With BFCM behind us, it’s time to push forward and begin planning for 2023. One of the biggest changes 2023 has in store for ecommerce brands is the deprecation of Universal Analytics and the rise of Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Many merchants are still struggling with their migration from UA to Google Analytics 4, and we get it — change is hard. Especially when it comes to a vital tool that your business relies on.  [tip]Get the free ebook on 10 reasons to switch to GA4[/tip] The good news is that switching to GA4 doesn't have to rack your nerves. Littledata’s Head of Client Services, David Pascu, shares his expert advice on building a strong foundation in GA4 on the Infinity Nation podcast. Whether you’ve been tracking in parallel for months, or you’re pushing off your migration until the last minute, you won’t want to miss this episode. Sending Shopify data to GA4 David joined Al Keck on the Infinity Nation podcast to discuss all things Shopify and GA4. David answers many of the most common questions users have about migrating to GA4, including: Myths and facts about GA4 for DTC brands Why Google is deprecating UA in change for GA4 When should you get started with GA4 How to start sending ecommerce data to GA4 Listen to the full episode >>>

Edward Upton, Founder & CEO at Littledata, was recently featured on the Ecommerce Coffee Break Podcast. Watch the interview above as he discusses how to use server-side tracking on ecommerce sites and the changes it has brought to the ecommerce world. In this episode you will learn: How to use server-side tracking on ecommerce sites What's the difference between first and third-party cookies The benefits of server-side tracking How to choose the right attribution model for your business  Listen to the podcast or watch it on YouTube Still, have burning questions after tuning in? Explore our recently published white paper on First-Party Data, "A World Without Cookies" where our experts share about these new changes to data and tracking.

Good decisions start with good data. That's not just a phrase we like to toss around here at Littledata—it's a mantra we live by because we've seen it ring true across the ecommerce landscape. But as the analytics world is rapidly changing amid wider privacy regulation, increased tracking prevention, and third-party cookies going away, getting that good, accurate data is more of a challenge. That's why it's not enough to simply add the right apps to your tech stack to collect accurate data. You need to choose a smart place to see that data and act on it as well. For us—and tens of millions around the world—Google Analytics is the simplest and most powerful way to report your store data. Of course, as you may have heard, Google Analytics is getting an overhaul. Google Analytics 4 is on the way and will replace the old version of GA officially on July 1, 2023. While many have already jumped in to see the new look and features, reactions have been mixed. Our Head of Customer Success Bianca Dihoiu joined the Milkbottle Labs podcast to explain just what's so great about GA4 and why it's so important for your ecommerce store. Why GA4 is so important for your ecommerce store Speaking with host Keith Matthews, Bianca explains that getting your data flowing to Google Analytics—especially when using a data platform like Littledata—gives you a single source of truth for all metrics on your store. Customer Lifetime Value, marketing attribution, return on ad spend, conversion rate for specific products: these are just the high-level metrics you can see in GA. During their discussion they jump right in on GA4, covering: What GA4 is and how it's different from the old GA The best new features in GA4 How to build reports and use the new dashboard Why GA4 is a strong solution now and in the future Check out the full episode below. Get more GA4 Need more resources to get ready to make the switch? We've got you covered. Google Analytics 4: Ready to make the switch? How to build customer behavior reports in Google Analytics 4 How to create sales performance reports in Google Analytics 4 How to create source/medium reports in Google Analytics 4 [subscribe]

In case by some chance you still haven't heard the news—the era of Google Analytics 4 is coming fast. In fact, July 1, 2022 will mark the start of the one-year countdown to the end of Universal Analytics—and brands need to be ready to make the switch. There's a lot of information floating around about GA4 right now, some good, some not so good, and some that just might leave you more confused than when you started looking into GA4 in the first place. [tip]Did you know? Littledata already offers server-side tracking on GA4 for Shopify and BigCommerce[/tip] But fear not, we've been tracking the growth and changes of GA4 since its early days, and our CEO Edward Upton knows more than most about what the newly revamped GA will offer. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: Google[/caption] How to get ready for GA4 Edward joined the Measeurelab podcast to shed light on what users can expect from GA4, some pros and cons of the new setup, and the best way to prepare your business to make the GA4 jump. Measurelab hosts Dan and Dara threw plenty of great questions to Ed, and his answers will help you get started on the right foot with Google's newest analytics offering. Listen to the full episode below to hear about: What GA4's measurement protocol looks like The nuances that come with moving from UA to GA4 The most exciting features newly available in GA4 Why GA4 matters for larger Shopify merchants   Want more on GA4? We got you Make sure you're really ready to take GA4 by the reins with the GA4 guides we have for you below: What Shopify stores can do TODAY to get going with GA4 in less than 15 minutes Lunch with Littledata: Jumping into GA4 with Google Analytics Expert Krista Seiden 10 reasons to move to GA4 for ecommerce analytics The rise of Google Analytics 4 and sunsetting of Universal Analytics Google Analytics 4: Ready to make the switch? [subscribe]

Data matters now more than ever for ecommerce store owners. It forms the backbone of any strong decision-making process and gives an invaluable look at customers you can't find anywhere else. But data collection is changing, with new privacy regulations and major tracking changes through iOS 14 (and beyond) adding hurdles to gathering truly accurate data. The solution to maintaining good data? Server-side tracking. To shed more light on the topic, Littledata CEO Edward Upton appeared on two podcasts to show listeners the power that data has on stores' future prospects, why it's so critical to focus on, and how to make sure you're using good data to guide your store. Keeping your ecommerce data accurate in a first-party data world Ed appeared on the 2X eCommerce podcast to chat with host Kunle Campbell about the big changes facing ecommerce data managers today. They dive into new restrictions on third-party data and how data managers can use tools like the new Facebook Conversions API (FB CAPI) and server-side tracking apps like Littledata to maximize ROI through data-backed decision-making. The conversation is a must-listen for any ecommerce store owner or data manager, particularly those spending significantly on acquiring customers through ads. They dive into: What events you should be tracking to get to know your customers betterHow you can still get the data you need without violating privacy lawsWhat the future of ecommerce tracking will look like, and how to prepare for it Hear the entire episode to get the guidance you need to make the right calls for your store. Listen on SpotifyListen on Apple PodcastsListen on Soundcloud How to use first-party data to improve loyalty and lifetime value Speaking with Flavilla Fongang from Tech Brains Talk, Ed shared how being able to analyze customer data correctly — using accurate metrics, of course — shows you the best paths to take for building both customer loyalty and lifetime value. Listen to the full conversation to hear how you can learn from your customers' behavior and make adjustments to your store design and promotion methods to drive more revenue and win more business. Listen on SpotifyListen on Apple Podcasts

Before you make any big decisions for your Shopify store, you need to know if you're making them based on the best possible data. Having 100% confidence in your store's analytics leads to you making the right decisions to improve your store design, offerings, and promotion methods. It's also the backbone of a growth plan that will help you reach your store's revenue targets faster. In the 200th episode of the eCommerce Fastlane podcast, our CMO Ari Messer sat down with eCommerce Fastlane's Steve Hutt to talk about why there's a discrepancy between Google Analytics and other analytics sources, how that bad data can lead you down a wrong decision-making path, and what to do so you set your store up for growth instead. The episode also touches on: How to finally have 100% confidence in your data accuracyFirst-party, zero-party data, and why they're important to your storeHow to audit and fix Google Analytics to ensure accurate trackingHow to get accurate marketing attribution (including cross-domain and multi-currency)How to get accurate Facebook campaign tagging and campaign cost imported to Google Analytics Get a free analytics audit just for listening eCommerce Fastlane listeners can get a hands-on look at how to use Google Analytics, Segment, or any connected reporting tool to get more accurate data on their Shopify store. Get benchmarks for your store that help you analyze your place in the market, identify areas of improvement, and then plan a roadmap for building a better data stack that will supercharge your growth.

How do you know if you're seeing the whole picture when it comes to your ecommerce analytics? Our CEO Edward Upton joined Keith Matthews, founder of Milk Bottle Labs, on their Shopify podcast to share how stores can conquer their data dilemmas and achieve exponential growth using accurate metrics. Listen to the full episode: Episode #48: Fix your analytics with Littledata As Shopify experts, Milk Bottle understands the critical role that analytics play in building a successful Shopify store. They're Ireland's only fully dedicated Shopify agency, but like many of our Shopify agency partners at Littledata, they help clients from around the world find the tools and information needed to craft the best Shopify store possible. During their chat, Edward and Keith discuss: How Littledata's years of experience as a fully remote company have helped us thriveWhat Littledata' Google Analytics connection brings to your store that Shopify's analytics dashboard doesn'tWhat customer activity is important to track leading up to an orderThe importance of knowing your customers' lifetime valueHow General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other privacy policies have impacted ecommerce stores What does Littledata show that Shopify's analytics dashboard doesn't? Early in the episode, Edward and Keith discuss why a store should add Littledata in the first place. The answer? It gives you critical information about the customer journey that Shopify's analytics dashboard doesn't. As Edward explains, Shopify's dashboard "does give you all the basics, like which products are sold, how many, how much you earned. But the problem is that it doesn't really give you enough detail on the actual customer journey to do serious conversion rate optimization or any sort of marketing mix analysis. So you just don't get deep enough about what series of events led up to an order and what were the different customer touchpoints. Yeah, you can see the last click that pulled (a customer) to an order. But, if someone buys a thousand-dollar couch, they don't just click on a Google ad and pay. It's a very considered decision, typically 15 or so touchpoints on average before someone would make a purchase. So knowing the last thing that pulled the customer there is almost useless. What you need to do is look at the whole journey in the marketing mix, all the different kinds of prospecting, retargeting, and engagement campaigns that got them to the eventual sale. And this is true for subscription e-commerce businesses, as well. It's very unlikely to be a sort of impulse purchase." How do cookie-blocking policies like GDPR affect Shopify store owners? New privacy policies like the EU's GDPR and California's Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) have restricted the ability for store owners to use cookies that track important customer activity. While the industry has been hurrying to adjust, Edward says that Littledata's server-side tracking is a strong solution for compliance. "Apple's basic belief — and I think Google's a bit on the fence, but may go down that path for Chrome as well — is that basically by default, users shouldn't be tracked. That as much of the sort of analytics-type tracking should be blocked as possible, which from the store owner's point of view is a disaster. Because, yeah, they don't want to track personal information about the user necessarily, but they do want to know in aggregate, 'how is my store performing?' and what [advertising] spend leads to sales. I think this is driving more and more stores into our arms because Littledata offers something quite different, which is server-side tracking, which doesn't rely on any of these. It bypasses these browser limitations." The Shopify podcast that helps you supercharge your store's analytics tracking Edward and Keith's conversation is filled with actionable insights that Shopify store owners can implement straight into their marketing efforts. Listen to the full episode to see how you can apply their advice to your store, or reach out to set up a demo with Littledata and learn how our powerful data connecters can springboard your ecommerce sales. After all, what good is a data-driven decision without accurate — or complete — ecommerce data?

We're at it again with another podcast episode! Following last year's appearences on Honest Ecommerce and Ecommerce Fastlane, we joined our friends at The Cut this time around. A few months ago, our team traveled to LA for #ChargeX, a conference for Shopify subscription businesses and agencies, hosted by our partners at ReCharge. [note]Check out our CEO's ReCharge talk on calculating LTV with accuracy[/note] Before heading to California, I joined The Shopify Dropify podcast, hosted by The Cut, a group of Shopify Experts and a creative agency based in Perth, Australia. Check out the 30 min podcast below. If you have questions about how how we can help your store get accurate data, be sure to get in touch with support or our team of Google Analytics experts. Main points How our Shopify app helps merchants measure the core metrics for your business, such as average order value (AOV), customer lifetime value (LTV), etc. The most common mistakes we see Shopify stores make Why it's vital to have complete, accurate tracking at each step of the buying funnel Differentiating first-time purchases from recurring purchases via our revamped ReCharge connection for subscription Shopify businesses How merchants using our Shopify ReCharge connection have been able to predict their subscription sales performance Where many Littledata customers find themselves in the path to scale The questions we get most often Why doesn't my Shopify data match what's in Google Analytics (or what's in my bank account)? How can I get advanced analytics support? The unique challenges we think ecommerce businesses face the most How ecommerce is (ironically) driving the re-opening of physical storefronts Data trends for Shopify stores (e.g. POS systems, pop-ups, new data touch points, etc.) The one thing we suggest merchants do right now to improve your store [tip]Try our Google Analytics app for Shopify free for 30 days[/tip]