Analytics Tools Are Still a Challenge for Many

Only a select few users have the means to make data-driven decisions

June 7, 2017 | Marketing Technology

There’s no doubt that analytics solutions are critical for a business’ success, but the complexity and rigidity of analytics offerings are major challenges for many of them, according to behavioral analytics provider Interana.

Almost a third of US analytics users (30.0%) surveyed in March 2017 said their analytics technology is too hard to use, citing complicated interfaces. Some 27.1% also said that the tools require too much coding—another indication of the complexity of these solutions.

Even as analytics providers strive to build solutions accessible to all marketers, there’s still a lack of democratization in the analytics space.

In fact, 62% of respondents said that while employees throughout the organization understand the importance of data, just a few are armed with the tools and knowledge needed to make data-informed decisions. Only 25% said everyone is equipped with the right tools and knowledge.

These findings echo a February 2017 report from Forbes Insights and EY, which points to a broader organizational challenge when it comes to operationalizing analytics. The study found that a relatively small fraction of organizations has mature data and analytics groups at different company levels.

Only 17% of executives worldwide from various industries said these groups exist and are well-aligned.