Create e-commerce events in GTM

Tracking e-commerce events is essential for optimizing conversion funnels. With TAGGRS, Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics 4, you can measure crucial actions like purchases, add-to-cart, and checkout steps. So you can quantify popular products, analyze sales journeys, and attribute revenue accurately.

Prepare your Data Layer

E-commerce event tracking in GA4 relies on a well-structured data layer. This is typically populated by your e-commerce platform or custom code.

• Use the GA4 e-commerce schema for consistency.
• For platforms like WooCommerce, Magento, Shopify, or Shopware, use official plugins or extensions to inject the correct data layer.

Expert tip
Always use GTM’s Preview mode to inspect your data layer and verify that events and parameters are pushed correctly.

Create a custom event trigger

1. In GTM, go to Triggers and click New.
2. Choose Custom Event as the trigger type.
3. Enter the Event Name exactly as it appears in your data layer (e.g., purchase, add_to_cart).
4. Set the trigger to fire on Some Custom Events if you want to filter further, or All Custom Events for all occurrences.
5. Save the trigger.

Define Data Layer variables

To send e-commerce details to GA4, you need to create variables that extract values from the data layer:

1. Go to Variables in GTM and click New.
2. Select Data Layer Variable.
3. Enter the data layer path (e.g., ecommerce.value, ecommerce.items, ecommerce.transaction_id).
4. Name your variable descriptively (e.g., “DLV – ecommerce.value”).
5. Repeat for each parameter you want to track (see table below for common variables).

Set the trigger for the GA4 Tag

1. In the tag settings, click Triggering.
2. Click the + icon to create a new trigger.
3. Choose Custom as the trigger type.
4. Set the trigger to fire on events generated by the GA4 client:
   • Under conditions, select Client Name equals GA4.
   • This ensures the tag only fires for events parsed by the GA4 client.
5. Save the trigger and tag configuration.

Expert tip
Use GTM Preview mode to confirm the correct variable paths for your setup.

Create a GA4 Event Tag

1. Go to Tags and click New.
2. Choose Google Analytics: GA4 Event as the tag type.
3. Select your existing GA4 Configuration tag under Configuration Tag.
4. Enter the Event Name (e.g., purchase, add_to_cart).
5. In Event Parameters, add rows for each parameter you want to send (e.g., value, currency, items, transaction_id). Use the data layer variables you created.
6. Link the tag to the custom event trigger you set up in Step 2.
7. Save the tag.

Test and publish

1. Use Preview mode in GTM to trigger your e-commerce events and verify that the correct data is sent to GA4 (check DebugView in GA4).
2. Once confirmed, Submit and Publish your GTM container changes.

Useful resources