If you own an e-commerce business, you've certainly heard about the importance of data analysis . However, having access to a sea of numbers means nothing if you don't know how to interpret them. The real game-changer lies in transforming this data into strategic decisions that drive growth. In practice, analytics goes far beyond tracking page visits; it's about investigating consumer behavior, optimizing the buying journey, and consequently increasing your revenue.
In this article, inspired by a presentation by Gustavo Esteves and Lucian Fialho from Métricas Boss at VTEX Day, we will demystify the configuration and analysis of data in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) . Get ready to learn how to extract valuable information and make decisions that truly make a difference in your business.
IN PRACTICE, PLANNING IS THE STARTING POINT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ANALYTICS
Before creating any tags or configuring a report, the most important step is undoubtedly planning. As Gustavo Esteves pointed out, " you need to plan what you want to measure ." Implementing the tool without a clear strategy is like navigating without a map. You'll have data, but you won't know where it's leading you.
Therefore, take some time to define what the key metrics and indicators ( KPIs ) are for your business . Ask yourself:
- Which product displays do I want to analyze?
- The performance of which banners is crucial for my campaigns?
- What specific user actions, such as calculating shipping, indicate purchase intent?
This prior planning is crucial, as it will guide your entire setup and ensure that the generated reports answer your strategic questions. Without it, you risk collecting generic information with no practical use.
ESSENTIAL CONFIGURATION: GA4 WITH GOOGLE TAG MANAGER
To put your plan into action, the practical and dynamic duo is Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Tag Manager (GTM) . GTM acts as a bridge, allowing you to configure and trigger events on your website without having to directly edit the code. On platforms like VTEX , this process is even easier, as it already offers a ready-made data layer.
The two types of Tags that you need to know
Basically, you'll be working with two main types of tags in GTM for GA4:
- Tags configuration: is tag Main. It's responsible for initializing GA4 on all pages and automatically collecting session and engagement data.
- Tags of individual event: used to track specific user actions, such as clicking on a product, adding an item to the cart, or completing a purchase.
User Journey Tracking with User ID
For truly in-depth analysis, setting up User ID is essential. This feature allows you to track a single user's complete journey across different devices and sessions. For example, if a customer views a product on their mobile phone during the day and completes the purchase on their computer at night, the User ID connects these two points. However, it's important to remember that this tracking only works for logged-in users.
FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE: MEASURING WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN ANALYTICS
With the database configured, it's time to measure the elements that directly impact your sales. Detailed reports are only available if you configure data collection correctly.
Banner and promotions: are they generating sales?
Remember that amazing banner you put on your homepage? Is it working? To answer that question, you need to correctly configure the naming convention in your website editor.
- When registering a banner On the VTEX platform, for example, you can define a promotion ID, a creative ID, and the position.
- With this, events such as View Promotion (visualization) and Select Promotion (click) are sent to GA4.
- As a result, you can create reports that show valuable metrics for each banner: impressions, clicks, CTR, adds to cart and most importantly, revenue generated.
Product showcases: which ones bring the best results?
Similarly, product showcases (“ Those who viewed this also viewed ”, “ New Arrivals ”, etc.) need to be named specifically. Avoid generic names like “ List of products ”. By naming each showcase correctly in the site editor, you can analyze in GA4 which ones generate the most clicks, cart additions, and purchases. This analysis allows you, for example, to reorganize the order of products or the showcases themselves based on conversion performance.
RECOMMENDED VS. CUSTOM EVENTS: THE STRATEGIC CHOICE
In GA4 , events are at the heart of data collection . They fall into two main categories:
- Recommended events: are standard e-commerce actions whose name is already defined by Google, such as View item, Add to Cart e PurchaseIt's crucial to use Google's nomenclature exactly for automatic e-commerce reporting to work correctly.
- Custom events: are created to measure specific interactions within your business that don't have a recommended event. A prime example is the ZIP code calculation action. This information is gold for marketing, as it allows you to create an audience of users who calculated shipping but didn't purchase, and re-impact them with a free shipping campaign on Google Ads, for example.
ENSURING DATA QUALITY
Finally, it's crucial to understand that Analytics , in practice, doesn't perform miracles. The quality of the data collected and the accuracy of its reports are entirely the responsibility of the implementation of events and configurations in GA4. Inconsistent reports are, in most cases, the result of inadequate implementation, not a GA4 failure.
A classic problem is the duplication of purchase events. This can happen if the customer reloads the " order completed " page. To avoid this distortion, it is essential to implement a blocking tag that prevents the event from being triggered more than once in the same session. Before publishing any changes, always use the GTM debugging environment to thoroughly test everything.
CONCLUSION
Data analysis in e-commerce is a journey that begins long before looking at the first graph. It requires careful planning, correct technical implementation in GA4 and GTM, and an investigative mindset to extract insights from every user action. By correctly measuring the performance of banners , storefronts, and creating strategic personalized events, you stop being a mere spectator of the numbers and become an architect of your growth.
Remember: if you implement and collect the data correctly, you can take precise actions to optimize your business.
Now that you understand the importance of a well-done data analysis, how about exploring other strategies to optimize your e-commerce? Continue browsing the e-Plus blog and discover more tips to take your online store to the next level.
