Is Shopify still not compatible with Google Analytics 4? If not, when will this be updated?

[Mountwell]

The official Shopify direction on installing Google Analytics says Google Analytics 4 properties are "not compatible with Shopify." However, third party sites say it is possible to add GA4 to Shopify. It's important for there to be clear direction here, since GA3 will be deprecated in less than a year, meaning if store owners want a year-over-year comparison, they need to be able to install GA4 ASAP, since the data is not transportable from one property to another. Can Shopify please provide clear direction here, and if GA4 definitely doesn't work with Shopify, when it will?

[Maz]

Hey @Mountwell!

Thanks for your question.

For the time being, Shopify does not yet support this update, but does continue to support Universal Analytics (UA) properties (format “UA-”), which can still be generated via Google Analytics.

While I can absolutely let you know we will be incorporating this new integration, I am unable to give you an exact timeline as to when this is going to happen as there is still much to figure out. We encourage merchants to continue using Universal Analytics properties as shown here.

We understand that updating to GA4 (Google Analytics 4) is a priority for many merchants who rely on Google Analytics for their business, and we appreciate your patience while we await an update. If you're looking to get started on GA4 soon, I recommend this third party app called:

 Elevar Tag Management suite, check it out here in our app store. Elevar has integrated GA4 into their tag manager solution, and so in the meantime this may be a great option for your business. One thing to note however is that this option won't allow for checkout analytics. I hope this workaround is suitable for you!

I see that you're a new member here. How is business going? 

[nack]

When can we expect GA4 to be adopted? I'm surprised Shopify doesn't have this tackled already.

[Maz]

Hi @nack!

Since my last reply on this thread, there has been no update on a timeline on when it will be supported in the latest version of Google Analytics.

Just to mention, UA will still be usable and collect data up until July 2023. After that, UA will no longer collect data, and any data previously collected will be accessible for 6 months. The being said, I'd be more than happy to add this feedback for our developers for review as I understand there are many requests for this feature to be adopted sooner rather than later!

[JakubK]

Hello, are there any updates regarding GA4 support ?

[Maz]

Hello @JakubK!

Thanks for getting in touch.

There currently is not a timeline in place for when Shopify will support GA4, or when it will be supported in the latest version of Google Analytics. That being said, if there is any update about it, then it will be posted to our changelog here.

In the meantime, what I will do is, I will have this forwarded to our developer team too along with the others. Thank you for your patience!

[Fenriz]

Hi,

Sorry but am I the only one getting angry because the only answer we get from support is "I will have this forwarded to our developer team", while we have to pay for third parties for basic stuff?

For example my issue today: turns out in order to have a spam filter for emails, you have to pay a third party, but, of coure, I read "I will have this forwarded to our developer team".

I can not count the number of issues I am having on Shopify for BASIC things.  Cookie policy? Third party?, Translate? Third party?, Analytics? Third Party (Shopify Analytics are horrible), Spam filter? (my god!!) Third Party, and the list goes on.

[Maz]

Hi @Fenriz!

Thanks for getting in touch, and I can appreciate the lack of updates may be disappointing.

That being said, I do have an update to share regarding this! In March 2023, you'll be able to switch to Google Analytics 4 on Shopify. Shopify and Google are actively working to integrate GA4 into the new Google App which is slated to launch March 2023. For the time being, no action needs to be taken, official communications will be given by both Shopify and Google in due course. In the meantime, you can read more about the update in our help center here.

Let me know if you have any additional questions!

[Fenriz]

Ok thanks @Maz , but MANY basic issues are still unresolved, for example this one: (already 6 pages and no answer from Shopify)

https://community.shopify.com/c/shopify-discussions/how-do-i-respond-to-comments-on-blog-posts/td-p/...

[Maz]

Hey @Fenriz!

Thanks for your response, and I trust the above has been helpful!

In regard to the thread which you have linked, we'll continue to provide feedback to our developers for members who provide unique use cases that haven't already been shared in that thread.

We do not have a timeline for when updates will be available, but we will update you here on our Changelog once we have further information to share.

Let me know if you have any additional questions!

[Kasayo]

Thank you Maz and Shopify for providing us with a clear timeline and transparency. Much appreciated! 🙂

This will be a big improvement for tracking the checkout process for headless setups as well.

Is there anything similar planned for Google Ads?

Getting the purchase events to match with items from the merchant feed is still a challenge.

[Maz]

Hey @Kasayo!

Thanks for hopping on to this thread, and you are most welcome!

In regard to this issue you're experiencing with the purchase events, would you be able to share some details and possibly some examples so that I can feed this back up to the developers for you?

Looking forward to your response.

[christinewilson]

Hi - any update on getting the G4 tag on shopify?  When can we expect to be able to update the UA tag?

thanks

[Maz]

Hey @christinewilson!

We understand that updating to GA4 is a priority for many merchants who rely on Google Analytics for their business, and we appreciate your patience while we waited for further updates.

I am excited to announce this has now been launched, and more information can be found here in our help center as well as setting up your GA4 tags.

There are also some more resources below regarding the integration: 

• Creating a GA4 property in the Google Analytics dashboard.
• Migrating to GA4

• Link/unlink Google Ads and Analytics

• YouTube tutorial

Let me know if you have any other questions about this or if you need any more help with your store!

[tb_pushlogic]

Hi Maz, the built in GA4 integration you're providing is not tracking all conversions. I've tried integrating it manually as well and I get the exact same behaviour. Only around 60-70% of conversions are being recorded within GA4. Why is this the case please and will it be getting resolved any time soon? Thanks

[ashlann]

We're having the same problem! 

[Maz]

Hey, @tb_pushlogic, @ashlann!

Thanks for joining this thread.

Could you both please elaborate on which conversions exactly aren't being tracked so that I can check this our further?

One thing to note is that, if you do not have the Google & YouTube Channel by Shopify installed you will not have any Marketplaces supported conversions in your store. General Google Analytics tracking is not supported by us either.

Looking forward to hearing back from you both!

[Andrewjn220]

No doubt classic Shopify. I have G4 installed but I am unable to track conversions as of yet

[Maz]

Hi @Andrewjn220!

Thank you for taking the time to post on this thread. I can appreciate that this has been a pain point for merchants for some time now, however I am happy to advise that GA4 has been launched finally.

I did share some resources above in my last reply, however if you're looking for a way to track your conversions, then you need to migrate the conversion tracking to GA4 as mentioned here on this help doc.

Let me know if there is anything else you need help with!

[AmitPeer]

Hi,

In new GA accounts you can't create UA codes anymore, that means that we can't connect a new Shopify store to google analytics.

We need a fast solution for GA4 integration.

[ashlann]

This is still broken... and UA will not work after today. Shopify says to contact Google, Google says to contact Shopify.