Google Analytics + Shopify integration

What Google Analytics is

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) reports traffic, behaviour and ecommerce events. On Shopify it is the usual place to see where visitors come from and where they drop out of the funnel.

How we would approach Google Analytics with Shopify

We've set up GA4 for a UK PC retailer, through Shopify's Customer Events, and for a Swiss launch alongside Shopify's Customer Privacy consent. Before any conversion work we check the data: one source per event, purchases counted once with the Shopify order number, and revenue compared with Shopify for a sample of orders. Reports built on double-counted purchases send the whole team in the wrong direction.

What the work involves

• One GA4 source per event, with leftover theme and GTM tags removed
• Purchases sent once, with the Shopify order number as transaction ID
• Consent applied through Shopify's Customer Privacy API
• A sample of orders reconciled between GA4 and Shopify

Ways to connect Google Analytics and Shopify

• Existing app

  Google & YouTube app

  Shopify's Google channel connects a GA4 property and sends standard ecommerce events. The simplest route, and the one most duplicates come from when other tags remain.

• Built in

  Custom pixel (Customer Events)

  A pixel in Shopify's Customer Events for events or parameters the app doesn't send. It runs in a sandbox and must not repeat what the app already sends.

• Custom build

  Google Tag Manager

  For teams that manage many tags. GTM on Shopify still runs through Customer Events for checkout, and needs a clear rule about who sends each event.

Where these projects go wrong

• The Google & YouTube app and a manual GA4 tag both send purchases, so revenue doubles.
• Old GA4 code left in the theme or in checkout's additional scripts after a migration.
• Custom pixels repeat events the app has started sending.
• GA4 and Shopify revenue never match exactly, and nobody writes down the expected gap.

Questions

Why doesn't GA4 revenue match Shopify?

Consent, ad blockers, refunds and currency all create gaps. Duplicated purchase events are the most common avoidable cause. Place a test order and check it appears once in GA4.

Do we need Google Tag Manager on Shopify?

Not usually. The Google & YouTube app plus a small custom pixel covers most stores. GTM helps when you run many marketing tags.

Can you check our current setup?

Yes. A tracking check is part of the conversion diagnostic, and it can also be scoped on its own.

Before we scope the work

• Which data or customer journey needs to connect, and which system owns it?
• What access, plan features or API permissions are available?
• Does an existing connector cover the requirement, including failures and updates?
• Who will maintain the connection, and how will you know it is working?

Send your current setup and one real example of the flow you need. We'll tell you whether it can be done and what it would take.