Getting started with Recharge and subscription data.
Littledata connects Recharge to Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
Shopify and Shopify Plus merchants who sell subscription products use Littledata, which connects Recharge to Google Analytics for accurate data for one-off vs. recurring transactions.
By connecting Recharge with Shopify and Google Analytics, you can automatically track first-time payments, recurring transactions and lifetime value (LTV).
If you are new to the world of subscriptions you might be asking…what is Recharge and why use their platform? Recharge is the most popular recurring billing solution for Shopify and BigCommerce stores. It lets you easily sell subscriptions on a Shopify store.
By connecting your Recharge checkout with Google Analytics, you can enjoy accurate data about subscription revenue, including first-time payments and recurring transactions.
Above is a visual of how Littledata tracks, collects, enriches, and connects to the destinations you enable.
The problem with not having a single source of truth for your subscription data
Incomplete data in Google Analytics
Recharge’s own analytics dashboard already has useful information about sales, conversions, and AOV (average order value). So why do you need an ecommerce data platform like Littledata?
Littledata connects Recharge data with Shopify data, marketing data, and behavior data so you have one source of truth. This helps with everything from meaningful analysis, to impactful action.
Until the Google Analytics 4 connection, Recharge customers didn’t have a way to get complete subscription data collection in GA4 without hiring expensive GA4 consultants or developing custom solutions. These solutions often have to be updated or maintained pending any changes with Shopify or Recharge.
How tools like Littledata help
Integrating Littledata with Recharge lets you capture data throughout the entire subscriber journey, from marketing campaigns to first-time payments and recurring revenue. The integration uses Littledata’s magic sauce to connect Shopify and Recharge data to Google Analytics.
The reporting includes essential information for understanding business performance:
- End-to-end Google Analytics tracking for the subscriber journey
- Marketing attribution for subscription revenue, including first-time payments
- Segmentation by payment source, subscription plan type and product category
“Within the first 90 days of using Littledata, we were able to gain new insights and make key decisions with new subscription customer data. This information was very difficult to access prior to the Littledata app install. Highly recommend.”
—Ned
Subscription tracking for action and analysis
We have hundreds of shared customers with Recharge. Why? Because our shared customers have built growth strategies that are underpinned by subscription analytics. Key metrics like Life Time Value (LTV) and Average Order Value (AOV) are essential. Combining these two best in class Shopify apps will help you harness data for action to better understand your customer’s journey, build segmented audiences based on captured data, and enable accurate retargeting through paid advertising.
Some of the events tracked include:
- Subscription created: event sent when the first order of the subscription is placed.
- Subscription cancelled: event sent when the subscription has been cancelled.
- Subscription updated: event sent when the subscription status has been updated.
- Order processed: sent when the order status changes from Queued to Success. Customer updated: sent when customer changes profile details.
- Charge failed: sent when Recharge can’t process the order.
- Payment method updated: sent when the user changes the current paying method.
- Max retries reached: sent when max limit for trying to charge has been reached.
You can learn more about Recharge events by visiting our HelpCenter. For a real-world example of subscription strategies put into action check a recent customer success story with skincare brand, Geologie.
Why is Customer Lifetime Value so important?
CLTV or LTV or CLV? Whatever you may call it, customer lifetime value (LTV) really matters when it comes to subscription ecommerce.
LTV is your best indicator of churn and your best projector of profit. On top of all that, it’s your best aide in decison making. When it comes to marketing and sales campaigns, LTV enables you to easily identify which channels are bringing you your most valuable customers. A powerful insight for both DTC acquisition and retention strategies.
Own your own ecommerce data
Data is everywhere. But at Littledata, we believe that you should have full ownership of your own ecommerce data. Unlike reporting tools that focus on external data storage or complicated interfaces, Littledata automatically audits your setup, fixes your tracking, and leaves it where it should be— with you.
Allowing you to send the data to Google Analytics 4, Segment, or even off to your own data warehouse like Big Query! From there you can connect to other reporting tools, and apps but always have your single source of truth in GA4.
How can you use the LTV data for action?
Littledata sends complete LTV data as a custom dimension in Google Analytics or a property in Segment. There are many uses for this data, depending on your business model and growth plans. Common use cases include:
- Understanding your average customer lifetime value
- Improving return on ad spend (ROAS) by analyzing LTV by marketing channel
- Analyzing LTV by subscription product or product group
- Building LTV cohorts for advertising and remarketing (email, social, ppc)
But there are even more benefits of having accurate subscription data from your Shopify store including:
- Get marketing attribution for subscription revenue
- Segment performance by payment source, subscription plan type, and product category
- Benchmark your site and get access to professional-level subscription analytics tools
- Automatically track first-time payments, lifetime value and recurring transactions
Marketing Attribution
Say goodbye to all of that mysteriously “Direct” traffic in GA. Littledata stitches sessions together to give you a complete view of marketing attribution.
Now you will know which channels are leading to first-time purchases and ongoing. Details with accurate source/medium data about organic and paid performance campaigns. Including from main social channels like Meta, TikTok, and Pinterest ads. Which will allow you to see conversion and event data via client-side server-side tracking .
This data can automatically be sent to a range of tools you already use like Google Analytics 4, Google Ads, Segment, and more.
What people are saying about our connection
Don’t just take our word for it here is what our over 100+ summarized reviews on Shopify say about Littledata:
Merchants appreciate Littledata for its precise Google Analytics tracking and GA4 integration, especially beneficial for subscription-based businesses. It’s praised for resolving tracking issues swiftly and providing valuable insights. The support team is noted for their prompt responses and technical knowledge. The Littledata app is user-friendly and integrates well with other Shopify apps, offering a comprehensive data view. Some merchants reported improved checkout conversion rates after using it.
—Shopify Reviews Generated Summary
The takeaway
The best way to learn is to get started. That is why have several more articles on subscriptions on our blog. We also offer a 30-day free trial for brands to get setup and to begin analyzing their data. Getting accurate data and analytics doesn’t need to be so complicated—we are here to automate that process—so you can focus on your brand.
