Google recently made a startling revelation that surprised the world of e-commerce. It announced that it will be discontinuing the much loved and widely-used Google Analytics Universal from July 1^st, 2023. Therefore stores that want to keep a close check on their shoppers will have to seek the services of Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

The decision of Google to retire the beloved Google Analytics Universal is a huge deal for the users. The e-commerce stores will not be able to use Google Analytics Universal to collect data, and the difference between having and not having relevant data is directly linked to sales. Instead, Google is now paving the way for an updated Google Analytics 4.

It cannot be denied that Google Analytics Universal has been a hero for many e-commerce stores worldwide. However, with the new and improved version of Google Analytics 4, Google hopes to achieve similar results and feedback from users. Here is a brief guide detailing what Google Analytics 4 can do for your e-commerce business:

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4 is the new and improved version of Google Universal Analytics. It is the fourth generation of Google Analytics and is used by e-commerce store owners, organizations, and businesses to check the progress and detailed performance measures of how well their products and services are being perceived in the market.

Google Analytics 4 has been hyped by Google as having privacy-first property. It builds and improves upon the previous Google Universal Analytics’ privacy-oriented and future-proof characteristics. Other than this, Google Analytics 4 also monitors the key trends in your site data by making use of Google’s refined machine-learning algorithms. This way you can make a well-thought-out decision regarding your business matters.

Another key improvement in Google Analytics 4 is its capability to fill in the gaps in the data. This trait makes Google Analytics 4 more reliable and authentic.

Will Google Analytics 4 Work For My Business?

Google Analytics 4 is tasked with providing you with the relevant data to help you scale your business. If you have a website for your services or products, then it is imperative that you need to keep a track of all the activity. This way you can modify your strategies and make them more acceptable to your customers. Also, as more and more businesses are shifting online, the competition is intense. Therefore, it is best that you set up and configure Google Analytics to start collecting the data and help your company prosper.

The new and improved Google Analytics 4 has newer features that will assist you in growing your business much more effectively.

How Are Google Analytics 4 and Google Universal Analytics Different From One Another?

Google Analytics 4 has some improved features as compared to Google Universal Analytics. Some of the differences are listed below:

·Data streams

Google Universal Analytics uses separate Analytics properties to collect data from each source, like a website or an app. Whereas, Google Analytics 4 uses data streams to collect data from websites and apps through data streams. Therefore, monitoring and analyzing traffic across different platforms, such as websites or mobile apps, is much simpler.

·Keeping IP Address Anonymous

Google Analytics 4 provides more IP address anonymity than Google Universal Analytics as IP anonymization is authorized by default.

·Improved data model

Google Analytics 4 has revamped the way the data is presented. In Google Analytics 4, the data is classified between sessions, page views, events, and parameters. An event is considered the user’s activity, whereas an event can contain up to 25 parameters. For example, a page view is an event, and screen resolution, page referrer, and page language are parameters.

How To Link Google Analytics 4 to Magento 2?

There are many ways that you can choose when it comes to connecting Google Analytics 4 to Magento 2. Firstly, you can insert Google Analytics 4 tracking code in thetag of every page that you want to track. To locate the tracking code, you have to click on the stream in the data streams present in the property Admin. In short:

Admin > Data streams >  the stream

The other way to connect Google Analytics 4 to Magento 2 is through Google Analytics Magento extensions available in the market. Finally, the easiest way to do it is through Google Tag Manager. This is because Google Tag Manager provides you with more tools such as Facebook ads or Google ads and also lets you create events to better track your customers. Here is how you can connect Google Analytics 4 to Magento 2:

· Create a “Google Tag Manager” account

If you don’t have one already, it is time you create your Google Tag Manager account. Click on the ‘get started for free tab in the tag manager to begin. You can even watch short videos explaining how you can get started with your Google Tag Manager account.

·Download your preferred Google Tag Manager extension

Now comes the fun part. You have the liberty to choose from a variety of Google Tag Manager Extensions, the one with the best augmentation that fits your needs. Once you have picked out your preferred extension, you have to attach it to the Google Tag Manager Plugin.

·Link the Google Tag Manager (GTM) with the Magento Google Tag Manager extension

First, locate the GTM ID number on the GTM container and click on it. Then, select the GTM ID number from the code and copy it. After that, open the Magento GTM plugin and go to Stores > Configuration > Sales > Google API > Google Tag Manager and paste the GTM ID number. Once you are done, the GTM will be connected to your Magento webshop.

If you want to check it, then you can access it through the Google Tag Manager ID number in your web shop’s preview pane.

·Add a Google Analytics 4 configuration tag in Google Tag Manager

For this step, you will need to create a GA4 setup. To do this, firstly, create a GA4 property. Then, head over to the GTM container and click on the ‘New’ button in the Tags section. Then, click on the Tag phase space to gain access to tag types. Once you have picked out the GA4 setup tag types, combine your GA4 Metrics ID details. Your GA4 tracking code is present in the same place as the Measurement ID. Then, head over to the triggering section and click on the ‘All pages’ trigger. After that, name your label ‘GA4 Setup’ and save it.

This is it. You have managed to attach your Google Analytics property to your Magento webshop with Google Tag Manager.