Web Analytics in Brazil, Part II (South America, Part II)

An interview with Paulo Lindoso.

What differences have you noticed in the approach to web analytics if you compare Brazil to the United States?

I don’t have enough knowledge about the US scene to comment on that, but I find the Brazilian scene to be very amateurish still. There are exceptions, but people don’t quite understand the importance of web analytics in their businesses. I have found big (and I mean BIG!) companies that don’t even have Google Analytics or any other tools (not even WebTrends).

Which are the biggest three vendors in Brazil?

WebTrends is a major force. There are also some local (yet very good) solutions in the JS-tagging arena. The one that grabs my attention in Predicta. I haven’t yet found any formal studies regarding the web analytics market.

What is the biggest challenge facing web analytics in Brazil?

My personal view is that it is to spread the word. Some big companies don’t use any form of web analytics tool and still navigate in the dark. I think the market has yet to mature A LOT since you can find both free and expensive solutions. You don’t find many companies that employ web analysts and all research here is still in its infancy. Online media accounts for 3% of all expenditure in advertising, for instance. There is a huge room for growth, but very few devoted professionals. The discipline of web analytics (and anything web-related for that matter) is still somewhat underrated and underpaid.

Do you think web user behavior is different in Brazil compared to the United States?

It appears like that, judging from my own research. Studies indicate that Brazilians navigate more than Americans. There are several discrepancies in different polls, but it also seems that less-favored classes (working class, and people earning less than US$500/month) have a strong presence on the Brazilian Internet, accounting for nearly 40% of local e-commerce.

Brazilian users tend to spend less time on sites than Americans, but again research is somewhat contradictory. We also like to start surfing from portals, and the 3 big ones down here (www.uol.com.br, www.terra.com.br & www.ig.com.br) create more than 90% of local traffic.

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Paulo Lindoso has been working with web analytics tools for eight years. He is an engineer who has an MBA. He is currently working as product manager for Dimension Data and is responsible for Webfeel.