Google Analytics 4: The Future of eCommerce Analytics

The Early Checkout

The Ecom Growth Newsletter #70

Data, Data and more data! Nothing is more valuable than good, reliable data in our fast, ever-changing digital world! We use it to measure our campaign's success, Identify our top conversion channels and track our revenue, just to name a few…

This access to data is an absolute privilege and without it, we would be flying blind in so many areas of our businesses…

A big change is taking place that will leave everyone WITHOUT access to Analytic Data if we don't adapt… I know, scary right? But, don't worry, we have your back!

In today's Issue, we will be talking about Google Analytics 4. (GA4), The benefits it will bring to our Shopify stores, The opportunity for early adopters and how to ensure we don't get our analytics data cut off!

Let's get into it…

10 Useful Pinterest Tools to Help You Level Up Your Pinterest Marketing (Click Here)

Internal linking for eCommerce: The ultimate guide (Click Here)

What Do 30 Million Zillennials Want? The Who, What And Why (Click Here)

Why CTV has become central to retailers’ marketing strategies (Click Here)

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a new version of Google's popular web analytics platform, which focuses on providing more in-depth analysis of user behaviour and improved privacy options. GA4 is based on machine learning and provides advanced features such as cross-device tracking, enhanced e-commerce analytics, and real-time event tracking.

Want to upgrade from GAU To GA4? (Click Here)

Source Link: (Click Here)

There is a significant change happening in the Google Analytics ecosystem! If we don't adapt, we will be cut off from the precious data that we have all grown so accustomed to but don't worry, we still have time, and it's not going to be that painful of a switch. We will provide you with a step-by-step process for getting GA4 set up in no time.

We have until Jul 1, 2023 (Link) to make the jump from Google Analytics Universal (GAU) to the new and Improved Google Analytics 4 (GA4). On this date, Google will stop reporting impressions on the older version of GAU. Not updating to GA4 will cause data to stop collecting.

What is the Opportunity?

The opportunity for early adopters is to have reliable analytics to make better decisions before their competitors get access. But, just like anything, there is a slight learning curve and seeing how this is not going anywhere and will be mandatory, now is the time to start thinking about Implementation!

What's the difference between GAU & GA4?

It will be more powerful in almost every way, from a simplified user experience to the ability to accurately track everything from outbound clicks to scroll percentage and integrate directly into Google Tag Manager. In addition, GA4 will allow us to track a cross multiple domains, apps and provide all of the data in one place. This is going to lead to clean and more effective reporting overall.

What is Google Tag Manager (GTM)?

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a system used by Google to measure code and triggers (conversions) that feeds into your Google Analytics 4 Account. You will need a GTM account to run GA4. Think of it as a data collector.

Want to set up Google Tag Manager? Here are Google's detailed Instructions.

Want to upgrade your GAU to GA4? Here are Google's detailed instructions. (Note* as of today, Google announced that they would automatically create new GA4 accounts for everyone! You will still be collecting data but will need to migrate conversion events and may need to update your store's Google Analytics code.)

Pro Tip: How to tell what version of Google Analytics you currently have Installed. Click on the Admin link in the bottom left of your GA account. If you see three sections you have Google Analytics Universal. If you see only two you have Google Analytics 4.

Here is a step-by-step guide to set up GA4 in your Shopify Store:

#1. Go to Shopify's "Online Store" section, select "Actions", and choose "Edit Code".

#2. Look for the "theme.liquid" file and select it.

#3. Go to Google Analytics and get the tracking code by selecting "Data Streams" and then choose the data stream to use for the Shopify store, under "Tagging Instructions", select "Global Site Tag".

#4. Suppose you're not using Shopify Plus to prevent checkout pages showing up as referrals in GA4. In that case, you need to add Shopify to the list of domains to exclude in the data stream under "More Tagging Settings" and then "List Unwanted Referrals".

#5. Paste the G tag.js tracking code inside the head tags of the "theme.liquid" file and save it. If you're using Shopify Plus, also add the tracking code to the "checkout.liquid" page.

#6. Add a modified tracking code to the order processing section in the Shopify settings to track transactions in GA4. This code includes liquid markup to automatically include the Shopify transaction details.

#7. Test the code and make sure it works correctly.

#8. Go to Google Analytics to confirm that the purchase event has been sent and received.

Boom, that's it! You are now set to leverage Google Analytics 4's Machine Learning and get a jump on the competition.

Here is a video if you prefer to watch than read it. I wanted to give a shout-out to the Loves Data youtube channel for creating such a fantastic video tutorial. What a great resource!

Get Your Products in Front of a World of Possibilities with Pinterest for Shopify!

Discover the power of reaching over 445 million people on Pinterest with the Pinterest for Shopify app! Connect your Pinterest account to your Shopify store and take advantage of a world of possibilities - all from one convenient interface.

Easily publish your Product Pins and get in front of people who are actively looking for ideas to try and buy. Keep your product catalog up-to-date with automatic updates every day and organically reach people on Pinterest without any advertising spend.

Take your reach to the next level with campaigns designed to build awareness, drive consideration, and get conversions. Track your success with the Pinterest Tag and get a detailed look at your product data.

Get started with confidence thanks to a $100 USD ad credit when you launch your first ever ad campaign with Pinterest. Don't miss out on this opportunity to put your products in front of a world of possibilities - get the Pinterest for Shopify app today!

The Early Checkout Team

Today's Issue was written by: Zachary J. Radford

Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here!

Advertise With Us

P.S. Wow, what a week... Great Job! ♥

At The Early Checkout, we are strongly committed to protecting your privacy and providing a safe & high-quality online experience for all visitors. We understand that you care about how the information you provide to us is used and shared. We have developed a Privacy Policy to inform you of our policies regarding collecting, using, and disclosing information we receive from our Website users. Federal Filing operates the Website.

Our Privacy Policy, along with our Terms & Conditions, governs your use of this site. By using https://www.theearlycheckout.com/ or accepting the Terms of Use (via opt-in, checkbox, pop-up, or clicking an email link confirming the same), you agree to be bound by our Terms & Conditions and our Privacy Policy. Suppose you have provided personal, billing, or other voluntarily provided information. In that case, you may access, review, and make changes to it via instructions found on the Website or by emailing us at [email protected]. To manage your receipt of marketing and non-transactional communications, you may unsubscribe by clicking the "unsubscribe" link located at the bottom of any marketing email. Emails related to the purchase or delivery of orders are provided automatically – Customers cannot opt-out of transactional emails. We will try to accommodate any requests related to the management of Personal Information in a timely manner. However, it is not always possible to completely remove or modify information in our databases (for example, if we have a legal obligation to keep it for specific timeframes). If you have any questions, reply to this email or visit our Website to view our official policies.