Shopify Analytics vs. Google Analytics: Which Should You Use?

You’ve opened a Shopify store selling various collections of sneaker brands, and your sales are starting to get traction.

You’ve heard that tracking your metrics through analytics is the best way to get into your customer's mind. But which analytics should you use?

Shopify and Google Analytics are similar but not the same, so you need to understand the differences to find the best match for your business.

What’s the Difference between Shopify Analytics and Google Analytics?

While both analytics offer valuable tools for any business, Shopify analytics are missing several key features. This can give you a skewed and incomplete analysis of the customer journey.



For example, Shopify analytics won’t give you important metrics like your customer lifetime value (LTV). You'll also only be able to follow checkout behavior in Google Analytics.



So, what’s the solution? Use both.



All you need to do is add Google Analytics to Shopify. It isn’t even that difficult to do. Simply follow this step-by-step guide:

• Step 1: Open up a Google account (if you don’t already have one). You’ll also need a Gmail account. You should already have an account for your Shopify store.
• Step 2: Go to your Shopify analytics and enter your account name and your store’s name. Then, copy and paste your URL into the online form.
• Step 3: Choose your industry from the dropdown menu and click on "Get Tracking ID." You’ll need to accept Google’s terms and conditions to get your code. Copy it to paste in a minute.
• Step 4: Open Shopify and choose "Online Store," followed by "Preferences." Now you can paste the code into the Google Analytics box. And save. Remember that it can take up to 24 hours to activate.

Should You Use Shopify Analytics or Google Analytics?

Which one should you use to track the main KPIs for your Shopify store?

Here is a quick rule of thumb -

• For anything related to customers, products, inventory, sales analytics etc - Use Shopify's analytics
• For anything that relates to content, behavior of visitors in your store, customer journey, marketing analytics etc - Google Analytics will give you a more complete view.

How do I use analytics to improve my Shopify store's performance?

Many Shopify entrepreneurs are strapped for time and resources.

Sometimes all you need is a shortcut. Someone or something to look your the data for you and just tell you what you need to know and direct you how to fix it.

If that's the case with your Shopify store as well try Blyp for 14-days free and get immediate recommendations on how to increase your revenue and avoid wasting money.