IBM has agreed to acquire web analytics company Coremetrics and will use the purchase to help firms enhance their marketing campaigns.
Coremetrics provides real-time intelligence on consumers, including their shopping behaviour and opinions.
IBM will offer the Coremetrics services in a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model and they will enable firms to gain customer insight from the wide range of valuable data on social networks and other online media sources.
Firms can then use this information to create enhanced marketing campaigns, Big Blue explained.
Coremetrics has previously worked with big-name organisations such as Bank of America, Holiday Inn and Virgin Atlantic Airways. It will become part of Big Blue's application and integration middleware portfolio and Coremetrics' 230 workers will join the IBM team.
The deal is expected to be finalised in the third quarter of 2010. No financial details have been confirmed as yet.
"The combination of IBM and Coremetrics will maximise marketing expenditures and also make the buying experience more convenient, personal and interactive for consumers," said Craig Hayman, general manager of IBM WebSphere, in a statement.
"With this acquisition, we are extending our capabilities to give clients greater insight about customer behaviour and sentiment about products and services, and give true foresight into their future buying patterns," Hayman added.
Since 2003, Big Blue has acquired more than 55 companies. Last month, IBM agreed to acquire B2B commerce and integration company Sterling Commerce for 1.4 billion - its biggest deal to date.
