Introducing Google Analytics 4 Session Enrichment (Beta)

We are excited to announce the beta release of our new data pipeline feature: Google Analytics 4 Session Enrichment. This solution enhances the accuracy of your tracking, provides more reporting possibilities—including viewing purchases by device and geolocation — and allows fine control of source / medium.

General Benefits

• Improved accuracy: Experience more precise server-side data collection, minimizing discrepancies and ensuring your analytics are reliable.
• Enhanced reporting: Unlock advanced reporting dimensions such as device and geolocation for all events, to gain deeper insights into your audience.
• Source / medium control: Customize how orders are attributed based on the Shopify sales channel.
• 100% revenue tracked: Continue to enjoy complete revenue tracking through our robust server-side tracking solution.

Beta Participation Recommendation

Due to the different implementation of this new server pipeline, we recommend running a parallel tracking setup for the Beta. This means:

• Creating a New Google Analytics 4 Property: Set up a new GA4 property specifically for the Session Enrichment Beta. This keeps your Beta data separate from your existing analytics, allowing for accurate comparison and analysis.
• Adding a New Measurement ID and Measurement protocol API Secret: Generate a new Measurement ID and API secret for the new property. You will need to enter these credentials into your Littledata dashboard to enable the new tracking pipeline.

This setup allows you to compare the quality and accuracy of data between the new and existing pipelines. Rest assured, your current setup and the property you're originally pushing data to will not be affected in any way.

note:

All tracking settings are shared between your properties. For example, if you disable the view_item event, this change will apply to both properties in your setup. Only the Session Enrichment features are specific to the new pipeline.

Disclaimer: These features are in Beta and are subject to change. You may notice differences in the number of sessions and users tracked compared to your existing setup.

How to Opt-in for the Session Enrichment Beta

To opt into the Beta testing:

1. Log into your Littledata dashboard.
2. Click on the Google Analytics 4 connections.
3. Navigate to the Experimental tab.
4. Switch on Google Analytics 4 Session Enrichment.
5. Add the newly generated Measurement ID and Measurement protocol API secret. 

Once enabled, the new features will be activated.

Detail on Session Enrichment features

1. Attribution Boost

The Attribution Boost feature is automatically enabled for users who opt into the Beta. This feature is especially beneficial for businesses offering subscriptions. It allows us to remember the attribution of the first order and apply it to all subsequent orders under that subscription. This means you get a more accurate understanding of customer lifetime value and the effectiveness of your initial acquisition channels.

2. Session / medium customisation

For users seeking greater control over their data, the Source / medium customisation feature allows you to define what source, medium, or campaign name is appended to your orders based on specific order parameters. You can create custom rules based on:

• Order App Name/ID
• Order Payment Gateway
• Order Tags

Example: If you're running Recharge to manage recurring orders, you can select the Recharge app name and set the source/medium toshopify / recurring_order. This allows you to accurately track recurring purchases and analyse them separately in your reports.

How to set up

To set up the Google Analytics 4 Session Enrichment, you will need to access our app. From there, click on your Shopify -> GA4 Connection. You will see a new tab, called Experimental, that you need to click.

The tab that will open is very similar to the General tab for the GA4 connection. After you toggle the setting on, you will need to provide a new and different Measurement ID and API Secret for this feature to work properly, as suggested beforehand. Don't forget to save your progress!

How to Use Source / Medium customisation

This section allows you to add multiple rules for tracking, based on 3 different criteria: Order tag, Payment gateway, and Channel code. At the bottom of the page, you will see an Add new rule button, that will start this process. You can add as many as you want.

After you click it, you will see a customizable tab, where you can set-up your tracking rules. As mentioned, you can only choose from the 3 parameters. In this case, we'll select payment gateway.

After this, you can select one of the suggested gateways, or you can add a custom one.

note:

If you wish to add custom channels, tags or gateways, there will be instructions provided on how to do it once you click Add custom code

After you select or add you customized one, the only thing to do is to fill the attribution fields, and save.

note:

For this to work, you will need to fill at least 1 field.