Online retailer: Brownells
I chose Brownells, the world’s largest supplier of firearm accessories, gun parts and gunsmithing tools, for this week’s blog post due to the recently increased regulations regarding gun ownership and the success the company has had since it developed an e-commerce website in 2002. Located in Iowa, Brownells has provided products and services to the firearms industry for over 70 years, and by fully embracing its web presence, it has more recently become a leader in digital marketing and monitoring. According to Spin Industry (2012), a company that worked with Brownells and Adobe in integrating web analytics into its website, Brownells uses Omniture to learn more about their customers and serve them better.
Techniques
“Brownells monitors and tracks the performance not only of its sites—Brownells.com, PoliceStore.com and SinclairIntl.com—but also competitors’ sites to make sure it remains ahead of the pack. Brownells uses “SmartBear Software’s AlertSite service to monitor the performance and load times for itself and its competitors, and to generate alerts should something go wrong on any of its own sites. The retailer uses the collected data to benchmark performance and to suggest improvements” (Enright, 2012).
Brownells has also focused on reducing page load times by 30 to 40 per cent in recent years by improving the programming for its e-commerce sites. The retailer has also pinpointed where slow-loading vendor services were slowing page load times (Enright, 2012).
In addition to Omniture and SmartBear, Brownells also uses AlertSite data to benchmark its own performance against leading e-retailers outside of its own product category (Enright, 2012). This led Brownells to recently start using a content delivery network, which further sped page load times to consumers around the globe with a series of web servers spread out geographically according to consumer locations. Clayton Whipple, Brownells’ director of e-commerce has said, “We don’t want to be as good as all the major online retailers. We want to better… Consumers may shop us, but they shop other sites, too, and, directly or not, they are comparing us to those experiences.” (Enright, 2012). These improvements have led to higher sales for Brownells simply due to giving “customers a faster, cleaner site,” which results in an increase in conversions, and that leads to dollars for Brownells (Enright, 2012).
Other systems Brownells uses for web analytics and to maintain monitor its digital presence were found within a Marketing Analyst job posting on Brownell’s website. The posting identifies the responsibilities to include web analytics and website optimization/testing platforms. Knowledge of platforms used includes Google Analytics, CoreMetrics, SiteCatalyst, Test & Target, and Discover. Other responsibilities include data analysis using statistical programs like SPSS, SAS, and STATA. Data visualization tool knowledge ranges from Cognos Insight, SAP Visual Analytics; and CRM software includes Salesforce, Oncontact, Sage ACT! (Careers, 2013).
Keywords
Brownells has nearly 40 keywords listed (WebStatZone, 2012) which include the company name with case variations as well as generic terms like gun, guns, firearm, firearms; and gun brand names and styles. The screenshot below gives an overview of Brownell’s Google PageRank, Site Rank, description, and other web stat information.
WebStatZone.com (2012)
Use of data collected
Through its various data collection and analytical reporting capabilities, Brownells has learned that “65% of its customers shoot more than 25 times per year, in activities ranging from plinking to big game and varmint hunting” (Spin Industry, 2012). In 2011, Brownells further segmented and assessed its customers needs and announced that it would carry a full selection of quality, brand name ammunition in addition to supplying firearms parts, accessories and gunsmithing tools to armorers, gunsmiths and shooters worldwide.
According to the Brownells’ website privacy policy (2013), the company “may automatically collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns, including details of your visits to our Websites, including traffic data, location data, logs and other communication data and the resources that you access and use on the Websites, and information about your computer and internet connection, including your IP address, operating system and browser type.” The policy explains that this information improves the website and delivers a better and more personalized service. The data allows Brownells to estimate its audience size and usage patterns; store information about user preferences; customize the Websites according to individual interests; speed up searches; and recognize users upon returning to their Websites.
The privacy policy also outlines disclosure of user information. Information about Brownells’ website visitors is aggregated but does not identify any individual; however, personal user information can be supplied to subsidiaries and affiliates; to contractors, service providers and other third parties; and to a buyer or other successor (Privacy Policy, 2013).
While Brownells does not name the subsidiaries or affiliates, it does not take a mental giant to assume at least one of those affiliates is the NRA (National Rifle Association).
Third-generation CEO Pete Brownell is a member of the National Rifle Association board, and the company is a high-dollar donor to the powerful gun-rights organization, giving between $1 million to $4.9 million since 2005 (Eller, 2013). Most Brownells site visitors may not have worry about their information being shared, as most websites use this practice, but some users may not want a frequently debated organization such as the NRA having access to their information.
Additional tools, data collection methods, or metrics for improved efforts
Available research shows that Brownells is highly effective in gathering data, collecting intelligence and using a variety of web analytics tools. The information in this blog is not exhaustive of Brownells procedures and is only based on publicly reported information. If not already performed, Brownells could improve its efforts with metrics containing geographical mapping of user locations in consideration of state gun laws. This technique would be useful to determine how legislation impacts sales in those areas. In the same vein, collecting and comparing data from states with heavy citizen gun ownership versus minimal gun ownership would be useful in pinpointing potential audiences.
References
Brownells. (2013). Careers. Retrieved March 2, 2013 from http://www.brownells.com/aspx/general/careers.aspx?postingid=127&catid=1
Eller, D. (2013, February 2). A look inside Brownells, Iowa distributor of firearms accessories. Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 2, 2013 from http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20130203/BUSINESS/302030032/A-look-inside-Brownells-Iowa-distributor-firearms-accessories
Enright, A. (2012, March 7). Brownells takes aim at site performance. Internet Retailer. Retrieved March 2, 2013 from http://www.internetretailer.com/2012/03/07/brownells-takes-aim-site-performance
PI Reed School of Journalism. (2013). Lesson 7: Advanced Google Analytics. Retrieved March 2, 2013 from ecampus.wvu.edu
Spin Industry. (2012). Case study: Brownells. Retrieved March 2, 2013 from http://www.spindustry.com/aspx/casestudydetail.aspx?id=2
WebStatZone. (2012, September 22). Brownells.com – Overview. Retrieved March 2, 2013 from http://www.webstatzone.com/stat/brownells.com.htm
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