Clarification Needed on 0s Average Session Duration and N/A Data in Shopify Analytics

[Matei86]

Hello Shopify Community,

I'm experiencing some issues with the analytics data on my Shopify dashboard and would appreciate any insights or guidance.

Issue Details:

• Out of 30 sessions today, 24 are showing an average session duration of 0 seconds and a 100% bounce rate.
• The remaining 6 sessions have durations of 26s, 38s, 44s, 58s, 1m13s, and 4m48s.
• Additionally, some sessions display N/A for region, UTM campaign name, and landing page path.

Context:

• I'm running Facebook ads with a sales objective using a product carousel, directing users to the respective product detail pages.
• All UTM parameters are correctly set for the FB ads campaign.

Questions:

1. Does Shopify's analytics dashboard have limitations or known issues related to cookie consent that could result in 0s average session duration and N/A data?
2. How does Shopify handle data when users deny cookies, and could this be affecting the accuracy of my analytics?
3. Are there any best practices or settings within Shopify that I should be aware of to improve data accuracy?

Thanks for your assistance!

[DaisyVo]

Hi @Matei86 

Here are the answers to your queries:

1-Does Shopify's analytics dashboard have limitations or known issues related to cookie consent that could result in 0s average session duration and N/A data?
Yes, Shopify's analytics relies on cookies to track session data. If users deny cookies, Shopify cannot collect certain analytics data, leading to 0s session duration, 100% bounce rate, or N/A for region and other parameters.

2-How does Shopify handle data when users deny cookies, and could this be affecting the accuracy of my analytics?
When users deny cookies, Shopify excludes their activity from detailed tracking. This can skew metrics like session duration and bounce rate, especially if a significant portion of your traffic declines cookies.

3-Are there any best practices or settings within Shopify to improve data accuracy?

• Integrate Google Analytics: Enable GA (preferably GA4) for more robust tracking and comparison.
• Check Consent Banner Settings: Ensure your cookie banner is clear and encourages consent without violating regulations.
• Enable Enhanced Tracking: Shopify offers enhanced tracking for better data collection if allowed by user consent.
• Validate UTM Parameters: Double-check that UTM parameters in your ad campaigns align with Shopify’s analytics settings.

For improved insights, use both Shopify Analytics and third-party tools like Google Analytics.

If you have other questions, feel free to ask me.

Best regards,
Daisy