Business decisions are not a gamble anymore. Every business decision today is backed by relevant data which enhances the credibility and efficacy of your business decisions. Organizations gather these data from multiple internal and external sources in multiple ways. Web scraping is one of the most widely accepted methods to collect data at scale and accuracy for every business needs. 

So, what is web scraping?

Web scraping is an automated method of gathering huge amounts of data from the web. A customized web scraping tool can extract data from numerous websites and deliver it in the shortest possible time. The data that a web scraper extracts is processed and stored in a structured fashion using a data pipeline. 

Although data extraction can be done manually, human error may likely occur, in addition to extra time and effort to scrape websites. Automated web scraping tools deliver reliable and error-free data in the quickest amount of time since it involves minimal human intervention. 

What is the difference between web scraping and web crawling?

Types of web scrapers

Even though the purpose of every web scraper is to collect specific information from the web, scrapers differ in terms of their functionality. Scrapers are categorized into self-built scrapers, browser extensions, cloud scrapers, and local scrapers.

Self-built scrapers

Self-built scrapers are simple to construct if you have advanced programming knowledge. Multifunctional crawlers are more difficult to create than unifunctional crawlers. After having a clearly defined target and functional requirements, using any universal language like python, anyone can create a scraper and run it for data. 

Web scraping extensions

Browser extensions are scrapers that are integrated into your web browser in the form of extensions for convenient web scraping. Web scraping extensions are advantageous because they can scrape multiple pages and extract large volumes of data. Web scraper chrome extensions are unable to run advanced capabilities such as customization and scalability which are outside the scope of your browser.

Cloud and local scrapers

A cloud-based online scraping service uses an off-site server, which is generally hosted by a third party. This enables you to run your routine functions in your system without getting overloaded with data scraping. Local scrapers, on the other hand, are established on your local server. This is suitable for those who need more manual involvement in the web scraping process. Because everything is managed locally, the quality of data you receive is heavily influenced by the performance of your system and the connectivity you have.

There are numerous web scraping service providers who can tailor web scraping tools to meet your specific needs. Because they are backed by a solid technological foundation, these web scraping tools are dependable.

How can web scraping help your business?

Data-driven marketing

The days of broad, untargeted advertising are long gone. Marketing is now a customer-centric process that utilizes huge volumes of data to create marketing strategies that promise a good conversion rate. Data also enables organizations to customize the marketing content to increase conversion. 

Zomato is killing the marketing game with its everlasting tempting marketing messages. Data plays a huge role in the curation process of all its marketing activities. These are some of the groundbreaking insights Zomato generated from the data collected. 

  Source: Zomato

Zomato utilizes both mass media and customized marketing approaches. Zomato sends its menus and offers to its customers through personalized emails based on their buying patterns. 

Source : Zomato  

Dynamic pricing

Dynamic pricing strategy is gaining traction as the buzz surrounding e-commerce and online purchase grows. Dynamic pricing is the method of altering the price based on the market factors such as customer demand, availability, and seasonality. The dynamic pricing strategy of Amazon is well known and widely accepted across the world. 

Marriott, a well-known name in the hospitality industry, utilizes data to determine its pricing. They adjust pricing based on a range of criteria, such as climate, booking behavior, seasons, cancellations, and many more. They even look at other factors such as popular concerts and trending tourist locations to adjust their pricing in the nearby hotels. 

Business expansion

Good market research using valid data enables organizations to identify the right opportunity and hit the bull’s eye. This helps them to expand their business into new markets which have huge growth potential and promise a positive return on investment. This empowers them to expand their business into new markets with significant growth potential and promises a high return on investment.

Uber, a startup that transformed the taxi industry, has now entered the food delivery market. Using data, they identified the potential of the food delivery industry and positioned themselves as a food delivery brand that delivers food to its customers. They identified the pain point of the industry which is fast delivery and built their positioning on that ground.

Enhanced user experience

You can provide a better user experience if you have a clear grasp of what the consumer expects from you. A good user experience improves both customer acquisition and retention. User behavior and their review help in identifying both the opportunities and challenges in the market of a particular offering. 

Miniclip, an international digital game developer and publisher, uses customer feedback data to monitor the user experience. They utilize user behavior and feedback to understand what is exciting in their games and what are the areas where they can improve. This enabled them to develop games such as Golf battle and Basketball arena that can increase customer loyalty. 

At Scrapeworks, we provide the data you need to transform the way your business operates. With the growing need for data, a reliable data partner can act as a catalyst in your business growth. Explore and join a group of data enthusiasts to convert your data to gold. 

Author

Gopika is a passionate writer, who expresses her views and opinions via writing. She is a budding comic writer who believes in giving her readers comfort by taking them out to a fictional world. Apart from writing, cooking and music take her to the Zen mode.