Build explorations to see your ecommerce data
Once you set up the ecommerce events on your website or app, you can use the Ecommerce purchases report to see your ecommerce data. If you have Editor or above permissions, you also can customize the reports to show additional dimensions and metrics.
When you want to query your data further within Google Analytics (for example, to explore your checkout funnel), you can use various exploration techniques. This article provides some suggestions on how you can explore the different aspects of your ecommerce data.
Note: The examples in this article are based on the
Google Analytics Demo Account. To follow along with the steps below, make sure you can access this account first.
Checkout funnel performance
You can see the points where users abandon the checkout process by creating a checkout funnel. For example, if a lot of users leave at the first step where you require them to log in to an account, consider adding an option to checkout as a guest, or let them sign in with an existing Google or Twitter account to simplify the process.
High abandonment at any point can also signal a technical problem. For example, while you may let users sign in with a different account, you have problems accepting OpenID authentication. Or it could be something simple like a page taking an excessively long time to load.
If the reasons for abandonment aren’t obvious, conduct usability testing.
Steps
1. Create a new funnel exploration.
Start with the Funnel exploration template.
- Select the GA4 - Google Merchandise Store demo property.
- In Explore, under Start a new exploration, select the Funnel exploration template.
Note: The previous link opens to the last Analytics property you accessed. You can
change the property using the property selector. You must be an
Analyst or above to create a funnel exploration.
2. Add the steps in the checkout funnel.
Start by removing steps that you don't need for this exploration.
- In Tab Settings, click
next to each step.
- Click Edit
next to Steps.
- Next to Step 1, enter "Begin checkout".
- Select the Add new condition drop-down and choose begin_checkout.
- Click AND.
- Next to Step 2, enter "Add payment information".
- Select the Add new condition drop-down and choose add_payment_info.
- Next to Step 3, enter "Add shipping information".
- Select the Add new condition drop-down and choose add_shipping_info.
- Next to Step 4, enter "Purchase".
- Select the Add new condition drop-down and choose purchase.
- Click Apply.
3. (Optional) Add the data to the exploration.
The following steps show you how to see a breakdown by country in the table below the funnel.
- In Tab Settings, click in the Breakdown section.
- Drag the Country dimension from the Dimensions section to the Breakdown section.
Note: To measure the number of customers who completed a step in the checkout funnel without completing earlier steps in the funnel, create an open funnel exploration. For example, if someone added something to the cart during one session, and then came back to complete the purchase in a subsequent session, the funnel visualization would count the person as reentering at the Checkout step.
Promotion performance
You can measure how often users view your promotions and the impact of those promotion views and clicks on revenue. The exploration described in this section displays the change in item promotion views over time; however, you can use the dimensions and metrics to create more customized explorations.
Steps
1. Create a new free form exploration.
Start with the Free form template.
- Select the GA4 - Google Merchandise Store demo property.
- In Explore, under Start a new exploration, select the Free form template.
Note: The previous link opens to the last Analytics property you accessed. You can
change the property using the property selector. You must be an
Analyst or above to create a free-form exploration.
2. Make the "promotion" dimensions and metrics available to use.
The required dimensions and metrics aren't available by default, so you'll need to add them.
- In Variables, click
next to Dimensions.
- Select the Item promotion name checkbox.
- Click Import.
- In Variables, click next to Metrics.
- Select the Item promotion views checkbox.
- Click Import.
3. Add the dimensions and change the visualization.
- Drag and drop the Item promotion name dimension into the Breakdowns section.
- Drag and drop the Item promotion views metric into the Values section.
- In Tab Settings > VISUALIZATION, select Line chart.
next to Steps.
next to Dimensions.