Retail
Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager
Migrate to GA4
Robust and reliable data collection system in GA4
Vans is the original action sports footwear company rooted in authenticity and creativity. Founded in 1966, Vans has thrived on a legacy of impacting our greater community through Vans’ four pillars: action sports, music, art, and street culture.
Our client approached us with a very specific and time-sensitive request: to seamlessly transition from Universal Analytics (GA UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) ahead of the planned sunset of GA UA. Their primary objective was to align their existing GA UA data with the new GA4 tracking system while adhering to industry best practices. While their existing GA UA setup could capture the data they needed, it had limitations in certain areas. For example, the client’s previous analytics setup could not track cross-platform user activity, such as identifying users who browsed the website on a mobile device but completed a transaction on a desktop. Additionally, the existing system did not provide insights into specific aspects of user engagement, like the amount of time spent on specific pages or the number of pages viewed during a single session. The areas they wanted us to focus on included:
Basic tracking Event tracking Enhanced eCommerce Custom variables User properties Cross-platform tracking (both web and mobile app)
To address the client’s needs and limitations effectively, we proposed a robust solution leveraging Google Tag Manager, specifically utilizing data layer-based custom tracking. This approach is considered as one of the most reliable methods for managing tags and capturing analytics data. The migration involved adapting the current tracking logic to align with the GA4 event-based system, including adjustments in event naming and eCommerce tracking. GA4 event-based tracking also supports cross-platform user behavior analysis, addressing one of the client’s specific limitations. Overall, the solution aimed to make the client’s tracking system more comprehensive and aligned with future analytics requirements.
As a result of our collaboration, the client now benefits from a robust and reliable data collection system in GA4. One notable advantage of the transition to GA4 is the client’s ability to consolidate website and app traffic data in a single interface, thanks to the GA4 event-based model. Regarding data integrity, a comparison of metrics between GA UA and GA4 shows a close alignment, with data matching at about 99%, based on August 2023 data.
