How to Set Up Google Analytics 4 for E-commerce Tracking

Google Analytics 4 replaced Universal Analytics in 2023 and it operates on a fundamentally different model. If you're still running GA4 on its default settings, you're missing most of the e-commerce data you need to make good decisions.

Enable Enhanced E-commerce Tracking

GA4's default installation tracks pageviews and basic events but not e-commerce specifics. Enhanced E-commerce tracking captures product views, add-to-cart events, checkout steps, and purchases with revenue attribution. This requires additional implementation via Google Tag Manager or your e-commerce platform's native GA4 integration.

Set Up Conversion Events

In GA4, conversions are based on events — specific actions that represent a meaningful step toward your business goal. Mark your purchase event, lead form submission, and phone call events as conversions. These become the foundation of your Google Ads optimization.

Configure Your Data Retention

GA4 defaults to 2 months of data retention for user and event data. For e-commerce analysis, you want at least 14 months to capture year-over-year comparisons. Change this in your GA4 property settings immediately — you can't recover historical data after the retention period.

Connect GA4 to Google Ads

Linking GA4 to your Google Ads account imports your GA4 conversion events into Google Ads and enables audience sharing. This allows you to build remarketing audiences from GA4 behavioral data and use them in your ad campaigns.

The fix: Check your GA4 property and confirm Enhanced E-commerce is tracking. Then check your data retention settings and increase to 14 months if it's set lower.