What is Google Analytics 4?
Put simply, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the future of digital analytics and reporting in the ever-shifting and increasingly popular online environment. It'd be quite difficult to find someone who's not aware that, as of late, businesses have undergone a mass exodus to the internet and the flow of revenue through eCommerce has exponentially increased. This makes it all the more important to be able to monitor this flow and make conscious, data-driven decisions related to your business in order to thrive. Tens of thousands of stores powered by Magento currently use Google Analytics for their data insights, however, due to this major shift in the eCommerce dynamic, the traditional approach may not be enough to keep pace.
Download the extension here: MAGENTO 2 GOOGLE ANALYTICS 4 (GA4) WITH GTM SUPPORT
Why do I need it?
Google has recently referenced a new survey from Forrester Consulting which discovered that a top priority for marketers today is improving their use of analytics and data reporting. The survey also discovered that the general consensus among these marketers is that the currently available tools aren't able to consistently provide the level of insight they require for their business. Google hopes to solve this dilemma with their new Google Analytics 4 (GA4) platform, which revolutionizes the reporting experience with machine learning and a slew of other improvements that'll allow you to get a complete view of your audience and access the data you need in order to move into the new era of information.
How do I integrate it with my Magento 2 store?
With our new Google Analytics 4 (GA4) extension, we bring the power and efficiency of Google's new platform to Magento 2! The module is based on our existing Google Tag Manager extension (GTM), which the Magento 2 Community is already accustomed to, resulting in a package that's easy to install, configure and use. The pre-defined Tags, Triggers, and Variables make setting up your reporting a breeze and equip your store with the tools required to not only keep up but also thrive.
So how is it different from Universal Analytics?
One of the main differences between Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and the previous Universal Analytics is that Google Analytics 4 (GA4) can be used for Websites, Apps, or both at the same time, whereas a single Universal Analytics (UA) property can only be used for one at a time. This helps centralize data and creates an omnichannel monitoring platform, resulting in a faster and more efficient method of accessing information. The speed and efficiency, in conjunction with the enhanced analysis capabilities of the platform brought about by machine learning result in a new way of accessing information and trends, as well as new possibilities for getting to know your audience.
While Universal Analytics (UA) is powerful, it does require a bit of tinkering to set up in order to benefit an online store. It comes with the possibility of tracking page views out of the box. While this is great, it's not enough (which is where our Google Tag Manager for Magento 2 extension comes in) for a store in modern times. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) comes with a few more event tracking capabilities out of the box through Enhanced Measurement which records scrolling, clicks, downloads, engagements with videos on your website. This is definitely more to build upon and, while it's possible to obtain with Universal Analytics as well, GA4 does it without the need for you to intervene.
Retargeting has long been an extremely potent method of maintaining interactions with visitors that have left your website. For an online store, proper use of retargeting can mean the difference between securing a conversion and a user never visiting your website again. Prior to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), retargeting lacked the dynamism of being able to exclude certain groups or individual visitors from being sent an ad. For instance, a user that has just converted is probably not one you'd like to keep targeting with ads, at least not for the near future. The new platform assures you can intelligently use your set of ads to retarget users who need to be retargeted while excluding those that don't.
Everyone knows the age-old expression "Time is money.", and so does Google! Prior to GA4, UA could measure session time, as well as the time users spent on specific pages. While this is, of course, great info to have out of the box, it can be lacking when you want to know details about how long your users spend on specific actions such as watching a presentation video. With the "Elapsed Time" functionality available in the new platform, you can gather valuable insights into how long it takes a user to watch your video, browse the Category Page and finally complete the Checkout Process.
What's the conclusion then? Do I abandon Universal Analytics and switch to GA4?
It's quite obvious that GA4 is a significant improvement over Universal Analytics, however, it's still a new platform. The general opinion among merchants and blogsters seems to be that you should keep both your existing Universal Analytics and set up a Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property to run in parallel. This allows your existing funnels and configurations to keep bringing you the data you need to keep the business running and, at the same time, start getting the machine learning in Analytics 4 up to speed with your website in order to be able to complete the shift effortlessly when required. Our Google Tag Manager (GTM) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) extensions for Magento 2 are compatible with each other and running them in parallel makes sure your store is equipped to make the best of both worlds!
Download the extension here: MAGENTO 2 GOOGLE ANALYTICS 4 (GA4) WITH GTM SUPPORT
