CheetahMail Buys Analytics Vendor

In a move designed to boost the capabilities of its CheetahMail email platform, Experian has acquired Web analytics firm Harvest Solutions. Terms of the deal were not announced.

Through the acquisition, CheetahMail will integrate Harvest’s Enterprise Reporting Solution (ERS) Web analysis and reporting software — now called SiteClarity — with its email platform. CheetahMail will also continue to maintain existing partnerships with other Web analytics companies.

According to a recent Jupiter Research study, 41 percent of marketers plan to begin using Web behavior data to better target email campaigns in the next 12 months. CheetahMail, itself acquired by Experian last June, is among several email service providers who are partnering with or acquiring Web analytics companies to utilize Web site clickstream data in email campaigns.

Others looking to capitalize on this market include ExactTarget, which integrated its email platform with WebTrends in November; and Digital River, which last year acquired ESP BlueHornet and Web analytics provider Fireclick. Analytics players Coremetrics and WebSideStory have built extensive partner programs, integrating their platforms with several ESP partners each, including CheetahMail.