Google has been gearing up to introduce a comprehensive measurement solution for years, and finally, businesses are being transitioned to Google Analytics 4. As per the announcement, from July 1, 2023, standard Universal Analytics (UA) properties will stop processing new hits. If you haven’t already created a new Google Analytics 4 property before that, the Google Setup Assistant will create one for you.
With the all-new Google Analytics 4 (GA4) replacing Universal Analytics, eCommerce merchants, in particular, are waiting to tap into the powerful modules it brings to the table! You will read about how and what GA4 features can benefit your eCommerce business further. Let’s understand what Google Analytics is first.
What is GA4?
Google Analytics 4 is a succession to the age-old Universal Analytics (GA3) that used sessions and pageviews to track visitor data on your Magento platform. Because sessions can be time-bound, there are several other reasons GA3 may differ from the all-new GA4. To start with, GA4 tracks your visitor data based on events and parameters.
In addition to the multiple other features, GA4 offers natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning that allows you to gauge the conversion probabilities and utilize the data for Google Ads campaigns. The benefit here is that – with the help of machine learning, you can detect report anomalies such as wrong calculation of conversion coefficients, no conversion tracking, and more. Then, based on the same, you can make informed decisions for your eCommerce store.
Why Do You Need GA4 for Magento 2?
Transitioning to GA4 is not an option, irrespective of the eCommerce platform you are on, and Magento 2 (Adobe Analytics) is no exception. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is considered to be an improved, next-gen tracking solution allowing Magento store owners to keep track of customer behavior in smarter and more intelligent ways. With this update, you can monitor user behavior on multiple platforms, from the web to applications. Here are some key highlight features that GA4 brings along:
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Basic Event Tracking
Save yourself the hassle of writing a specific Google Analytics code every time you wish to perform basic tracking by enabling the Enhanced Measurement option. By doing so, you can enable basic trackings such as clicking on an ad or a link, checkout or purchase in a mobile application, scroll tracking, canceling a paid subscription, video engagement, site searches, and more. Thanks to GA4 for saving time from the cumbersome process of generating code for specific tracking of a customer’s action.
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Custom Event Tracking
Now, with GA4, you can track at lengths when it comes to predefined events. The analytics code to Magento also lets the users configure the custom events not covered under pre-defined configuration for additional tracking. Marketers can customize tracking of predefined events from such groups as Automated Events and Recommended Events.
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Tracking on Any Platform
What if we told you that GA4 allows you to track your customers on multiple platforms? Yes, the new GA code offers you a detailed history of your customers’ activity for every tracked website or application. This is because GA4 holds better capabilities in de-duplicating devices that can give you an accurate user count.
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Engagement Measurement
Unlike Universal Analytics, GA4 offers an engagement rate instead of a bounce rate metric. This way, you can get an in-depth understanding of the user behavior, the depth of their engagement, their actions, and more. For instance, you want to measure video engagement on your website. With the help of GA4, you can assess which video your customer launches, the number of pauses they made and if the video was watched till the end without interruptions. There are several other engagement metrics on GA4, such as engagement sessions, engagement rate, engaged sessions per user, and average engagement time.
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AI for Predicting Outcomes
This feature of GA 4 is the cherry on the cake! You can uplift your eCommerce store and make smart assumptions about your customers with the help of the AI functionality of GA 4. Suppose you wish to take your business to the next level in terms of marketing. This feature helps you track and analyze historical user tracking data to gauge purchases, user churn rate, revenue, and more!
Also read: How to Add Google Analytics 4 (GA4) with GTM to Magento 2?
Conclusion:
Getting on the GA4 bandwagon is inevitable, and the smart step to take here is to set up your property on it beforehand. Run Universal Analytics and GA4 simultaneously to better understand the new features and get a hang of it.
If you don’t want to wait till the last minute and get acquainted with GA4, now is the time to look for Magento developers and GA4 experts to help you get started. You can also look for efficient Magento 2 GA4 extensions to help you overcome the hassle of using code every time you wish to track customer activity on your platform.
GA4 brings in new opportunities for your eCommerce business to thrive, make calculated decisions, track customer activity precisely, and optimize marketing efforts to grow further.
Try our newly launched Magento 2 GA4 Extension with GTM Support today!
You can also check out our Magento 2 GA4 with GTM Setup Guide for a comprehensive understanding.
Also, you can refer this Magento 2 Google Analytics 4 (GA4) with GTM Support Extension’s FAQ Page for most common questions and it’s answers.
And if you need our professional assistance, feel free to contact us anytime.
