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  1. The Critical Role of a Proper GA4 Setup in Effective CRO

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    When it comes to Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO), data isn’t just important—it’s essential. But the quality of data matters just as much as its availability. Without a meticulously implemented Google Analytics 4 (GA4) setup, you’re essentially risking decisions based on incomplete or misleading data that could undermine your CRO efforts. In this post, we’ll delve into why a precise GA4 configuration is a prerequisite before embarking on CRO initiatives, and how a free audit can set you on the path to actionable insights. 

    Accurate Data Foundations: Why GA4 Matters 

    CRO hinges on the ability to test, measure, and refine strategies based on accurate and actionable data. GA4’s event-based tracking model is a game-changer for capturing granular insights into user behavior, making it an indispensable tool for driving conversion optimisation. 

    With a robust GA4 setup, you gain access to: 

    • Comprehensive tracking of key interactions like add to basket, viewing products, out of stock, check abandonment rate and all other key metrics including traffic, category and onsite performance. 
    • Granular user behavior data, which helps identify patterns, detect bottlenecks in the user journey, and pinpoint the precise areas that require optimisation. 

    If these critical elements are neglected or improperly configured, CRO efforts will be built on flawed assumptions or incomplete data, rendering optimisations ineffective. Especially as all activity should be measured via an analytics platform and NOT a testing tool directly 

    Granular Event Tracking: Focus on the Metrics That Matter 

    One of the greatest strengths of GA4 is its flexibility in capturing detailed user interactions. A generic GA4 implementation often overlooks the nuanced actions that directly influence your site’s performance. To fuel effective CRO strategies, you need to ensure that your GA4 setup includes: 

    • Advanced event tracking such as scroll depth, specific button clicks, and interactions with multi-step forms. These events help uncover hidden friction points within the user experience. 
    • Enhanced conversions tracking, designed to work within the constraints of privacy regulations like GDPR and Consent Mode V2. This ensures you’re collecting meaningful, privacy-compliant data that aligns with your goals. 

    With these metrics, you can hone in on what truly drives conversions and optimise the user journey accordingly. 

    Eliminating Data Noise: Avoid Skewed Insights 

    Inadequate GA4 setups often introduce data noise, which clouds decision-making and distorts the understanding of user behavior. Common issues include: 

    • Duplicated events that artificially inflate interaction counts, skewing performance metrics and making optimisation efforts appear less effective. 
    • Misaligned attribution models, leading to inaccurate conclusions about which marketing channels contribute to conversions. 
    • Sampling in reports, which can undermine the reliability of insights, especially when analysing larger data sets. 

    By ensuring a well-configured GA4 setup, you can eliminate these data anomalies, providing clean, actionable insights that form the backbone of an effective CRO strategy. 

    Custom Dimensions and Metrics: Tailor Your Analytics to Your Goals 

    Every business has unique KPIs and user behaviors, and GA4’s customisation capabilities allow you to tailor your tracking setup accordingly. This includes: 

    • Custom dimensions, such as user segmentation, funnel stages, or customer personas, which allow you to segment data for a deeper understanding of your audience’s journey. 
    • Custom metrics, such as revenue attributed to specific product categories or drop-off rates at specific stages of the checkout process. These customised configurations provide insights that directly inform your CRO strategy and improve resource allocation. 

    By tailoring your analytics setup, you ensure that your data aligns precisely with your business objectives, allowing you to make data-driven decisions that maximise your ROI. 

    Enhanced Attribution: Understand True Performance 

    GA4’s advanced cross-channel attribution (DDA) model is designed to provide clarity on how different touchpoints contribute to conversions across marketing channels. A proper GA4 setup ensures: 

    • Accurate credit assignment across multiple marketing channels, from paid search to organic social, to help you understand the true value of each touchpoint. 
    • Cross-platform tracking, ensuring you capture the full scope of user interactions, whether on desktop, mobile, or app, providing a holistic view of how users engage with your brand. 

    This enhanced attribution enables you to identify high-performing channels, optimise them, and better allocate resources, thereby amplifying your CRO efforts. 

    Confidence in Testing Outcomes 

    The effectiveness of any CRO experiment is tied to the reliability of the data on which it’s based. A properly configured GA4 setup ensures: 

    • Accurate and de-duplicated event tracking, so you’re measuring the right user actions without noise. 
    • Actionable data that allows you to validate hypotheses, track A/B test results, and gauge the impact of optimisation changes with confidence. 

    With clean and reliable data flowing from your GA4 setup, you can confidently implement CRO strategies knowing the insights are rooted in solid, actionable metrics. 

    Start with a Free GA4 Audit 

    Not sure if your GA4 setup is primed for effective CRO? That’s where we come in. At Fabric Analytics, we offer a FREE GA4 audit to assess your tracking, data quality, and overall implementation. Here’s how it works: 

    1. Comprehensive evaluation: We audit your current GA4 setup to identify gaps, flaws, and areas that need improvement. 
    1. Actionable recommendations: We provide a tailored roadmap that outlines steps to optimise your GA4 configuration for maximum impact on your CRO strategy. 
    1. Expert guidance: Collaborate with our seasoned analytics professionals to align your GA4 setup with your specific business objectives and CRO goals. 

    Conclusion: Build the Right Foundation for CRO Success 

    A proper GA4 implementation isn’t just a technical requirement—it’s the foundation for successful CRO. By ensuring that data collection is accurate, customised to your goals, and enhanced by robust attribution models, you’re setting the stage for optimisation efforts that deliver measurable ROI. 

    Ready to take your CRO strategy to the next level? Contact us today for your free GA4 audit and let’s build the data-driven foundation that will drive your website optimisation success. 

  2. 5 Signs in GA4 That Reveal Consent Mode V2 Isn’t Implemented Correctly

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    Consent Mode V2 is a powerful tool in GA4 that ensures data collection respects user consent while still enabling effective analytics. However, an improper setup can have serious repercussions. Not only can it impact your data accuracy and the effectiveness of your paid campaigns, but it can also put you at risk of not being legally compliant. Incorrect attribution, miscategorised users, and missing data can lead to flawed insights, wasted ad spend, and reduced campaign performance. Getting it right is critical for making informed decisions and maximising ROI.

    Here are some key indicators that your Consent Mode V2 setup might not be functioning as intended:

    1. Huge Over Index of Direct Traffic

    If your direct traffic appears abnormally high, it could signal that GA4 isn’t attributing sessions correctly. This often happens when consent signals are not properly configured, and GA4 defaults to categorising traffic as “direct.”

    What to Look For:

    • Review the Traffic Acquisition report for an unusually high percentage of direct traffic.
    • Compare this percentage to pre-Consent Mode V2 implementation levels.

    2. Huge Over Index of Unassigned Traffic

    A significant portion of traffic showing as “unassigned” indicates that key attribution data is missing. This issue is often tied to improper consent settings.

    What to Look For:

    • Check the Attribution > Traffic Source report for large volumes of unassigned traffic.
    • Look for discrepancies in how referral and organic traffic are categorised.

    3. Blank Landing Pages

    If landing pages appear as blank in your reports, it’s a clear sign that data isn’t being captured properly. This can happen when tracking scripts are blocked due to missing or incorrect consent signals.

    What to Look For:

    • Navigate to Engagement > Pages and Screens in GA4.
    • Look for rows with blank values under the Landing Page dimension.

    4. New and Returning Users Incorrectly Categorised

    When Consent Mode isn’t functioning correctly, GA4 may struggle to distinguish between new and returning users. You might notice an overrepresentation of new users—sometimes as high as 80% or more.

    What to Look For:

    • Go to the User Acquisition report and compare the ratio of new to returning users.
    • Investigate discrepancies with historical data or other platforms.

    5. Missing Geographical Data

    Consent Mode issues can result in incomplete geographical data if user IP addresses or location signals are blocked without proper modelling in place.

    What to Look For:

    • Navigate to the Demographics > Location report.
    • Check for blank or missing data in key geographic dimensions.

    Still Not Sure? We’re Here to Help

    If these issues sound familiar, or you’re unsure whether your Consent Mode V2 is working as it should, we’re happy to provide a free audit. Our team at Fabric Analytics can pinpoint gaps in your implementation and ensure your GA4 setup is both compliant and insightful. Get in touch with us today with adam@fabric-analytics.com to talk through in more detail.

  3. Why Brands Missed Out on Black Friday Without Real-Time Analytics

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    Black Friday is one of the most important sales events of the year, particularly for online retailers. Platforms like Shopify are buzzing with activity, marketing budgets are stretched to their limits, and many businesses rely on a combination of tools to track their success. Yet, despite their best efforts, many brands are losing out because of one significant issue: the lack of real-time analytics in Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

    This challenge isn’t just inconvenient; it’s costing brands opportunities to maximise their performance during the busiest shopping period of the year.

    The Issue With GA4’s Delays

    While GA4 has brought some valuable improvements—better cross-device tracking and more advanced attribution—it has a critical drawback: data processing delays. On a day like Black Friday, when every minute counts, this lag creates a major problem for brands trying to make decisions on the fly.

    Take traffic source data, for example. On Black Friday, brands run dozens of campaigns across multiple channels to drive traffic to their websites. Knowing which traffic sources are converting and which aren’t is vital to ensure ad spend is being used effectively. However, GA4’s data batching means marketers often don’t get a clear picture until hours—or even days—later. By that time, the window for optimisation has already passed. In some instances it can take up to 12 days to correctly process.

    Shopify’s Real-Time Limitations

    For Shopify brands, the platform does provide live sales and traffic metrics, which can be useful. However, these insights are limited and don’t provide the depth needed to understand what’s driving performance. For example, Shopify might show an increase in traffic, but it won’t tell you:

    • Which campaigns or channels are responsible
    • How that traffic is converting
    • Whether users are abandoning their carts after visiting specific landing pages

    Without pairing Shopify’s real-time metrics with the more detailed insights available in GA4, brands can’t make the most of their marketing investments during a time when margins are razor-thin, and competition is fierce.

    The High Cost of Missed Optimisation

    Black Friday isn’t just another sales day. It’s a period where every decision can have a massive financial impact. The inability to react to live data means brands risk:

    • Over-spending on underperforming campaigns: Without real-time feedback, it’s easy to waste budget on ads that aren’t delivering results.
    • Underfunding successful campaigns: Without clear traffic source data, brands may miss opportunities to scale up ads that are driving high-quality traffic.

    The result? Lost revenue that could have been recaptured with faster, more actionable insights.

    What Can Brands Do Currently?

    While GA4’s limitations in real-time analytics are frustrating, there are ways to mitigate the impact:

    • Use Shopify Analytics Strategically: While it’s not as detailed as GA4, Shopify’s dashboards can highlight overall trends to help guide quick decisions.
    • Set Up Alerts: Customise notifications in tools like Google Tag Manager for key events, such as traffic spikes or conversion drops.
    • Plan Based on Historical Data: Analyse past Black Friday performance to anticipate which channels and campaigns are likely to perform well and allocate budget accordingly.
    • Leverage Complementary Tools: Explore other analytics platforms that can offer more immediate insights to supplement GA4.

    The Real-Time Analytics Challenge

    The lack of real-time insights in GA4 highlights a broader issue for ecommerce brands: the growing need to react faster in an increasingly competitive market. Black Friday success isn’t just about running great campaigns; it’s about having the agility to pivot and optimise based on what’s working in the moment.

    Until tools evolve to meet this demand, brands must rely on creative solutions and thorough preparation to avoid leaving money on the table. By understanding these challenges and acting proactively, businesses can make the most of Black Friday and beyond.

  4. The Hidden Cost of Discount Code Leaks

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    In the world of e-commerce, discount codes are a popular and effective way to attract new customers and reward loyal ones. However, what started as a targeted marketing tool has, in many cases, spiralled into an unexpected challenge for online retailers. Automated discount platforms such as Honey and Karma now aggregate and share discount codes across their networks. While these platforms are convenient for consumers, they can cost businesses far more than they might realise.

    What is a Discount Code Leak?

    Discount code leaks occur when the codes, originally intended for a specific purposes, become widely accessible on automated platforms.

    For example, you might run a targeted email campaign offering a 20% discount to your most loyal customers. But thanks to automation tools and code-sharing platforms, this discount can suddenly become accessible to anyone visiting your site, including users who would have happily paid full price.

    The Scope of the Issue

    Our recent data suggests that, depending on the industry, 5-10% of all discount code redemptions on e-commerce websites come from automated sources like Honey or other browser extensions. This isn’t just a minor inconvenience—it’s a direct hit to your bottom line. When consumers who would have purchased anyway find and apply leaked codes, businesses end up giving away discounts unnecessarily.

    For industries where profit margins are already tight, such as fashion or consumer electronics, this unintentional discounting can add up quickly. The cumulative effect can erode revenue, diminish campaign effectiveness, and reduce the perceived value of your products.

    Why This Matters for Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO)

    At first glance, one might assume that leaked discount codes could boost sales conversions. After all, discounts are enticing. However, the reality is more complex.

    While conversion rates might increase slightly, the quality of these conversions could decrease. Customers who rely on leaked codes may not be as loyal or engaged as those who buy without incentives. Additionally, the inflated use of codes can skew campaign analytics, making it harder to assess the actual effectiveness of promotional strategies.

    For CRO teams like ours, the impact of discount code leaks represents a critical blind spot in the optimisation process. Ensuring that discounts are used strategically—and not applied unnecessarily—is key to maximising revenue and customer lifetime value (CLV).

    Understanding the Size of the Problem


    To understand the size of the problem, businesses need actionable insights into how discount codes are being used. That’s where Fabric Analytics comes in. Our solution enables you to track discount code usage through advanced custom JavaScript that integrates seamlessly with Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

    By implementing this tracking, you can:

    • Identify the source of discount codes, including whether they originate from automated platforms like Honey or are applied manually by users.

    • Quantify the percentage of transactions that involve leaked codes.

    • Measure the revenue impact of unauthorized discounts to see how much they are cutting into your profits.

    • Segment users based on their behavior, enabling more refined audience targeting in future campaigns.

    This data gives businesses a clear understanding of how widespread the issue is and equips them with the insights needed to develop tailored strategies to mitigate it.

    How to Combat Discount Code Leaks

    To mitigate the issue, businesses must adopt proactive measures to safeguard their promotional strategies:

    1. Use Unique, One-Time Codes: Generating codes that are unique to each user and expire after one use can significantly reduce the risk of leaks.

    2. Segment Your Audience: Limit discount code distribution to specific customer groups or loyalty tiers. This not only reduces exposure but also creates a sense of exclusivity.

    3. Implement Server-Side Validation: Ensure discount codes are verified server-side, allowing you to track their source and prevent unauthorised sharing.

    4. Restrict Code Usability: Set specific terms for your codes, such as time limits, product category restrictions, or minimum purchase thresholds.

    5. Monitor Code Usage: Regularly review your analytics to detect unusual patterns of code redemptions that may indicate leaks.

    6. Blocking Automated Activity: At Fabric Analytics, we’ve developed scripts that can gracefully block automated services like Honey without disrupting the customer experience. These scripts detect the presence of browser extensions and other automation tools, offering you the ability to prevent unauthorised discount application at the source.

    The Future of E-Commerce Discounts

    While discount code leaks are a frustrating challenge, they are also an opportunity for businesses to reevaluate their promotional strategies. By focusing on targeted, data-driven approaches, retailers can reduce unnecessary discounts while still fostering customer loyalty and driving sales.

    For CRO specialists, addressing this issue is a vital part of optimising the user journey and protecting revenue. With the right strategies in place, businesses can strike a balance between offering discounts that convert and preserving their profitability.

  5. Post-Universal Analytics Sunset: What Should You Have Done? + Common GA4 Challenges 

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    It’s been 15 months (3 months since 360) since Google officially retired Universal Analytics (UA) and moved everything over to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This transition wasn’t just a simple update—it introduced a completely new tracking code that changed how you collect, analyse, and use your data. For brands reliant on accurate data to drive decisions, a smooth transition has been crucial. 

    If you haven’t fully optimised your GA4 setup or are still encountering issues, here’s what you should have done by now and the common challenges businesses are facing with GA4. 

    What Should You Have Done by Now? 

    1. Migrated & Safeguarded Historical Data 

    One of the first and most crucial steps was to export historical data from UA, as there is no automatic transfer into GA4. By now, you should have: 

    • Exported historical reports and key metrics from UA to ensure you have access to year-on-year comparisons. 
    • Set up a data storage solution, such as Google BigQuery or Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio), to integrate old UA data with your GA4 reports for better continuity. 

    Common Problem: Some businesses overlooked this step, leaving them without access to historical data, making it difficult to measure long-term trends. 

    2. Mapped Goals to GA4 Events 

    GA4 uses an event-based tracking model, replacing UA’s session-based approach. To ensure continuity in your reporting, you should have: 

    • Mapped your UA goals to GA4 events to track key interactions like form submissions, purchases, or button clicks. 
    • Implemented Enhanced Measurement Events that allow GA4 to automatically track actions like scroll depth, video views, and outbound clicks. 

    Common Problem: Many businesses are still relying on GA4’s default events, which often aren’t detailed enough for the specific tracking needs of each business. 

    3. Updated the DataLayer & Google Tag Manager (GTM) 

    GA4 requires a new structure for tracking information via the dataLayer and GTM tags. By now, you should have: 

    • Reviewed and updated your dataLayer to meet GA4’s schema, ensuring that key interactions are being tracked and reported accurately. 
    • Refined your GTM tags to work within GA4’s event-based model, especially for eCommerce tracking, where the setup in GA4 is notably different from UA. 

    Common Problem: Brands that haven’t adjusted their dataLayer or GTM setup are experiencing gaps in data, particularly around eCommerce transactions and user journeys. 

    4. Set Up Cross-Domain Tracking 

    GA4 makes it easier to track users across different domains compared to UA. If your site has a separate checkout process or uses subdomains, you should have: 

    • Implemented cross-domain tracking to prevent session duplication and to ensure user journeys are accurately reported across domains. 

    Common Problem: Misconfigured cross-domain tracking results in fragmented data, where user sessions are split across domains, leading to inaccurate attribution. 

    5. Built Custom Audiences for Marketing 

    GA4’s advanced audience-building features, powered by machine learning, enable highly personalised marketing campaigns. By now, you should have: 

    • Created custom audiences based on user behaviours, like those who abandoned carts or made a purchase. 
    • Used predictive metrics such as purchase probability or churn probability to enhance your remarketing strategies. 

    Common Problem: Many businesses are underutilising GA4’s audience-building tools, missing out on advanced targeting opportunities that could drive better marketing performance. 

    Common Challenges Brands Are Facing 

    Despite the benefits GA4 offers, the transition hasn’t been without its difficulties. Here are some of the most common challenges businesses are facing: 

    1. Complex Event Tracking 

    GA4’s flexibility in event tracking also comes with added complexity. Many businesses struggle with: 

    • Setting up custom events, which are necessary for tracking specific user actions beyond the default settings. 
    • Understanding parameter limits, with GA4 capping the number of parameters you can use per event. For more complex sites, this requires careful planning to avoid missing important data. 

    2. Attribution Model Changes 

    GA4 introduces a shift to a data-driven attribution model, replacing UA’s last-click default. While more accurate, it has created challenges for some businesses: 

    • Data discrepancies: Businesses used to UA’s last-click attribution may find their GA4 reports showing different conversion paths and crediting different channels. 
    • Reporting complexity: GA4’s attribution reports can be harder to navigate for teams that relied on simpler UA reporting. 

    3. Sampling & Data Limitations 

    In an effort to preserve user privacy, GA4 uses data thresholds, which can lead to: 

    • Sampled data in larger datasets, reducing accuracy in reports. 
    • Suppressed data for smaller websites, where anonymisation rules limit the granularity of reports, especially in segments like age, gender, or interest. 

    4. Integrating GA4 with Other Tools 

    Many brands rely on a wider marketing technology (MarTech) stack that includes CRM systems, advertising platforms, and email marketing tools. The new data model in GA4 has made some integrations more difficult: 

    • Data flow issues: Integrating GA4 with platforms like CRM systems or Google Ads requires more advanced configuration due to the event-based structure. 
    • Loss of key reports: Some reports and metrics from UA, such as bounce rate, don’t exist in GA4 in the same way, causing friction for teams used to the old reporting structure. 

    5. Data freshness and processing time 

    There is a much longer processing time for data to appear in your GA4 account. GA4’s new data collection methodology introduces a significant delay. 

    • Data Inconsistencies:  These fluctuations can lead to misinterpretation of results, causing wasted investments and inaccurate business insights. with businesses potentially waiting up to 48 hours for accurate data to appear in their accounts 
    • Variable Traffic Source Categorization: Traffic sources in GA4 can be retroactively categorized up to 12 days after initial data appears. This variability adds another layer of uncertainty, complicating real-time analysis and the ability to respond swiftly to marketing performance. 

    Conclusion: Optimising Your GA4 Setup 

    By now, businesses should have made significant progress in optimising their GA4 setup. If you haven’t: 

    • Audit your current setup to make sure you’re tracking all key events, goals, and user interactions. 
    • Refine your dataLayer and GTM tags to ensure they align with GA4’s requirements. 
    • Check your reports for accuracy and make sure data discrepancies are resolved by reviewing cross-domain tracking, attribution models, and audience configurations. 

    The shift to GA4 offers tremendous potential for deeper insights and more accurate data—if configured correctly. If you’re still facing challenges or unsure if your setup is performing at its best, Fabric Analytics is here to help. We specialise in GA4 audits and custom configurations, ensuring your business gets the most out of its analytics and reporting. 

  6. Why Using a GA3 dataLayer in GA4 Will Lead to Tracking and Ad Optimisation Issues

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    Since the transition to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), many businesses may still be relying on legacy GA3 (Universal Analytics) configurations for their dataLayer. While this might seem like a quick fix, using a GA3-configured dataLayer in GA4 can lead to tracking issues that ultimately affect data accuracy and ad optimisation. In this post, we’ll explore why using your old GA3 dataLayer can hinder your progress and how Fabric Analytics can guide you through a seamless transition to GA4, including a free GA4 audit to help you get started.

    Key Differences Between GA3 and GA4 dataLayers

    Although GA3 and GA4 both utilise a dataLayer for tracking user behaviour, the structures are vastly different. GA4 brings an advanced event-driven tracking model that offers a more nuanced understanding of user behaviour across devices and platforms. Here are some key differences between the two:

    1. Event-Based Tracking Model
      GA3 relied on predefined hit types like pageviews and transactions, whereas GA4 is entirely event-driven. This flexible model allows for custom event tracking, making it possible to collect more detailed insights into user interactions. A GA3 dataLayer, however, isn’t built to accommodate this flexibility, leading to missed or incorrect data capture.
    2. Custom Parameters
      GA4 utilises custom parameters for more granular tracking of user interactions, while GA3 primarily used event categories, actions, and labels. If you continue using a GA3 dataLayer, you may lose vital tracking capabilities, resulting in inaccurate reporting.
    3. User-Centric Tracking
      GA4 shifts the focus from session-based tracking to user-centric tracking, enabling better analysis of individual users’ journeys across devices. GA3’s dataLayer, however, doesn’t have this capability, leading to fragmented and inconsistent data.

    Common Issues When Using a GA3 dataLayer in GA4

    Failing to adapt your GA3 dataLayer to GA4 standards can cause several problems that compromise the quality of your data and impact ad optimisation:

    1. Incomplete Data Collection
      GA4 expects a specific event structure that differs from GA3. If your dataLayer isn’t updated, you risk not capturing important interactions like purchases, leading to missed revenue and skewed reports.
    2. Incorrect Event Attribution
      GA4 tracks events with greater detail through custom parameters, and using a GA3 dataLayer can result in misattributed events. This misalignment affects your understanding of user behaviour and impairs decision-making.
    3. Inconsistent Cross-Device Tracking
      GA4 excels in tracking users across multiple devices and sessions. A GA3 dataLayer can’t support this capability, which can result in incomplete user journeys and lower-quality insights.

    Impact on Ad Optimisation

    In addition to data tracking issues, a misconfigured dataLayer can disrupt your ad optimisation efforts:

    1. Reduced Audience Targeting Accuracy
      GA4 relies on precise event tracking for audience segmentation. If your dataLayer isn’t properly configured, your ad targeting will suffer, leading to increased acquisition costs and lower returns on ad spend (ROAS).
    2. Inaccurate Conversion Data
      Incorrect event tracking skews conversion reporting, causing you to misallocate budget. Over-investing in underperforming channels or under-investing in high-performing ones can significantly reduce campaign efficiency.
    3. Skewed Attribution Models
      GA4’s advanced attribution models, like data-driven attribution, require accurate event data. If your dataLayer is not tracking events properly, attribution credit may be assigned incorrectly, leading to poor insights and inefficient budget allocation.

    How Fabric Analytics Can Help

    At Fabric Analytics, we specialise in helping businesses transition their dataLayer setups from GA3 to GA4, ensuring that tracking is accurate and fully optimised for your needs. Here’s how we can assist:

    1. Free GA4 Audit
      As a starting point, we offer a free GA4 audit to review your current tracking setup and highlight potential issues. This audit includes an analysis of your dataLayer configuration, event tracking, and GA4 readiness, ensuring you have a clear understanding of where improvements are needed.
    2. dataLayer Rebuild
      Once we’ve completed the audit, our team will work with you to rebuild your dataLayer from the ground up for GA4. We’ll ensure it aligns with GA4’s event-based tracking model and is configured to track the most relevant interactions for your business.
    3. Bespoke GA4 Configuration
      Every business has unique goals, and we make sure your dataLayer is tailored to fit them. Whether you need enhanced ecommerce tracking, cross-platform analytics, or custom event tracking, we’ll configure GA4 to capture the insights that matter most to you.
    4. Thorough Testing and QA
      Before full deployment, we run parallel tracking between GA3 and GA4 to identify discrepancies and fine-tune your setup. Our comprehensive QA process ensures events are firing correctly and data is being accurately recorded.
    5. Ongoing Support
      Once your GA4 setup is in place, we provide ongoing support to monitor performance and make adjustments as needed. We help ensure your dataLayer continues to evolve as your business grows, providing accurate insights for future decision-making.

    Conclusion

    Using a GA3 dataLayer in GA4 creates significant risks for data accuracy, reporting, and ad optimisation. With GA4’s event-driven, user-centric model, updating your dataLayer is essential to ensure you capture the right data for smarter decision-making. At Fabric Analytics, we offer a free GA4 audit to help you assess your current setup and guide you through a seamless transition to GA4.

    Get in touch today to learn more about how we can help you future-proof your tracking and optimise your ad performance with GA4.

  7. Elevate Your CRO with Expert A/B Testing for Complex Web Frameworks

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    In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is a key driver of success. A/B testing is a critical component of CRO, enabling businesses to optimise their websites by comparing different versions and identifying what works best. However, the complexities of modern web technologies require a more sophisticated approach to A/B testing—one that goes beyond basic tools and taps into deep technical expertise.

    At Fabric Analytics, we specialise in conducting advanced A/B tests, particularly on websites built with complex JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js. Our expert team doesn’t just rely on WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) tools. Instead, we leverage our deep understanding of web development, ensuring that our tests are both accurate and actionable.

    The Complexity of Modern A/B Testing

    Websites built with advanced JavaScript frameworks pose unique challenges for A/B testing. These frameworks, which power many modern websites, create dynamic, interactive experiences that are far more complex than traditional static sites. As a result, testing these sites requires a deep technical understanding of how they work.

    Some of the challenges include:

    • Component Re-renders: Dynamic components may not behave consistently under simple testing tools, leading to unreliable data.
    • State Management: Handling state changes within single-page applications (SPAs) is complex and demands precise testing techniques.
    • Performance Concerns: Poorly executed tests can lead to performance issues, distorting test results and negatively impacting user experience.

    These challenges mean that basic A/B testing tools often aren’t enough. You need expert developers who understand the intricacies of your site’s architecture—and that’s where Fabric Analytics comes in.

    Our Advanced Approach: Leveraging Mutation Observers

    One of the key techniques we use to manage the complexities of modern web frameworks is the implementation of Mutation Observers. Mutation Observers are a powerful tool that allows us to monitor changes to the DOM (Document Object Model) in real-time, which is particularly important for sites built with frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js.

    Here’s how we use Mutation Observers to enhance our A/B testing:

    1. Tracking State Changes: Mutation Observers enable us to detect and respond to changes in the application state, which is critical for accurately measuring user interactions on SPAs. This ensures that our tests reflect the true behaviour of your users, even as the underlying state of the application evolves dynamically.
    2. Monitoring Component Re-renders: In frameworks like React and Angular, components can re-render based on user actions or state changes. Mutation Observers allow us to monitor these re-renders in real-time, ensuring that our tests account for these dynamic changes and apply modifications precisely when and where they’re needed.
    3. Ensuring Data Integrity: By using Mutation Observers, we can ensure that the data we collect during tests is accurate and reflects the current state of the application. This level of precision is essential for making informed decisions that will positively impact your conversion rates.

    Why Choose Fabric Analytics?

    At Fabric Analytics, we don’t just conduct A/B tests; we solve complex problems. Our team’s expertise in advanced web technologies, combined with our use of sophisticated techniques like Mutation Observers, ensures that your tests are both reliable and impactful.

    We provide:

    • Custom Implementation: Tailored testing solutions that fit the unique needs of your website, bypassing the limitations of generic tools.
    • In-depth Technical Expertise: A team that understands the complexities of modern web frameworks and knows how to work within them.
    • Advanced Testing Scenarios: The ability to handle complex user flows and interactions, delivering insights that drive real results.
    • Scalable Solutions: Testing approaches that can grow and evolve with your site, ensuring long-term success.
    • Accurate Data and Analysis: In-depth analysis that transforms raw data into actionable insights.

    When you choose Fabric Analytics, you’re choosing a partner who understands the intricacies of modern web development and is equipped to tackle the challenges of advanced A/B testing. We help you go beyond surface-level optimisations, providing the insights and expertise you need to truly elevate your CRO program.

    —

    Ready to elevate your CRO program with sophisticated A/B testing? Contact us today to learn how Fabric Analytics can help you achieve your goals.

  8. Google’s New Tools: Refining First-Party Data Strategies and Their Impact on GA4

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    Google’s recent updates—Tag Diagnostics and a streamlined Consent Management Setup—aim to bolster first-party data strategies across Google Ads, Google Analytics (GA4), and Google Tag Manager (GTM). While these tools bring significant improvements, there are some nuances and challenges to consider, especially for those who have been working with Tag Diagnostics for a while and are familiar with the complexities of setting up Consent Mode. Let’s explore these tools’ practical implications and how they affect your GA4 implementation.

    Tag Diagnostics: A Mixed Bag of Benefits and Limitations

    Tag Diagnostics isn’t entirely new; many users have been familiar with it for several weeks or even months, particularly those who first encountered it in Google Tag Manager (GTM) before seeing it in GA4. The tool’s primary function is to flag potential issues in your tagging setup, such as missing tags or misconfigured events. However, while the concept is solid, the execution hasn’t been flawless.

    • Accuracy Issues: One common experience with Tag Diagnostics is its occasional inaccuracy. For example, it might flag certain pages as missing GTM, only for users to find that GTM is indeed present when they manually check. These false positives can be frustrating and may lead to unnecessary troubleshooting, which is a drawback for businesses relying on precise data to inform their strategies.
    • Ongoing Value: Despite these imperfections, Tag Diagnostics still offers value by providing a centralised view of your tagging health. For GA4 users, it can serve as a helpful tool to ensure that most tagging issues are caught early, even if it occasionally requires manual verification. As Google continues to refine this tool, we can expect improvements in its accuracy and reliability.


    Consent Management Setup: Streamlining a Critical Process

    The new Consent Management Setup is a welcome addition, especially for businesses that need to navigate the complex landscape of data privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA. While many companies have developed robust processes for setting up Consent Mode, this tool aims to make the process even more accessible and less technically demanding.

    • Easing the Setup Process: Even for those with established processes, having a more integrated and user-friendly setup within GA4 and GTM is beneficial. The streamlined approach reduces the complexity of deploying consent banners and managing consent mode, which can save time and reduce the likelihood of errors.
    • Limited CMP Integration: A notable limitation is the current integration with only three Consent Management Platforms (CMPs): Cookiebot by Usercentrics, iubenda, and Usercentrics. While these are among the more popular CMPs, the narrow selection might be disappointing for businesses using other platforms. However, since you’ve worked with all three CMPs, this integration should fit seamlessly into your existing workflows. There’s hope that Google will expand this list over time, offering greater flexibility and choice for businesses.


    The Impact on GA4 Implementation

    For GA4 users, these tools are important steps forward, though they come with caveats:

    1. Enhanced, But Imperfect, Data Accuracy:
      • Tag Diagnostics plays a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of your GA4 data, even if it sometimes requires manual checks to confirm its alerts. The tool can help you catch most issues before they affect your data quality, which is essential for making accurate, data-driven decisions.
    2. Simplified Compliance, with Room to Grow:
      • The Consent Management Setup should make it easier to maintain compliance with privacy regulations, reducing the technical burden on your team. While the current CMP options are limited, they include some of the most widely used platforms, which should cover the needs of many businesses. For GA4 users, this means you can implement and manage consent more efficiently, ensuring that your data collection remains both compliant and effective.
    3. Looking Ahead:
      • As Google continues to refine these tools, it’s likely that we’ll see improvements in accuracy for Tag Diagnostics and an expanded list of CMP integrations for Consent Management Setup. Staying up to date with these developments will be key to maximising the benefits for your GA4 setup.


    Google’s new tools, while promising, are not without their challenges. Tag Diagnostics offers a useful, if occasionally imperfect, way to ensure your tagging is accurate across GA4 and GTM. Meanwhile, the Consent Management Setup simplifies the complex task of managing user consent, though its utility is somewhat limited by the current number of integrated CMPs.

    For businesses already working within GA4, these tools provide valuable enhancements, even if they require some manual oversight or adaptation. As Google refines these features, the hope is that they will become even more robust, offering greater accuracy and flexibility in managing first-party data strategies.

  9. Checkout Extensibility upgrade – July 2024

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    Executive Summary:

    Shopify are deprecating the checkout.liquid theme file for the Information, Shipping and Payment pages on 13th August 2024 (with other areas to follow in August 2025)

    Existing customisations and integrated checkout tracking on these pages will no longer function after this date. This will not impact how shopify works, but any additional third party tracking and how that data is collected will be affected. When a user rejects marketing or analytics cookies, Shopify will not fire any tracking in the checkout, whether it sets cookies or not. This has serious impacts on any required tracking or tools such as Google Ads that use cookieless pings to model key metrics back into the tool.

    It’s imperative you review your setup ASAP

    What is the announcement?

    August 13, 2024 is the deadline to upgrade from checkout.liquid to Checkout Extensibility for the Information, Shipping, and Payment pages. Checkout.liquid is deprecated and has not been updated with new functionality since 2021. With ever changing regulations worldwide, including the introduction of card industry rules under PCI DSS v4, checkout.liquid is less secure than Checkout Extensibility, and they will discontinue its support.

    Checkout extensibility overview

    Future of ecommerce overview  

    Why is checkout.liquid being deprecated?

    Customising the Shopify checkout via checkout.liquid is typically complex and time-intensive, requiring advanced coding knowledge. Checkout.liquid customisations are often impacted by upgrades and, in some cases, result in poor checkout performance and a substandard buyer experience. They can also be problematic for security reasons.

    One other additional factor to this change was in August 2022, when a conflict with Google Tag Manager in the theme code caused a 12 hour Shopify checkout global outage.

    Shopify has been seeking to ensure checkout stability and performance whilst enabling the meaningful addition of new capabilities and functionality. As such, it has invested in Checkout Extensibility, a suite of apps and tools that make it easier to customise the Shopify checkout and build bespoke checkout experiences. Checkout Extensibility is secure, code-free, app-based, upgrade-safe and higher-converting. It also integrates with Shop Pay, which means, for the first time ever, express checkout can be customised.

    Crucially, Checkout Extensibility replaces the need for checkout.liquid.

    How will checkout extensibility impact your tracking?

    Despite Shopify positioning this as ‘no change’ to how tracking will work it severely impacts your ability to pass data into all media tracking e.g Google Ads, Meta and GA4)

    The guidance and the Shopify interface says that your pixels (where tracking scripts sit in Checkout Extensibility) will always run. (see below screen grab).

    However, this is incorrect as your tracking script will not run if a user rejects either marketing or analytics cookies. Blocking any tracking when a user rejects these cookies prevents technology such as cookieless pings, these are used by Google tools to model key metrics when a user opts out of cookies. This is a global issue and will continue to impact tracking for all people who’ve upgraded to checkout extensibility.

    Why are shopify doing this with tracking?

    It is unknown why they aren’t allowing any cookieless tracking to fire from their platform. However, Shopify is moving to Checkout Extensibility for several reasons:

    Enhanced Security: The new framework is designed with better security features to protect both merchants and customers.

    Scalability: Checkout Extensibility allows for a more scalable solution, accommodating growing businesses and increased traffic more effectively.

    Improved Customization: The new system offers more robust and flexible customization options, enabling developers to create more sophisticated and tailored checkout experiences.

    Future-Proofing: By adopting modern technology standards, Shopify aims to future-proof its platform, ensuring it remains relevant and capable of supporting new features and improvements.

    What Does It Mean for You?

    You will need to review the following:

    Action Required: You need to migrate your checkout customizations from checkout.liquid to the new Checkout Extensibility framework before the August 13, 2024 deadline.

    Learning Curve: There will be a learning curve as you familiarize yourself with the new framework and its capabilities.

    Opportunities for Improvement: The new system provides opportunities to enhance and innovate your checkout process, potentially improving customer experience and conversion rates.

    Support and Resources: Shopify will likely offer support and resources to assist with the transition, including documentation, tutorials, and possibly migration tools.

    You’ll also need to QA your existing marketing tags to ensure everything works as expected.

    What to do next?

    • Audit how your tags are implemented on checkout extensibility
    • Review turning off the privacy API and using an alternative solution to continue to use cookieless pings for Google Marketing Platform
    • Review using OneTrust (or similar) alongside GTM to ensure this works as expected

    If you’re unsure of your current status or how to complete these steps feel free to email data@fabric-analytics.com and we can help.

    How can Fabric help?

    At Fabric Analytics we can provide different levels of support to ensure you’re fully ready for these new changes.

    As we work on a transparent hourly based model, reach out to us and we can support with any of your needs.

    If you need support reviewing your third party tracking from a custom checkout.liquid instance to Checkout Extensibility, please contact us to find out more about how our team of Experts can help you.

    As one of the most experienced tracking and data agencies in the ecosystem, with a first-class team of experts and developers, we are perfectly positioned to consult on your bespoke requirements and implement these.

    Developer Resources

    Here are a list of Shopify web URLs that verify the details about the transition from checkout.liquid to Checkout Extensibility:

    1. Shopify Developer Documentation: Checkout Extensibility
    2. Shopify Community: Checkout Extensibility Announcement
    3. Shopify Help Center: Migrating from checkout.liquid
    4. Shopify Plus Blog: Secure and Scalable Checkout
    5. Shopify Developers Blog: Customizing Checkout

    These URLs provide verification and further details about the transition, including the reasons behind it, the impacts of missing the deadline, and the benefits of the new Checkout Extensibility framework.

  10. Consent Mode v2 – what does it mean for you?

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    Executive Summary:

    Google has unveiled a significant update, emphasising the need for strict compliance among website owners who use Google Marketing Products. This encompasses a range of tools such as Google Ads, GA4, Floodlights, and various other Google tags.

    This change is particularly crucial for businesses that engage with users in the European Economic Area (EEA) & United Kingdom, as adherence to these new guidelines will become mandatory for effective retargeting and audience development within these regions starting 7th March 2024.

    Taking action on these updates is critical; inaction will lead to a considerable reduction in data collection, efficacy of utilising Google’s marketing tools for media buying, audience targeting, and retargeting within the European Economic Area and United Kingdom.

    Starting 7th March 2024, inaction will significantly disrupt conversion tracking, audience building and remarketing.

    What is the announcement?

    Google announced the launch of Consent Mode v2, a significant update to its web and app advertising framework. This new version is designed to ensure compliance with the latest privacy regulations and address users’ expectations regarding online privacy. Consent Mode v2 introduces enhanced features for managing user consent, particularly in relation to Google’s advertising and analytics services.

    Consent Mode overview

    Content Mode technical documentation

    What is Consent Mode?

    Consent mode is a mechanism introduced by Google for Tag management platforms to work alongside CMP’s (cookie management platforms) or gtags to respect a user’s privacy.

    It’s a method that ensures the consent signals you gather are automatically conveyed to Google’s web and app advertising networks. As a result, Google’s tags change their behaviour to accommodate these preferences.

    Google uses this data to enable conversion modelling to recover lost conversions.

    This allows marketers to boost the quality of bidding algorithms and measurement capabilities.

    What is new with Consent Mode v2?

    Consent Mode v2 adds two additional parameters: ad_user_data and ad_personalization,

    which are Google-specific and dedicated for audience building and remarketing use cases.

    Without these two additional characteristics, it will be impossible to develop targeted

    audiences, perform personalised advertising on Google Ads or measure performance in

    the EEA and United Kingdom.

    There are 2 versions of consent mode:

    • “Advanced Consent Mode” covers cookieless pings. Even if consent is not granted, data is sent to Google.
    • “Basic Consent Mode” blocks tags from firing altogether when relevant consent is not granted.

    You will need to send the relevant consent signals if GA4 data is being used to feed Ads audiences through the GA4/Ads integration.

    Google Consent Mode v2 is fully operational. If it is not implemented, the negative effects for advertisers will appear from 7th March 2024.

    What does this mean for you?

    Without Consent Mode v2, no data about new EEA users will be captured by your advertising platforms (Google Ads, GA4, etc.) after March 2024. This will affect measurement and reporting in this region, along with your audience lists and remarketing disabling the ability to run personalised advertising.

    Your bidding algorithms will run based on inaccurate and incomplete data, and your budget will be spent much less effectively.

    For example, if you’re running a Maximise Conversions campaign with a target CPA, it is important that conversions are measured as accurately as possible for the algorithm to function and bid effectively. When fewer conversions are registered (without Consent Mode v2), the strategy will under-evaluate some opportunities, leading to inaccurate bidding and budgets being used in less profitable ways.

    Below is a visual representation of the impact of implementing different consent mode versions:

    Which version of Consent Mode v2 should I implement?

    1. Recommended: for full ads / audience / remarketing capabilities, you need to use “Advanced Consent Mode” with all four parameters in place.
    2. If you want to block tags from firing when consent is not granted and still make something out of Ads, you need to use “Basic Consent Mode”.
    3. You may also decline to utilise consent mode entirely, in which case Ads will be restricted – no conversion or audience features would be available. GA4 will continue to function normally; the Ads integration will be constrained.

    How do I implement Consent Mode v2?

    The first step is to have a consent banner on your website that respects user choices. The

    easiest way to get started with this is to choose a Google Certified CMP partner. Fabric Analytics preferred CMP is onetrust

    Once you have a compliant consent banner in place, Consent Mode v2 can be implemented.

    Update your tagging infrastructure in your tag management system to reflect the Google

    Consent v2 requirements. Fabric Analytics can offer consent mode implementations and all

    the support and documentation needed for you to start measuring effectively.

    What to do next?

    • Audit how your tags are implemented on your website (e.g. GTM, Hard Coded)
    • If required, setup a CMP on your website (e.g. Cookie Bot)
    • If required, setup your tag management system to reflect the Google Consent v2
    • requirements

    Developer Resources

    • App
    • Offline
      • For manual data uploads (not via API/SDK), a Term of Services consent attestation opt-in will be required (and will launch in the product UI in early Q1 2024).