GA4 Problems Force E-commerce Companies To Build Own Tracking Tools

How does the FAVI Pixel work? 

Data sharing between FAVI and our partners has always relied on API integration with Google Analytics. Until June 2023, this was Universal Analytics, which many of us found clearer and more reliable. As of July 2024, GA4 officially took over a new version that introduced, among other things, a different attribution model and a new perspective, but also confusion and fairly frequent inaccuracies.

The decreasing relevance of the data and the complexity of GA4, which many of our partners are still struggling with, were the main reasons behind the creation of FAVI Pixel, our own tracking tool, which now serves as an alternative to GA4 for our partners.

Every e-shop needs the most accurate data possible to optimise its marketing campaigns and thereby increase revenue. Without data, decisions are made intuitively, usually focusing only on the largest, proven sources. However, this narrows the marketing mix and creates dependency on one or two channels. FAVI Pixel addresses this too, and through an attribution method called FAVI Touch, it shows partners the influence FAVI has on conversions.

What are the benefits of FAVI Pixel? 

• More accurate sales tracking – By not relying on third-party data processing, we work with data in a reliable and transparent way, aiming to track customer behaviour and conversions as precisely as possible.
• Instant feedback – As soon as FAVI Pixel processes the data, partners can see it immediately in their partner dashboard. This allows them to react quickly and optimise campaigns in real time.
• Positive impact on product score – FAVI Pixel is part of the FAVI algorithm, which takes into account product performance and positioning. This has a significant impact on product visibility, and thus on sales.

FAVI Pixel tracks the behaviour of a customer who visited FAVI during their shopping journey. We collect data from the first visit through product browsing all the way to the completed purchase. We handle the data responsibly, tracking only the information we are authorised to access. That is, from customers who have given consent to our cookies.

Data we collect:

• Client ID (i.e., the most essential part)
• Product ID 
• Product name 
• Total value of purchased products 
• Currency code
• Transaction ID 

A key benefit of FAVI Pixel is that it tracks the entire purchase process, from the click on FAVI all the way to the conversion. The conversion window is 45 days, and during that time we can see how the customer behaves on the website: whether they complete the purchase immediately or visit other sources in the meantime, etc. Thanks to this, we will soon be able to offer clients two attribution models. The well-known Last Click Non-Direct from Google Analytics and FAVI Touch, a model similar to the one used by Meta.

What is FAVI Touch attribution? 

In the attribution model based on Last Click Non-Direct, FAVI’s contribution is often lost if the customer completes the purchase later through another channel. Essentially, only the player who scores gets the credit, while the efforts of others go unrecognised.

FAVI Touch offers a different perspective. It attributes credit to FAVI for every order where FAVI appears in the customer’s purchase journey. This attribution model takes into account the inspiration and decision-making phases over time and reveals FAVI’s true influence on the conversion.

How to implement it? 

The tool was designed to be as simple as possible, and the same goes for its implementation. Most partners implement it via Google Tag Manager (GTM) without needing to touch the website code. There’s a ready-made template, so just a few clicks and the FAVI tag is set up. This solution offers flexibility and fast deployment, taking only a few minutes:

• Import the FAVI template from the GTM Community Gallery.
• Set your tracking ID and other parameters.
• Add the relevant triggers (e.g., purchase, product detail, cart, etc.)
• Test everything in GTM Preview mode and you’re done.

Other implementation options:

• Basic Implementation (Client-to-Server)
• Recommended Implementation (Combination of Client-to-Server and Server-to-Server)

Ongoing evaluation 

We launched FAVI Pixel in January this year, and already in Q1 we set ourselves the ambitious goal of tracking at least 30% of total shop revenue. Our team did an excellent job; we managed to meet these targets in our three largest markets (CZ, SK, HU). A big help in this success were

The FAVI Pixel plugins for e-commerce platforms are currently available for Shoptet and the Hungarian platform UNAS. We’re now also working on solutions for Shopify and WordPress, which will make implementation even easier for our partners, and we expect this to significantly increase implementation..

Our current figures are even more promising. In CZ and HU we’re nearing 60% coverage, and SK and BG are close to 50%. On the other hand, there are countries where the rollout is slower, such as PL and RO, but even there we’ve seen a positive shift in recent weeks, so we remain optimistic.

One of the most successful implementations so far has been with our international client Lampenwelt. For several years, due to strict internal policies, we had to work without data, which significantly limited the partnership. Without data, the system can’t intelligently rank products or optimise performance. For our team, it was also much harder to provide meaningful recommendations, as everything relied on manually shared reports, which is time-consuming for both sides. But everything changed after integration. Campaigns now perform very well, the system works with data, and we can finally scale them more effectively.

“The integration of FAVI Pixel was quick and effortless. It has given us deeper insights, enabled performance optimisation, and allowed us to scale our campaigns more effectively.” Daniela Perndl, Senior Performance Marketing Manager, Lampenwelt GmbH.

And there are many other clients like this, especially those who no longer use GA4 or don’t have it set up properly. In these situations, FAVI Pixel truly transforms the game. Looking ahead, we even plan to use FAVI Pixel data as our primary source for managing the business.

Next steps 

In addition to the mentioned FAVI Pixel plugins, we’re preparing a new attribution model for our clients – one that reflects industry standards and will allow our partners to evaluate their campaigns more effectively. This phase also involves updates to the partner interface.

Last but not least, we plan to add error tracking and diagnostics related to measurement accuracy. There’s a lot in the pipeline, and some updates are technically more demanding. Our goal is to do this properly, so we can continue to be a reliable and trusted partner for our clients.

I’m convinced that FAVI Pixel is one of the key tools for a successful partnership, and I’m already looking forward to the next phase of development on our side and on the client’s.