How Does Elevar Compare to the Native Shopify GA4 Integration
Learn how Elevar compares to the Native Shopify GA4 Integration - 2024
Overview
As of June 2024, the Google Sales Channel in Shopify allows you to enable a GA4 Tracking Integration.
For an optimized GA4 integration with Shopify, Elevar's Server-Side GA4 integration ensures 99%+ order accuracy by sending purchase events server-side, tracks comprehensive data including product lists, upsells, and shopping behavior rates, and provides customization options for order and product identifiers. Additionally, Elevar passes user identifiers for better data attribution and can be implemented on non-Shopify pages.
Full Comparison Chart: (Last Updated on June 7th 2024)
| Event Data | Elevar | Google Sales Channel |
|---|---|---|
| vistor_type parameter | Yes | No |
| Product list tracking | Yes | No |
| ecomm_prodid, ecomm_totalvalue, ecomm_pagetype parameters | No, but can be added via GTM | Yes, on view_item, add_to_cart, and begin_checkout events (totalvalue NaN on PDP) |
| Product id sent | Customizable - sku, product id, or variant id | Shopify id only |
| Product name sent | Parent | Parent - variant (begin_checkout event only sends parent) |
| Sends additional product IDs | Yes | No |
| Data on checkout without checkout.liquid | Yes | Yes |
| add_shipping_info | Yes | No |
| add_payment_info | Includes product data | No product data included |
| Server side purchase | Yes | No |
| Transaction ID | Customizable - Order Name, Order Number, or Order ID | Order ID |
| Transaction value | Customizable - Grand Total, Subtotal, or Product Subtotal | Subtotal |
| user_id | Yes | No |
| page_path parameter | No | Yes (not beautified on checkout like UA) |
Upsell Comparison
| Event Data | Elevar | Google Sales Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Post purchase pageview | /[ShopID]/checkouts/checkout_one_web_analytics | /checkouts/c/[CartID]/post-purchase |
| Purchase event | Sent server side based on order create webhook. Data based on original order (does not include products purchased in upsell) | Sent browser side on upsell page. Data based on original order only. Value = subtotal |
| Upsell event | Sent browser side on upsell accept. Includes data from upsell only | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use the native GA4/Shopify integration or should I use Elevar's Server-Side GA4 integration?
We'd recommend using Elevar's Server-Side GA4 integration.
Are there any benefits to using the Elevar over the native GA4 integration?
Yes! The main benefits (as of June '24) of using Elevar over the native integration include:
- Elevar sends the purchase event sent server-side, which guarantees 99%+ order accuracy. The native integration using client-side tracking, which can under report due to ad blockers, page load speed, etc.
- Elevar allows you to send (or not send) offline orders to GA4 with the attribution of your choosing.
- You can track product list performance data with Elevar.
- You can track accepted upsells with Elevar.
- Elevar allows you to track shopping behavior rates correctly by only passing the parent name, so you get a consistent name throughout the shopping funnel. The native integration includes the parent and variant name in the name field. On most stores, you will only get a product view of the default variant, but you will get add to carts and purchases of the variant the customer selected.
- Elevar tracks the "add_shipping_info" step. The native integration does not.
- Elevar passes product information in the "add_payment_info" step. The native integration does not pass product information.
- Elevar allows you to customize the order identifier, product identifier, & transaction value. The native integration does not.
- Elevar passes a user identifier. This leads to less direct/none data & more data attributable to a marketing channel. The native integration does not pass a user identifier.
- Elevar setup can work on non-Shopify pages.
- Elevar sends discount amount data so you can get the original and final price paid for a product in GA4.
Are there any benefits to using the native GA4 integration over Elevar?
The native integration is free to use for all stores and can be enabled in just a couple of clicks.
Updated about 1 month ago