GfK makes investment in web tracking technology partner Nurago

The investment also gives GfK a 40% holding in Nurago’s parent company, SirValUse Consulting, which specialises in advising companies in the areas of user experience and usability. Total sales of the two companies amounted to approximately €6.5m in 2009.

GfK started working with Nurago two years ago, utilising its technology to monitor the internet activities of members of its German ConsumerScan shopper panel so that it could investigate what impact online advertising exposure has on retail purchases. The approach was later replicated in the UK with the involvement of TNS.

Announcing the investment deal today, Wilhelm Wessels, GfK management board member, said: “We are working on new joint projects in order to link our comprehensive data on consumer behaviour even more strongly with findings from online research.”

Nurago’s tools have also been used for straight online advertising effectiveness studies (through the PanelTracking service run in partnership with Toluna), while last year the firm set up a ‘Digital Club’ to record the online activities of 8,000 individuals and run test and control studies of website designs and ad executions.

Clients of Nurago and SirValUse include Google, Deutsche Telekom, eBay, LG and Samsung.