NEW: Automatic Insights from Google Analytics

Google Analytics for mobiles may just have got a whole lot handier, thanks to the addition of a machine-learning-powered insights feed that promises to provide users with real time revelations regarding their Analytics data. The new feature is now live in the latest iOS and Android versions of the Google Analytics app.

“This addition to Google Analytics lets you see in 5 minutes what might have taken hours to discover previously” – Google blog

From pointers on your site speed and resolution to sales and audience acquisition updates, the automatic insights feature will deliver a host of insights designed to bolster your online business. The feature will use machine learning to identify crucial, actionable insights within the account owner’s data.

And that’s not all! The Google Analytics machine learning system won’t just learn the data trends which are useful to the average business – it will also learn which insights prove most useful to each individual account, tailoring its personalised service accordingly.

Automatic insights is also under development for the web version of Google Analytics, with no public release date scheduled at the time of writing.

Google discussed the new feature’s potential role in an article posted on their Analytics Solutions blog: “Data insights in Google Analytics automate the first steps of answering [the big strategic questions facing retailers] by instantaneously surfacing opportunities and anomalies hiding in the data. For example, they can tell you which products are experiencing higher than normal sales growth, which advertising channels are driving the most conversions and the best returns, and on which devices customers engage with your brand. This moment-to-moment information gives retailers the power to make nimble, smart decisions that directly impact performance.”

Action it!

As digital marketing news publishers (and enthusiasts!), we trawl through dozens, if not hundreds of Google announcements every year. Of all the blog posts, articles, and press releases we’ve read this year, this feels like the big one.

Google has been using machine learning to generate ever-improving search listings for some time now, but this is the first time we’ve this voguish form of AI brought to bear on the Google Analytics product. If it works, this could revolutionise the way decisions are made in ecommerce businesses the world over.

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how we’ll be trying out this intriguing new tool:

• Log-in using our phones (Android or iOS)
• Access the Automatic Insights feed via the Assistant screen
• Review the insights which have been delivered. Compare the findings with what your own team has picked out in recent days/weeks through manual data analysis
• Act upon the insights which you deem to be most useful/relevant to your business. Remember, Google Analytics will be tracking which insights you act upon, so you can help focus its attention on the areas that interest you the most by showing preference for certain types of insight through your actions, or lack thereof.