Google Analytics 4 eCommerce event setup

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – is an analytics tool that allows you to track user interaction with a website or application. For owners of e-commerce websites, GA4 is a key solution that helps analyze sales performance, popular products, and customer behavior. The system is based on an event-based data collection model, which makes it more flexible and accurate compared to Universal Analytics. Thanks to Google Analytics, e-commerce becomes easier and clearer for owners of not only online stores, but also websites of companies providing services.
 

What is Google Analytics 4: Role in Event Tracking

E-commerce is an area of ​​activity in which you cannot do without effective tools. The main advantage of GA4 is the ability to automatically register various events and receive detailed information about them.

Key features of e commerce google analytics:

• Event-based data collection model.
• Improved user tracking across devices.
• Integration with Google Ads for more effective advertising analysis.
• Flexible reporting and audience settings.
   

How to set up ecommerce tracking in GA4

For effective operation, an online store or company website should have as much information as possible. E-commerce in Ukraine requires maximum attention and readiness to act quickly. Tracking important events in GA4 can be implemented in two ways:

• Using Google Tag Manager (GTM) - a more flexible and recommended method.
• Through Google tag (gtag.js) - requires manual code implementation on the site.

The main stages of setting up GA4 for e-commerce:

1. Creating and configuring a GA4 account.
2. Integrating GA4 with the site via GTM or gtag.js.
3. Configuring events and e-commerce parameters.
4. Testing the correctness of data transmission.
5. Analysis and optimization based on the received reports.

Preparing Google Tag Manager for eCommerce

GTM allows you to manage tags without having to change the site code. Examples of e-commerce such as corporate sites and online stores use Google Tag Manager. To set up e-commerce with GTM you need:

• Variables – to transmit information about products, payment, delivery, etc.
• Triggers – conditions under which tags are triggered.
• Tags – code fragments that send data to GA4.

Setting up variables, triggers, and tags in GTM

Variables
The main variables for e-commerce:

• ecommerce.items – product data.
• ecommerce.transaction_id – transaction identifier.
• ecommerce.value – purchase amount.

Triggers
For each event, you need to create a trigger, for example:

• Viewing the product list: view_item_list event.
• Adding a product to the cart: add_to_cart event.
• Purchase: purchase event.

Tags
Tags pass information to GA4. For example, for the view_item_list event, you would create a tag with the following parameters:

• Tag Type: Google Analytics: GA4 Event.
• Event Name: view_item_list.
• Trigger: GA4_Ecommerce_View_Item_List_Trigger.

Tracking standard e-commerce events

A recommended set of events for e-commerce includes:

• View item list (view_item_list).
• View item (view_item).
• Add item to cart (add_to_cart).
• Remove item from cart (remove_from_cart).
• Start checkout (begin_checkout).
• Purchase (purchase).
   

Data analysis and optimization in GA4

After setting up events, it is important to analyze the data obtained. E-commerce for business is built primarily on information. Use GA4 reports to evaluate:

• Product popularity.
• Online sales.
• Traffic sources.
• Conversions and bounces.
• The impact of advertising campaigns.

Additional analysis tools.

• Google Search Console – helps you evaluate organic traffic.
• Google Looker Studio – for creating custom reports.
• BigQuery – for deep data analysis.

Conclusions

Setting up e-commerce events in GA4 is an important step for effective sales analysis. Using GTM greatly simplifies the implementation process, allowing you to quickly change tags without editing the site code. By implementing all the setup steps, you will receive accurate data to improve your digital business. Regular analysis and adjustment of the strategy based on analytics will help increase sales efficiency and improve the user experience.