Digital marketing company Connexity has acquired data collection firm Hitwise from Experian, with the intention of using the companys consumer behavioural analytics technology to augment its own offering.

Hitwise, which will operate as a division within Connexity, will add its broad, audience-based insights into consumer behaviour trends to bolster Connexitys offering to marketers, agencies and publishers, giving them an unmatched ability to understand, reach and acquire their target customer.

Hitwise recently launched a new audience segmentation and behavioural analytics platform, AudienceView, which aims to provide customers with a comprehensive view of demographic and psychographic-enriched data on consumers.

“Hitwises shift from website analytics to audience-based analytics aligns perfectly with our audience activation approach at Connexity, which is focused on delivering highly-targeted audiences created from out expansive shopping network,” said Bill Glass, CEO of Connexity.

“The combination of AudienceViews clickstream and panel-based data with Connexitys programmatic audience targeting will enable our customers to research, understand and identify their target audiences (and their behaviours) and, eventually, in the same interface, activate those audiences.”

The acquisition is Connexitys fourth in under two years. In a simultaneous transaction, Connexitys private equity parent, Symphony Technology Group, also acquired Experians Simmons division, which publishes the National Consumer Survey in the US. Together, the two acquisitions totaled $47m (£31m), with a further potential amount of up to $5m based on an earn out.