Microsoft is to close its adCenter Analytics service by the end of this year, it has been announced.

The adCenter Analytics beta has already been closed and the main product will continue running only until December 31st, Microsoft said in a blog post.

Marketers were warned that all hosted services, data collection and technical support will end on the same date and urged users to export their historical data using a special tool developed by the company.

The decision was made to close the program after user feedback suggested that companies would benefit from "a tailored solution that meets more specialised needs", Mel Carson of Microsoft explained.

Microsoft provided a list of potential alternative analytics programs for marketers to switch to, including those provided by Google, Coremetrics, Lynchpin, Site Intelligence, WebTrends and Yahoo!.

Speaking to ZDNet, a Microsoft spokesperson explained that the company does not yet have an off-the-shelf product that it could offer in place of adCenter Analytics.

However, the firm will apply its findings from the beta to future projects.

A survey conducted by the Web Analytics Association showed that 96 per cent of marketers intend to spend more or the same on web analytics this year compared with 2008.