How do I integrate my store with Google Analytics?

Google Analytics tells you everything you want to know about how your visitors found you and how they interact with your site. You'll be able to focus your marketing resources on campaigns and initiatives that deliver ROI, and improve your site to convert more visitors.

Apart from keeping track of all traffic from other search engines, Google Analytics can also help you track your return on investment of your Google Adwords campaigns.

Integrating your store with Google Analytics is easy and this article will show you how.

Retrieving your Google Analytics Property ID

The first step in the integration process is to have a Google Analytics account. Once you create and set up an account with Google's Analytic service, you will be issued an ID which will be needed for your Shift4Shop store. To retrieve your Google Analytics ID, please refer to Google's documentation.

• If you are using Google Analytics, you will have a tracking ID which is formatted as UA-XXXXX-YY
• If you are working with a Google Analytics 4 property, you will have a Measurement ID which will be formatted as G-XXXXXXX

Once you have located your Analytics ID, copy/Save this number to your clipboard for the rest of the integration

Adding the Property ID to your Shift4Shop Store

The next step will be to add the Analytics ID number to your Shift4Shop store. To begin this next process, follow these steps:

1. Log into your Shift4Shop Online Store Manager
2. Using the left hand navigation menu, go to Marketing >SEO Tools
3. Click on the "Google Tools" tab located along the top of the page
4. Add your Google Analytics Property ID in the provided "Tracking ID" field
5. Click "Save Changes" and you're all set!

Shift4Shop also supports Google Analytics 4 which means you can track additional events:

• purchase - When the customer places an order.
  
  • Order Level Elements: currency, transaction id, value, shipping, tax
  • Product Level Elements: item_id, item_name, item_category, price, quantity

• begin_checkout - When the customer has begins checkout.
  
  • Order Level Elements: currency, value
  • Product Level elements: item_id, item_name, price, quantity

• add_to_cart - When the customer adds an item to the cart
  
  • Order Level Elements: currency, value
  • Product Level elements: item_id, item_name, price, quantity

• remove_from_cart - When the customer removes an item from the cart
  
  • Order Level Elements: currency, value
  • Product Level elements: item_id, item_name, price, quantity

• add_shipping_info - When the customer submits their shipping information
  
  • Order Level Elements: currency, shipping_tier, value
  • Product Level elements: item_id, item_name, price, quantity

• add_payment_info - When the customer submits their payment information.
  
  • Order Level Elements: currency, shipping_tier, value
  • Product Level elements: item_id, item_name, price, quantity

• login - When the customer logs into the store.

• view_item - When the customer has viewed content. Can be used to determine most popular items by view.
  
  • Order Level Elements: currency, value
  • Product Level elements: item_id, item_name, price

• view_item_list - When the customer has views a list of items on a category.
  
  • Order Level Elements: item_list_id, item_list_name
  • Product Level elements: item_id, item_name, price

• search - When the customer uses the search tool.
  
  • Order Level Elements: search_term

Setting Up Enhanced Conversions Using Google Tag Manager

If you are utilizing Google Tag Manager to track conversions on your Shift4Shop store using Enhanced Conversions, we recommend making use of the Automatic Collection method. This will automatically detect any data provided by the customer and is the easiest and simplest method overall. For more information, please see Google's instructions here.

Common reasons for missing or inaccurate transaction data in Google Analytics 4

The primary purpose of digital analytics is to evaluate an organization's performance and provide actionable insights for improvement and growth. What defines "success" can vary depending on the nature of the business or organization. For many businesses, success is often tied to revenue. Accurately tracking transactions and purchases using analytics tools is crucial for measuring this success. However, when working with web tracking platforms like Google Analytics, ensuring accurate data collection can be challenging. Missing or incorrect transaction records occur more frequently than one might expect.

Visit this guide for common reasons for missing or inaccurate transaction data in Google Analytics 4, offers troubleshooting tips, and explores why achieving 100% accuracy in tools like GA is nearly impossible.