The Leicester-based direct mail printer has acquired a majority stake in Cognesia, which has a turnover of £500,000 and specialises in the real-time tracking and analysis of customers' online interactions.

Cognesia will maintain its London office and operate as a division of GI Solutions' data management and analytics business GI Insights, with the two businesses working in tandem on certain accounts and joint pitches.

GI Solutions deputy managing director Patrick Headley said: "Cognesia will work alongside GI Insight and will further complete their offering in digital communications. We are absolutely delighted to be able to offer services in this space."

GI Insight managing director Andy Wood added: "Cognesia does something that not everybody does and few do well: it is able to track online behaviour of individual customers and segment and target website content so that companies can seamlessly create a personalised online experience for customers.

"Combine this with the broader management of the customer journey that we at GI Insight bring to the table and we have the potential to do something really different. For instance, we will now be able to see where website browsing and queries drive in-store purchasing by registered customers."

Cognesia's principle directors and shareholders, head of insight Simon Roberts and head of technology and product Mark Wilding, will both remain with the business, which currently employs six people but is investing in additional sales, marketing and development staff.

The acquisition closed on 31 August.