lucia_fernandez0 views
For last month GA4 reports noticeably fewer purchases than the orders table in our shop's database. Revenue is also lower. Should the two match exactly? How would I find out where the difference comes from?
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Accepted answer
A gap is normal; the two sources are not counting the same thing. Your database records every order that was placed. GA4 records what a visitor's browser managed to send. Common reasons for fewer purchases in GA4:
To find yours, compare a short period order by order using the transaction id: list the ids in the database that GA4 does not have and look for what they share. A steady gap of a similar size is a known blind spot; a gap that suddenly widens usually means a tracking change broke something. The article GA4 events are missing or wrong: a systematic checklist has the steps.
Matching on the transaction id was the key. Almost all the missing ones were orders paid through a bank redirect that never returned to our thank-you page. That one I can fix.