Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google’s analytics platform, which aims to provide a more complete and accurate view of customers and their behavior across devices and platforms. GA4 also offers a more flexible and scalable way of measuring and analyzing data, allowing users to customize their reports and analysis according to their specific needs.
One of the areas that GA4 has improved upon is e-commerce measurement, which is essential for online businesses that want to understand and optimize their sales performance. On July 20, 2023, Google announced an expansion of e-commerce measurement capabilities in GA4, adding 33 new dimensions and metrics related to the e-commerce custom report builder.
The new e-commerce dimensions provide more granular data on items, promotions, and shopping behavior. For example, users can now see the following information in their custom reports:
New Item Related E-commerce Dimensions
Item name: It can be used to track the performance of individual items.
Item affiliation: Item affiliation can be used to segment ecommerce data in a variety of ways by brand, product category etc.
Item brand: The brand name of the product or service that was purchased or added to the cart.
Item category: The category or subcategory of the product or service that was purchased or added to the cart. (Item category 2, Item category 3, Item category 4, and Item category 5)
Item ID: It can be used to track the performance of individual items.
Item variant: The variant or variation of the product or service that was purchased or added to the cart, such as color, size, or style.
Item list name: The name of the list or collection that the product or service belongs to, such as “Bestsellers” or “New arrivals”.
Item list position: The position or rank of the product or service in the list or collection that it belongs to.
Item location ID: It can be added as a custom dimension to track the physical location of your items
New Promotion Related E-commerce Dimensions
Item promotion name: The name of the promotion or campaign that was applied to the product or service, such as “Summer sale” or “Free shipping”.
Item promotion creative name: The creative content or design of the promotion or campaign that was applied to the product or service, such as “Banner” or “Pop-up”.
Item promotion creative slot: The position or location of the promotion or campaign that was applied to the product or service, such as the “Home page” or “Checkout page”.
New Shipping Tier E-commerce Dimension
Shipping tier: The level or type of shipping method that was selected by the user to purchase the product or service, such as “Standard” or “Express”.
The new e-commerce metrics provide more quantitative data on items, transactions, and revenue. For example, users can now see the following information in their custom reports:
New Revenue Related Metrics
Gross item revenue: It is the total revenue generated from the sale of items, excluding tax and shipping.
Gross purchase revenue: It is the total revenue generated from all purchases made on your website or app, excluding tax and shipping.
Purchase revenue: It is the total revenue generated from all purchases made on your website or app, including tax and shipping.
New Item Related Metrics
Item revenue: is the total revenue generated from the sale of items, including tax and shipping.
Item refund amount: It is the total amount of money that has been refunded for items that were purchased on your website or app.
Items added to cart: It is the number of unique items that have been added to a shopping cart.
Items checked out: It is the number of unique items that have been purchased in a transaction.
Items clicked in promotion: It is the number of unique items that have been clicked on in a promotion.
Items purchased: It is the number of unique items that have been purchased in a transaction.
Items viewed: It is the number of times that unique items have been viewed by users on your website or app.
Items viewed in list: It is the number of times that unique items have been viewed by users in a list.
Items viewed in promotion: It is the number of times that unique items have been viewed by users in a promotion.
Miscellaneous New Metrics
Refund amount: It is the total amount of money that has been refunded for items that were purchased on your website or app.
Shipping amount: It is the total amount of money that has been charged for shipping on purchases made on your website or app.
Tax amount: It is the total amount of sales tax that has been charged on purchases made on your website or app.
Modifications Made to the Revenue Metrics in Explorations
In its explorations, Google Analytics now presents new revenue metrics that encompass gross item revenue (comprising the overall earnings solely from items, while excluding tax and shipping), gross purchase revenue (encompassing the total income derived from purchases made on your website or app), as well as refund amount (representing the complete sum refunded on your website or app).
In explorations, Google Analytics eliminates redundant revenue metrics such as Ecommerce revenue and Event revenue from the Metrics picker.
Adding these new GA4 dimensions and metrics should help users better understand the performance of their campaigns, products, services, and promotions. Users can also extract insights and make data-informed decisions based on their e-commerce data. For example, users can:
Compare how different products, brands, categories, variants, lists, and promotions perform in terms of sales, revenue, and conversions.
Identify which products, brands, categories, variants, lists, and promotions are most popular, profitable, and engaging among different segments of users, such as by age, gender, location, device, channel, and interest.
Optimize the design, content, and placement of their products, promotions, and checkout process to increase conversions, reduce bounce rate, and enhance user experience.
Evaluate the effectiveness of their coupons, affiliates, and shipping methods in driving sales, revenue, and loyalty.
Monitor and troubleshoot issues with their e-commerce data collection and configuration settings using the debug mode.
Users can create their own e-commerce reports from scratch or edit the standard e-commerce reports that are available in GA4. Users can also use the “Explore” to create more advanced and customized e-commerce analysis using various techniques and methods, such as exploration, funnel, path, segment overlap, user explorer, and cohort.
Need Help With GA4 Setup and Audit?
We have been working on GA4 since the day it came on the market. GA4 setup is complex and can easily be messed up by inexperienced implementation analysts. Reach out to us so that we can ensure that it has been properly configured. Email us at support@optizent.com or fill out the Contact Us form and we will get back to you.
Want to Learn GA4 on your own?
We have an extensive GA4 course that teaches you GA4 step by step. You can enroll in the course at GA4 Zero To Hero - Complete Google Analytics 4 course