Web Analytics is an ever evolving field with many big name players, and plenty of smaller competitors. Deciding what analytics package is the right fit for your site can be a tough process to go through.

Prices range from free (Google analytics) all the way in the tens of thousands of dollars per year (Omniture, Coremetrics, Webtrends). I have compiled a list of some of the top Ecommerce sites in the industry and noted what each site is using below. Hopefully this will help you gauge which product you might want to choose for your site.

Apparel / Fashion

• eBags.com – Google Analytics
• Landsend.com – Omniture SiteCatalyst
• Lids.com – WebTrends
• Bluefly.com – Coremetrics
• LLBean.com – Omniture SiteCatalyst

Electronics

• BestBuy.com – Omniture SiteCatalyst
• TigerDirect.com – Omniture SiteCatalyst
• Crutchfield.com – Omniture SiteCatalyst

Food

• SurLaTable.com – Omniture SiteCatalyst
• Cooking.com – Omniture SiteCatalyst
• Berries.com – Omniture SiteCatalyst

Jewelry

• BlueNile.com – Google Analytics
• Ice.com – Google Analytics
• Diamond.com – Google Analytics

Children / Toys

• OneStepAhead.com – Coremetrics
• KBToys.com – Omniture SiteCatalyst
• BabyAge.com – Google Analytics & Omniture SiteCatalyst

Office

• Staples.com – Coremetrics
• OfficeDepot.com – Coremetrics
• OfficeMax.com – Coremetrics

Mass Merchants

• SmartBargains.com – Coremetrics
• Walmart.com – Omniture SiteCatalyst
• Kmart.com – Omniture SiteCatalyst

Hat tip to grok for putting together the top ecommerce sites by niche

This is the breakdown of my findings. As you can see Omniture seems to be the clear favorite, followed by CoreMetrics and Google analytics and leading the back of the pack WebTrends, which in my opinion is a dieing platform, overpriced, and laden with bugs.

• Omniture SiteCatalyst – 12
• Coremetrics – 6
• Google Analytics – 5
• WebTrends – 1

From my personal experience if you have a small site, or even a large one as you can see above, Google Analytics is a great choice. They offer a free version which is extremely user friendly, as well as a paid version, called Urchin 5 (Urchin 6 is in beta). Urchin is still extroidinarily cheap compared to Omniture, Coremetrics, and Webtrends. If you are looking for FULL functionality and a very robust system you are going to want to choose between Omniture, Coremetrics, and Webtrends, but be ready to shell out thousands of dollars especially if your site gets a lot of traffic. Which platform have you found success with?

Update:

Aaron over at theMadhat pointed out the general pricing on Omniture, Coremetrics and Webtrends:

pricing from low to high: WT, Omniture, Coremetrics. with a diff of around 10k from wt to cm. quote is from last year.

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Courtesy of Michael, more official stats on market share right now in the industry.

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Pratt chimes in with a slick way to use Website Optimizers tests in GA and track metrics other than conversions on links.

BBB Seal -

The Better Business Bureau has been around for a long time. If you have not registered with them then it is highly advisable to look into it. Rates vary, but overall it is pretty inexpensive. This is a common logo that many web goers look for when purchasing online. Contact your local BBB for more info.

SSL Seal -

Examples of this are Verisign, and Equifax (now known as Geotrust). Both companies offer a seal that shows your company is using Secure Socket Layers. SSL is a cryptographic protocol which provides secure communications on the web for such things as email, and order placement as well as a pleura of other data transfers. Critical for any legitimate ebusiness.

100% Guarantees -

This is typically marketing speak that helps reassure to the user that you stand behind what you sell. This sort of thing can vary from company to company, but helps instill confidence in the buyer.

Testimonials -

Common sense here really. Having testimonials quickly lets users know that your site is for real, and puts real experiences out in the open for all to see.

Placing all of the above, above the fold -

I would highly recommend placing the aforementioned bullets, above the fold for best results, especially the BBB and SSL seals. This kind of small tweak can make an impact on the bottom line

Privacy Policy -

Most sites have them, but some do not link them site wide. If you have not placed this site wide, then I would recommend doing so. The privacy policy is just another tactic to reassure your authority to the user.

Abandoned Shopping Cart Emails -

This is a tactic most folks overlook. Acquiring an email beforehand will help facilitate communication after a cart is abandoned. You would be surprised how many folks will come back and order, after they have left the cart. Getting your face in front of them one more time shortly after they have abandoned the cart can really increase sales.