Google Analytics 4 is a brand new version of this powerful tool. When I say “brand new”, I mean it is completely different! There are some exciting, really powerful features. And some missing features. There’s also the important question of whether it works with Etsy!

So let’s get a quick overview of what GA4 means for boutique ecommerce sellers.

👋👋 Universal Analytics is going away in late 2023

DEFINITION: “Universal Analytics” is the name of the old version of Google Analytics that we used for many years. From here, I’ll refer to it as “UA“.

On March 16, 2022, Google announced that Universal Analytics (UA) will stop processing new data on 1 July, 2023 and reports on historical data will only be accessible until 1 July 2024.


What is Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

GA4 has a very different user interface and a different underlying data model. This means it’s not just a matter of learning new buttons to access the same reports: the way we build reports and think about viewing our data is fundamentally different.

Watch a walkthrough of the new interface

Do I have to do anything? Will Google upgrade for me?

It depends.

Unless you opt out, Google will automatically create a new GA4 Property for each of your “legacy” UA Properties.

Google will then attempt to send data to the new GA4 Property using your existing tags (the code added to your website to make Google Analytics run). However, this will only work for certain types of tagging and your shop might not be using the type that can be re-used for GA4 automatically.

Check if your ecommerce platform supports GA4 at this time. If it doesn’t, don’t do anything yourself and let Google automatically create the GA4 Property. An auto-created one is more likely to receive data using your existing code.

Can I use UA and GA4 at the same time?

Yes – and you should. This is called “dual-tagging” and simply means that the tracking code for UA and GA4 are both running at the same time, so the same pageviews, sales etc. go into each system.

When do I need to start using GA4?

ASAP! If your ecommerce platform supports it, you should start dual-tagging with GA4 as soon as possible, ideally before 1 July 2022 so that you have access to year-on-year comparisons in July 2023.

Will all my old data get transferred?

No. GA4 is a new tool and not an upgrade to your existing Google Analytics. There’s no method of importing your old data into your GA4 property.

You can take a backup of your UA data instead.

What does this mean for Etsy sellers?

Etsy still does not support Google Analytics 4 for sellers.

Etsy supports GA4! They took their time but it happened. Learn how to add your GA4 tracking ID here.

It is also possible that automatically-created GA4 Properties will receive data from Etsy stores using your existing Google Analytics connection but I have not seen this happen with my own eyes.

Other ecommerce platforms

Other major ecommerce platforms already support Google Analytics 4 at different levels.

Where to learn more about GA4

I’ve selected free (and cheap) guides and courses from trusted resources to help you get started with this new tool. As with Universal Analytics, my advice on learning the tool remains the same: try to answer real questions, in short, regular sessions.

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