» Web site server logs
» Survey-based commerce measurement
» Clickstream data (ISP, browser plug-ins, etc.)

Web site server logs: while these can provide important insight into the behavior of a Web site’s visitors, Web logs provide little or no visibility into the flow of customers into and out of a company’s site. Web logs don’t report consumer transactions at competitive sites, and thus fail to report data about consumer loyalty (e.g. share of wallet). And Web logs often can’t provide demographic analysis, which is often needed to identify core targeting opportunities.

Additionally, inflation in site-server counts of unique visitors can be caused by cookie deletion, as well as unfiltered traffic from bots and spiders and the failure to accurately exclude International traffic.

The comScore Global Network provides a 360-degree view of activity, with integrated offline and attitudinal activity, for a massive and representative sample of the online population. comScore sees activity flow into and out of your site and your competitors’ sites, and how much your most important customers are spending with your competitors. And our panelists provide complete demographic information that drives detailed analysis of activity and opportunities.
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Survey-based commerce measurement: In the absence of a passive measurement approach, it becomes necessary to ask consumers to self-report details of their activity. But to capture routine product purchasing, this approach is flawed because consumers can’t accurately remember the details of everyday purchases over time (nor should they be expected to do so!). In fact, research has shown that consumers can overstate their online purchases by 50-200% or more -- even when asked only moments after checkout. And the cost and time required to conduct such surveys limits sample sizes and reduces accuracy and granularity of results.

comScore’s detailed transaction measurement doesn’t require asking consumers what they bought and for how much – because that information is captured passively and completely using comScore's proprietary technology.

Please note that comScore does employ unique survey technology to track attitudes, emotions, intent, and other important variables that cannot be passively measured.
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Clickstream data (ISP, browser plug-ins, etc.): Is your ISP selling your activity data without your explicit knowledge? Some ISPs allow third party companies to license their subscribers’ activity files. In other cases, programs such as browser plug-ins, file sharing applications, etc. may have embedded software that relays users’ page view activity to a central server for analysis. Perhaps first and foremost, these approaches are questionable because “participants” are often unaware that they are being monitored.

Beyond these privacy issues, these methods suffer from many of the same limitations inherent in both Web log and meter-based systems. Databases are limited to clickstream activity; even ISPs cannot practically capture the complete content within every user session. Demographic data may not be available if participants are not openly asked to provide it. And the behavior and characteristics of users of a given ISP or software package will often show strong skews that make the sample far from representative.

comScore openly enlists panelist participation, with full disclosure of our research activities to allow panelists to make an informed choice of whether to participate. All comScore panelist information is handled in accordance with strict, industry-leading privacy practices. And comScore captures the complete details of activity across a massive consumer sample that spans all ISPs – both in the U.S. and beyond.
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