Achieving a 99% Data Match Accuracy: How Our Client Successfully Switched to GA4

99% data match accuracy

Objectives

Migrate from UA and set up GA4

Industry

Retail

Technology

About the Client

The North Face is an American outdoor recreation products company and a VF Corporation brand. Founded in the counterculture of Berkeley, California, in 1966, the company produces outdoor clothing, footwear, and related equipment. The North Face’s fundamental mission has remained unchanged since 1966: Provide the best gear for our athletes and the modern day explorer. By the late 1990s, the label had expanded beyond outdoor enthusiasts by focusing on street couture, and since the 2000s, it has been regarded as a streetwear style symbol label.

Challenges

The client approached us with a request to transition from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). The urgency for this shift was driven by the impending discontinuation of GA UA.

The client aimed to align their existing GA UA metrics with the new GA4 platform while adhering to industry best practices.

Solution

Campaign Strategy

Ensuring both reliability and future-readiness in the client’s data tracking capabilities
Transition strategy utilizing GTM, specifically through data layer-based custom tracking
Realigning the client’s existing tracking logic to fit the GA4 model, including adaptations in event naming and eCommerce tracking parameters

We proposed a transition strategy utilizing Google Tag Manager, specifically through data layer-based custom tracking, which is generally considered a reliable method for data capture and tag management. A key element of this migration involved realigning the client’s existing tracking logic to fit the GA4 model, including adaptations in event naming and eCommerce tracking parameters. Google Analytics 4 event-based tracking system offers greater flexibility and is designed to meet future analytics needs. Moreover, it supports cross-platform tracking, fulfilling one of the client’s specific requirements. Overall, the solution aimed to ensure both reliability and future-readiness in the client’s data tracking capabilities:

Basic tracking
Event tracking
Enhanced eCommerce
Custom variables
User properties
Single-page application (SPA) tracking
Cross-platform tracking (web & app)
Comparative Looker Studio dashboards for GA UA and GA4 metrics

Results

Following the implementation, the client now benefits from a robust and reliable data collection framework in GA4.

One of the most significant improvements is the client’s ability to track both website and app traffic in a unified interface, made possible by the GA4 event-based model.

Regarding data integrity, a comparison between GA UA and GA4 shows a close alignment, with a 99% match based on August 2023 data.