Running an online store? Then you already know how important it is to understand what your customers do on your site. Whatever you cannot see can not fix it - and where Google Analytics 4 (GA4) comes. With the right setup, it does not only count clicks - it tells the full story behind them.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to enable enhanced ecommerce tracking in GA4, so you can make smarter decisions based on real data, not just assumptions.

What Is Enhanced Ecommerce Tracking?

This feature in GA4 helps online businesses track and analyze key ecommerce interactions. It goes beyond just counting how many people buy something — it tells you what products they looked at, what they added to their cart, where they dropped off in the checkout, and what they actually bought.

This product gives a complete picture of your customers' journey from view to purchase, which helps you to spot the issues and identify what is working.

Step 1: Install GA4 on Your Site

Before anything else, make sure GA4 is live on your website. You can add it in two ways:

By inserting the gtag.js tracking code directly

Or by using Google Tag Manager (GTM), which gives you more control

If you’re using Shopify, WooCommerce, or another ecommerce platform, check if there's a GA4 plugin to speed things up.

Step 2: Activate Enhanced Measurement

GA4 automatically tracks some basic user interactions. To enable this:

Open your GA4 property

Go to Admin → Data Streams

Click on your web stream

Turn ON Enhanced Measurement

Although these matrix are not ecommerce-specific, they are still useful to understand how visitors connect with your site.

Step 3: Define the Ecommerce Events

Now, here’s where the ecommerce-specific tracking begins.

GA4 doesn’t use the old "Enable Ecommerce" toggle. Instead, you need to send events manually. Some essential ones include:

view_item – When someone views a product

add_to_cart – When an item is added to the cart

begin_checkout – When checkout starts

purchase – When someone completes a purchase

Each of these events needs to be pushed to GA4 with product info like item name, ID, price, and quantity. If you’re not technical, a developer or marketing expert may be needed for this part.

Step 4: Use Tag Manager to Send Events

Using Google Tag Manager makes the job much easier. You’ll create event tags that send the right data at the right time.

Create a new GA4 Event tag

Name it based on the action (e.g. add_to_cart)

Set up a trigger — like a button click or page load

Add event parameters: product name, price, currency, etc.

Once done, test your tags in Preview Mode before publishing.

Step 5: Check It’s Working

Use GA4 DebugView or the Realtime report to test your setup:

Perform test transactions or cart actions on your site

Make sure all events are appearing as expected

Confirm that details like product name and price are captured correctly

Testing ensures you’re not working with broken or partial data.

Step 6: Explore the Ecommerce Reports

After the events are set up and data starts flowing in, you’ll find ecommerce reports under:

Reports → Monetization → Ecommerce Purchases

This section reveals valuable data:

Which products sell the most

Where users drop off in the checkout

Your store’s total revenue

How often people add items to their cart vs. actually buy

These insights can help shape your marketing campaigns, pricing strategy, and website design.

Conclusion

Tracking ecommerce data isn’t optional anymore — it’s the backbone of any growth strategy. When set up correctly, GA4’s enhanced ecommerce tracking gives you visibility into what’s really happening in your store.

From optimizing product pages to fixing leaky funnels, the data you collect here can drive real revenue gains. And if the setup seems tricky? That’s where experts like MPIS Web Media LLP can help you get it right from the start.