Trends

Analyzing Trends with Usermaven

Trends in Usermaven is a powerful tool designed to help SaaS businesses visualize and analyze key metrics over time. It allows you to plot data from people, events, and properties in any way you want.

By utilizing this feature, you can identify patterns, track performance, and make informed, data-driven decisions about your product or service.

Benefits of using Trends

  • Performance tracking: Monitor how key metrics change over time, helping you identify trends in your product's performance.

  • Identifying patterns: Spot recurring patterns in user behavior or product usage, which can inform decision-making and strategy.

  • Data-driven decisions: Use gathered insights to refine marketing strategies, product features, and overall business strategies.

  • Customizable analysis: For deeper insights, break down data by various dimensions, such as events, sessions, or UTM parameters.

Below is the number of signed up users on ContentStudio, which is one of our partner brands and a social media management tool.

trends 1

Here is a line graph for the same metric. It gives you the total number of signed up users over the selected time period, showing how the trend changes over time.

trends 2

You can also break these users down by certain event and session properties, helping you get detailed insights into how different user groups are performing or each designed metric.

This is what it looks like if you break your user base down on the basis of countries.

trends 3

Setting up the Trends dashboard

To create a new Trend or to set up the Trends dashboard from scratch, follow the given steps:

  1. On your Web Analytics dashboard, navigate to the "Trends" section in the left sidebar.

  2. Click on the “Create Trend” button to start setting up your new trend.

  3. You'll then be presented with a series of options to configure your trend:

  • Trend name: Enter a clear, descriptive name for your trend at the top of the page. Choose something that reflects the data you’ll be analyzing.

  • Select Event: In the "Metric 1" section, select an event from the "Select Event" dropdown. Options include:

Event TypeDescription
Custom EventsThese are the events you track using the usermaven("track", "EVENT_NAME") function. All your passed custom events will appear in the drop down menu here.
EventsThese are the standard events in Usermaven, e.g., Page Views.
Pinned EventsThese are your pinned auto-captured events or the ones you create on your pinned events dashboard.

Please read our creating pinned events (opens in a new tab) and sending custom events (opens in a new tab) docs for detailed information on each of these events.

You can add as many metrics as you want and edit the names of each according to your needs.

  • Add a filter to the metric: You can add a filter to each specific metric as well. To do so, click on the specified button and select filters based on event and session properties.

  1. Events and Events Properties: An event is a specific interaction that a user has with content on your site or app. Event Properties are attributes associated with the event, which provide more context about that specific interaction. For example:

City: The location where the event occurred, giving insight into geographic user engagement

  1. Sessions and Sessions Properties: A session is a group of user interactions (including events) that take place on your site or app within a given time frame (typically 30 minutes of inactivity). Session Properties are characteristics associated with the session as a whole, providing insight into user behavior during that specific time. For example:

City: The origin of the session, indicating where the user came from at the beginning of their activities.

Events Properties

PropertyDescription
Ad IDUnique identifier for the advertisement.
Base Page URLThe core URL of the page where the event occurred, excluding query parameters and fragment identifiers.
CityCity where the event took place.
Bot TrafficIndicates whether the visitor is identified as an automated program (bot) rather than a human user.
ContinentContinent where the event took place.
CountryFull name of the country where the event took place.
DoubleClick IDDoubleClick click identifier.
EventRepresents the type of user activity or interaction, ranging from built-in Usermaven events (pageview, autocaptured) to custom-defined events.
Full Page URLThe complete web address of the page where the user action occurred, including the domain, path, and any parameters.
Page PathThe specific section of the website address after the domain name, showing the location of the page where the event occurred.
Page TitleTitle of the web page where the event occurred.
RegionRegion (state or province) where the event took place.
Root DomainThe main part of the website address where the event occurred, without any subdomains, paths, or parameters.
URL Query ParametersThe part of the web address that comes after a question mark (?), containing additional information passed to the page.
User IDUnique identifier for the user associated with the event.
Website DomainThe domain name of the website where the event occurred, extracted from the document URL.
Workspace FiltersWorkspace filters as defined in the workspace. Select 0 to filter out unwanted traffic.

Sessions Properties

PropertyDescription
Ad IDUnique identifier for the advertisement from first event in the session.
Auto-Captured EventsNumber of events automatically captured during the session.
BrowserThe browser used during the session.
CityCity where the session originated.
ContinentContinent where the session originated.
CountryShort-code of the country where the session originated.
Country NameFull name of the Country where the session originated.
DoubleClick IDDoubleClick click identifier from first event in the session.
Facebook Click IDFacebook click identifier from first event in the session.
First Page DomainThe domain name of the first page visited in the session.
First Page PathThe specific section of the website address for the first page visited.
First Page Path And ScrollThe path and scroll depth of the first page visited.
First Page Query ParametersAny query parameters in the URL of the first page visited.
First Page Root DomainThe root domain of the first page visited in the session, without subdomains.
First Page Scroll Depth (%)The maximum scroll depth reached on the first page visited, as a percentage.
First Page TitleThe title of the first page visited.
First Page URLThe complete web address of the first page visited in the session.
Google Click IDGoogle Ads click identifier from first event in the session.
Google Web Browser API IDGoogle Web Browser API click identifier from first event in the session.
Kakao Click IDKakao click identifier from first event in the session.
Last Page DomainThe domain name of the last page visited in the session.
Last Page PathThe specific section of the website address for the last page visited.
Last Page Path And ScrollThe path and scroll depth of the last page visited.
Last Page Query ParametersAny query parameters in the URL of the last page visited.
Last Page Scroll Depth (%)The maximum scroll depth reached on the last page visited, as a percentage.
Last Page TitleThe title of the last page visited in the session.
Last Page URLThe complete web address of the last page visited in the session.
LinkedIn Click IDLinkedIn click identifier from first event in the session.
Microsoft Click IDMicrosoft Advertising click identifier from first event in the session.
Operating SystemThe operating system used during the session.
Page ViewsTotal number of pages viewed during the session.
Referrer URLThe website address that led the user to your site for this session.
RegionRegion (state or province) where the session originated.
Screen ResolutionThe screen resolution of the device used during the session.
Session ChannelThe marketing channel of this session, as identified in the initial touchpoint.
Session Duration (Seconds)The total duration of the session in seconds.
Session End TimeDate and time when the session ended.
Session SourceThe source of traffic for this session, as identified in the initial touchpoint.
Session Start TimeDate and time when the session began.
Source IPIP address from which the session originated.
TikTok Click IDTikTok click identifier from first event in the session.
Twitter Click IDTwitter click identifier from first event in the session.
User AgentThe full user agent string of the browser used during the session.
User IDUnique identifier for registered users.
UTM CampaignIdentifies a specific product promotion or strategic campaign, as specified in UTM parameters.
UTM ContentIdentifies what specifically was clicked to bring the user to the site, as specified in UTM parameters.
UTM MediumIdentifies what type of link was used, as specified in UTM parameters.
UTM SourceIdentifies which site sent the traffic, as specified in UTM parameters.
UTM TermIdentifies search terms used in paid search campaigns, as specified in UTM parameters.
  • Select metrics: Choose a metric for the selected event in the "Select Metrics" dropdown. Options include:
MetricDescription
Event CountThe total number of events
Count of SessionsTotal count of sessions in which the event was performed
Event PropertyTotal count of sessions in which the event was performed
Unique VisitorsTotal number of unique visitors
  • Add Metrics: To add more metrics, click the "Add Metric" button and repeat the above stated steps for each additional metric.

  • Date range: Set the date range for your trend analysis using the date picker. You can set a custom date range or set it granularly.

  • Breakdown by: This helps you segment your data by different dimensions. You can select your specific dimension based on ‘Events Properties’ or ‘Sessions Properties.’

  1. Events and Events Properties: An event is a specific interaction that a user has with content on your site or app. Event Properties are attributes associated with the event, which provide more context about that specific interaction. For example:

City: The location where the event occurred, giving insight into geographic user engagement.

  1. Sessions and Sessions Properties: A session is a group of user interactions (including events) that take place on your site or app within a given time frame (typically 30 minutes of inactivity). Session Properties are characteristics associated with the session as a whole, providing insight into user behavior during that specific time. For example:

City: The origin of the session, indicating where the user came from at the beginning of their activities.

Events Properties

PropertyDescription
Base Page URLThe core URL of the page where the event occurred, excluding query parameters and fragment identifiers.
CityCity where the event took place.
ContinentContinent where the event took place.
CountryFull name of the country where the event took place.
EventRepresents the type of user activity or interaction, ranging from built-in Usermaven events to custom-defined events.
Full Page URLThe complete web address of the page where the user action occurred, including the domain, path, and any parameters.
Google Click IDGoogle Ads click identifier.
Page PathThe specific section of the website address after the domain name, showing the location of the page where the event occurred.
Page TitleTitle of the web page where the event occurred.
RegionRegion (state or province) where the event took place.
Root DomainThe main part of the website address where the event occurred, without any subdomains.
URL Query ParametersThe part of the web address that comes after a question mark, containing additional information passed to the page.
Website DomainThe domain name of the website where the event occurred, extracted from the document URL.
Workspace FiltersWorkspace filters as defined in the workspace. Select 0 to filter out unwanted traffic.

Sessions Properties

PropertyDescription
Bot TrafficIndicates whether the visitor is identified as an automated program (bot) rather than a human user.
BrowserThe browser used during the session.
CityCity where the session originated.
ContinentContinent where the session originated.
CountryShort-code of the country where the session originated.
Country NameFull name of the Country where the session originated.
First Page DomainThe domain name of the first page visited in the session.
First Page PathThe specific section of the website address for the first page visited.
First Page Query ParametersAny query parameters in the URL of the first page visited.
First Page Root DomainThe root domain of the first page visited in the session, without subdomains.
First Page TitleThe title of the first page visited in the session.
First Page URLThe complete web address of the first page visited in the session.
Google Click IDGoogle Ads click identifier from first event in the session.
Last Page DomainThe domain name of the last page visited in the session.
Last Page PathThe specific section of the website address for the last page visited.
Last Page Query ParametersAny query parameters in the URL of the last page visited.
Last Page TitleThe title of the last page visited in the session.
Last Page URLThe complete web address of the last page visited in the session.
Operating SystemThe operating system used during the session.
Referrer URLThe website address that led the user to your site for this session.
RegionRegion (state or province) where the session originated.
Screen ResolutionThe screen resolution of the device used during the session.
Session ChannelThe marketing channel of this session, as identified in the initial touchpoint.
Session SourceThe source of traffic for this session, as identified in the initial touchpoint.
Source IPIP address from which the session originated.
User AgentThe full user agent string of the browser used during the session.
User IDUnique identifier for registered users.
UTM CampaignIdentifies a specific product promotion or strategic campaign, as specified in UTM parameters.
UTM ContentIdentifies what specifically was clicked to bring the user to the site, as specified in UTM parameters.
UTM MediumIdentifies what type of link was used, as specified in UTM parameters.
UTM SourceIdentifies which site sent the traffic, as specified in UTM parameters.
UTM TermIdentifies search terms used in paid search campaigns, as specified in UTM parameters.
  • Filters: Add filters to focus on specific segments of your data by clicking the "Add Filter" button. You can filter by various dimensions and properties related to your events and sessions.

Events Properties

PropertyDescription
Ad IDUnique identifier for the advertisement.
Base Page URLThe core URL of the page where the event occurred, excluding query parameters and fragment identifiers. For example, if a user visited "https://www.example.com/products?category=electronics#featured (opens in a new tab)," the base page URL would be "https://www.example.com/products (opens in a new tab)."
CityThe city where the event took place.
CountryFull name of the country where the event took place.
DoubleClick IDDoubleClick click identifier.
EventRepresents the type of user activity or interaction, ranging from built-in Userman events (pageview, auto-captured) to custom-defined events.
Full Page URLThe complete web address of the page where the user action occurred, including the domain, path, and any parameters.
Page PathThe specific section of the website after the domain name, showing the location of the page where the event occurred. For example, in "www.example.com/products/item1 (opens in a new tab)," the page path would be "/products/item1."
Page TitleTitle of the web page where the event occurred.
RegionRegion where the event took place.
Root DomainThe main part of the website where the event occurred, without any subdomains. For example, if the full address was 'blog.example.com/page', the root domain would be 'example.com'.
URL Query ParametersThe part of the web address that comes after the question mark (?), containing specific data passed to the page. For example, in 'www.example.com/search?query=shoes&color=blue (opens in a new tab)', the query parameters would be 'query=shoes&color=blue'.
User IDUnique identifier for the user associated with the event
Website DomainThe domain name of the website where the event occurred, extracted from the document URL. This represents the top-level site without subdomains, paths, or parameters. For example, if the full URL is 'https://blog.example.com/posts/2023/privacy-policy?lang=en (opens in a new tab)', the website domain would be 'example.com'.
Workspace FiltersWorkspaces as defined in the workspace. Select to filter out unwanted traffic.

Sessions Properties

PropertyDescription
Ad IDA unique identifier for the advertisement from the first event in the session.
Auto-Captured EventsNumber of events automatically captured during the session.
Bot TrafficThis indicates whether the visitor is identified as an automated program (bot) rather than a human user.
BrowserThe web browser used during the session.
CityThe city where the session originated.
ContinentThe continent from which the session originated.
CountryThe short code representing the country where the session originated.
Country NameThe full name of the country where the session originated.
Custom EventsThe number of custom events triggered during the session.
DoubleClick IDThe identifier for DoubleClick clicks from the first event in the session.
Facebook Click IDThe Facebook click identifier from the first event in the session.
First Page DomainThe domain name of the first page visited during the session.
First Page PathThe specific section of the website's address for the first page visited.
First Page Path And ScrollThe path and scroll depth of the first page visited during the session.
First Page Query ParametersAny query parameters in the URL of the first page visited.
First Page Root DomainThe root domain of the first page visited in the session, without subdomains.
First Page Scroll Depth (%)The maximum scroll depth reached on the first page visited, expressed as a percentage.
First Page TitleThe title of the first page visited in the session.
First Page URLThe complete web address of the first page visited in the session.
Google Click IDGoogle Ads click identifier from the first event in the session.
Google Web Browser API IDClick identifier from the first event in the session related to the web browser API.
Kakao Click IDKakao click identifier from the first event in the session.
Last Page DomainThe domain name of the last page visited in the session.
Last Page PathThe specific section of the website address of the last page visited.
Last Page Path And ScrollThe path and scroll depth of the last page visited.
Last Page Query ParametersAny query parameters in the URL of the last page visited.
Last Page Scroll Depth (%)The maximum scroll depth reached on the last page visited, expressed as a percentage.
Last Page TitleThe title of the last page visited in the session.
Last Page URLThe complete web address of the last page visited in the session.
LinkedIn Click IDThe unique identifier for a click event tracked from LinkedIn during the session.
Microsoft Click IDThe unique identifier for a click event tracked from Microsoft Advertising during the session.
Operating SystemThe operating system that was used during the session.
Page ViewsThe total number of pages that were viewed during the session.
Referrer URLThe website address that directed the user to your site for this session.
RegionThe state or province where the session originated.
Screen ResolutionThe screen resolution of the device that was used during the session.
Session ChannelThe marketing channel of this session, as identified in the initial touchpoint.
Session Duration (Seconds)The total length of the session measured in seconds.
Session End TimeThe date and time when the session ended.
Session SourceThe source of traffic for this session, as identified in the initial touchpoint.
Session Start TimeThe date and time when the session began.
Source IPThe IP address from which the session originated.
TikTok Click IDThe unique identifier for a click event tracked from TikTok during the session.
Twitter Click IDThe unique identifier for a click event tracked from Twitter during the session.
User AgentInformation about the user's browser and device used during the session.
User IDA unique identifier assigned to registered users.
UTM CampaignSpecifies a particular product promotion or strategic campaign, as outlined in UTM parameters.
UTM ContentIdentifies what specifically was clicked to lead the user to the site, as detailed in UTM parameters.
UTM MediumDescribes the type of link used, as defined in UTM parameters.
UTM SourceIndicates the source from which the user originates, as specified in UTM parameters.
  • Visualization options

Choose between different chart types using the dropdown next to the "Options" button:

1. Counter trends 5

2. Line (Time Series) trends 6

3. Bar (Time Series) bar time series 4. Table (Time Series) table time series

5. Bar (No Time Series) bar no time series

6. Table (No Time Series) table no time series

7. Donut (No Time Series) donut no time series

Use the "Options" button to customize your chart:

1. Show Legend

This option displays a legend on the graph, identifying what each line or data series represents. In the given graphs, it shows that the purple line represents "signed_up" events. show legend

2. Show as % of total

This option changes the y-axis to display values as percentages of the total rather than absolute numbers. When enabled, it provides a relative view of the data, showing how each data point contributes to the whole. show as age of total

3. Show Uncategorized

This option includes any data that doesn't fit into predefined categories. When enabled, it ensures that all data is represented in the graph, even if it doesn't fall into main categorizations. show as uncategorized

4. Data Range (e.g., Top 10, Top 25, Show All)

  • Show All: Displays all available data points on the graph without any limitation.

  • Top 5: Limits the display to only the top 5 highest values or most significant data points.

  • Top 10: Limits the display to only the top 10 highest values or most significant data points.

  • Top 25: Limits the display to only the top 25 highest values or most significant data points. top 25

Hover over data points to see detailed information for specific dates. You can also select more than one options at a time.

Use Case Examples

1. Analyzing Sign-ups by Country

Steps to create this insight:

  1. Set the Trend Name to "Signed up".

  2. Under "Select Event", choose "Signed Up" from the dropdown menu.

  3. For "Select Metrics", pick "Event Count" to track the number of sign-ups.

  4. In the "Breakdown By" section, select "Country" to segment the data by geographical location.

  5. Set the time range to "Last 30 days" and the interval to "Day" for a detailed daily breakdown.

  6. Choose "Bar" as the chart type to visualize the data.

Benefits:

1. Geographical performance insights: Quickly identify which countries are generating the most sign-ups, helping you focus your marketing efforts on high-performing regions.

2. Trend identification: Spot patterns in sign-up rates across different countries over time, enabling you to adapt your strategies accordingly.

3. Resource allocation: Use this data to make informed decisions about where to invest in localization, marketing campaigns, or customer support.

This setup allows you to see the number of sign-ups from different countries over the past month, helping you identify your strongest markets and potential areas for growth.

2. Tracking Paid Customers by Plan Name

Steps to create this insight:

  1. Set the Trend Name to "Paid customers by plan name".

  2. Under "Select Event", choose "Plan Upgraded" to track when users change their subscription.

  3. For "Select Metrics", pick "Event Count" to measure the number of upgrades.

  4. In the "Breakdown By" section, select "Plan_name" to segment the data by different subscription tiers.

  5. Set the time range to "Last 30 days" to focus on recent activity.

  6. Choose "Bar" as the chart type for clear comparison between plan types.

Benefits:

1. Product offering insights: Understand which plans are most popular among your customers, helping you refine your pricing strategy and product offerings.

2. Upsell opportunities: Identify potential areas for upselling by analyzing which plans users tend to upgrade to most frequently.

3. Revenue forecasting: Use this data to predict future revenue based on upgrade patterns and plan popularity.

This configuration allows you to visualize which plans are most popular among your paying customers, giving you insights into your product pricing and feature offerings.

3. Analyzing Sign-ups and Plan Upgrades by Channel

Steps to create this insight:

  1. Set the Trend Name to "Sign-ups and plan upgraded by channel".

  2. Add two metrics:

  • First metric: Select "Signed Up" as the event and "Unique Visitors" as the metric.

  • Second metric: Select "Plan Upgraded" as the event and "Unique Visitors" as the metric.

  1. In the "Breakdown By" section, choose "Session Channel" to segment data by marketing channels.

  2. Set the time range from August 10, 2024 to September 9, 2024, and the interval to "Week" for a weekly breakdown.

  3. Choose "Bar" as the chart type, which will create a stacked bar chart showing both metrics.

  4. In the "Filters" section, add a dimension filter for "Session Channel" to focus on specific channels if needed.

Benefits:

1. Channel effectiveness: Easily compare the performance of different marketing channels in driving both sign-ups and upgrades, helping you optimize your marketing mix.

2. Budget allocation: Use these insights to allocate your marketing budget more effectively by focusing on the channels that drive the most valuable conversions.

3. Funnel analysis: Understand how users progress from sign-up to plan upgrade across different channels, allowing you to tailor your marketing strategies for each stage of the customer journey.

This setup provides a comprehensive view of how different marketing channels contribute to both sign-ups and plan upgrades over time, allowing you to assess the effectiveness of your marketing efforts across the customer journey.

By following these steps for each use case, you can create powerful, customized insights using Usermaven's Trends feature. These insights will help you make data-driven decisions to optimize your marketing strategies, improve user acquisition and retention, and drive overall business growth.

Tips for Using Trends Effectively

  • Use the "Add Metric" feature to compare related metrics side by side.

  • Experiment with different date ranges and granularities to uncover both short-term fluctuations and long-term trends.

  • Use breakdowns and filters to drill down into specific user segments or behaviors.

  • Try different visualization types to find the most effective way to represent your data.

  • Regularly review your trends to stay informed about your product's performance and user engagement.

By mastering the Trends feature, you'll be able to gain valuable insights into your product's performance, user behavior, and the effectiveness of your strategies over time.