in order to add, manage or change tags. This takes the task of tagging off the IT team and puts it in the hands of marketing. The tool's debugging console and preview mode make it quick and easy to check tags and minimise errors.
"Before, we missed opportunities because tag changes required a website release," says head of marketing Simon Everett. "Since we've enabled Google Tag Manager on the site, it's enabled the marketing team to measure more on-site actions. For example, auto-event tracking helps us understand more granular customer actions, how to market and what to sell. We can make decisions much quicker and see within a few weeks whether the strategy has worked, whereas before it would have taken six to nine months."
This streamlined system of tagging means that the InsureandGo team can derive maximum benefit from key Google Analytics features in the form of actionable insights. For example, they use custom dimensions — linked into events — to see where policies are being sold. Another custom dimension enables them to see what travel destinations their customers are buying insurance for. Meanwhile, using advanced segments shows what devices consumers are using to visit the site, forming the basis for future optimisations.
Agility and intelligence through Google tools
These capabilities have added up to greater agility and intelligence for the InsureandGo digital marketing team. "It makes it much easier for us to measure mobile, desktop and tablet side by side," Simon says. "Google Analytics allows us to analyse users to a very granular level and see specific customer journeys, for example by particular segments and technology types."
The switch to Google Tag Manager has led to a threefold increase in customer touchpoints that InsureandGo can measure. Previously the team monitored three touchpoints during the purchase journey, while now they look at nine. With more data at their disposal, it's easier and faster to put new approaches into effect. "For example, insight from tracking product events led us to action a specific product price decrease," says Foster. "This led to a 5% increase in total ecommerce rate and transactions."
The advice to others hoping to replicate the company's success in this area? "Google Analytics can answer any question you want, so make sure you know what you want to ask," he says. "Be clear about what the challenges are so that you can get your setup right to answer those challenges."
