Situation: Many Google Shopping campaigns waste potential
Online shops invest large budgets in Google Shopping Ads every month. Many rely on Google Analytics and the standard Google CSS to measure performance and place ads. But this is exactly where the problem lies: GA4 data is often incomplete, and both systems provide only limited transparency.
Especially in Google Shopping, precise data and having your own CSS is not a nice-to-have, but a crucial growth factor. Without this foundation, ad spend often remains inefficient and success is left to chance.
In the following article, you will learn how your shopping strategy can achieve its full potential through clean tracking with etracker and your own CSS.
Why particularly Google Shopping Ads deserve clean tracking
Shopping performance starts with data quality. Google Shopping Ads fundamentally differ from traditional search campaigns. While search ads focus on keywords, Google Shopping is based on product data, the feed that is directly submitted from the online shop to Google.
This product data (titles, descriptions, prices, images, and categories) determines when and where an ad appears. A small difference in feed quality can decide whether a product is visible or gets lost in the mass of competitors.
Moreover, the campaign logic of Google Shopping is highly automated. Smart Bidding, machine-learning-based decisions, and dynamic ad placements mean that merchants can only partially comprehend which factors truly influence success.
If clean tracking does not take place here, shops know that they generate revenues through Google Shopping. However, which products, target groups, or locations are truly profitable remains uncertain. Without precise data, it is unclear which ads lead to high click costs but low margins, which product categories consistently perform, and where Google algorithms set incorrect priorities.
Especially because shopping ads function in such a data-driven manner, tracking is crucial. Only those who have their data in control can optimize feeds, adjust bids, and strategically direct budgets to profitable products. Those who structure their product and tracking data cleanly gain a real competitive advantage – and lay the foundation for profitable growth.
The limits of Google Analytics (GA4)
At first glance, using Google Analytics seems logical. The tool is free, widely used, and directly connected to Google Ads. However, in practice, it quickly becomes clear that GA4 does not utilize the full data potential, especially when it comes to shopping ads.
Incomplete data: The biggest disadvantage of the tool is the incomplete data provided by GA4. Due to GDPR and the requirement for cookie consent, many sessions and conversions are not recorded at all. Users who refuse tracking disappear from the statistics. Specifically, this means: Up to 70% of actual interactions remain invisible. This poses a significant risk for data-driven decisions. If only 3 out of 10 conversions are attributed to the right ads, the result not only appears worse than it is, but it also makes campaign management a black box.
Lack of comparability: Due to the new data model, GA4 differs significantly from Universal Analytics. Old metrics like sessions, bounce rates, or conversion numbers are hardly comparable, which makes long-term analyses and performance comparisons considerably more difficult.
Unclear attribution: GA4 automatically assigns conversions to various channels without clearly disclosing how this weighting is calculated. This creates uncertainty in budget allocation because marketers do not know exactly which touchpoints were truly responsible for the purchase.
Limited insights into product performance: Shopping data is often only available in an aggregated form in GA4. Those who want to find out which products are profitable or where margins are being lost must navigate through laborious reports, often without a clear result.
If important decisions are made solely based on Google Analytics and incomplete data, the likelihood of overlooking opportunities or even making poor decisions is quite high. Therefore, anyone who truly wants to optimize shopping ads needs a tool that delivers data that is complete, transparent, and legally compliant.
The advantages of etracker Analytics
Where Google Analytics stops, etracker begins, as the tool from Germany offers clear advantages over Google Analytics. Online retailers who want to rely on their data benefit from the following advantages of etracker:
1. Nearly complete data collection, even without cookie consent
While GA4 loses many sessions as soon as users reject cookies, etracker captures up to 99% of all visits and conversions thanks to its data protection-compliant measurement method.
This means: Your reports finally show reality and not half figures or distorted KPIs.
2. 100% GDPR-compliant and made in Germany
etracker stores all data exclusively on German servers, without US transfers or legal risks. This creates maximum data security and strengthens your customers' trust.
3. Simple reports, clear insights
Where GA4 often appears complex and technical, etracker relies on clear dashboards and intuitive reports. You can see at a glance:
Which products really generate revenue,
Which campaigns drive conversions,
Where wastage occurs.
This way, you can strategically direct budgets where they pay off.
4. Flexible campaign and conversion tracking
etracker integrates directly with Google Ads, Meta, Microsoft Ads, and other channels. This allows clean conversion data to flow back into the advertising systems. This is a real boost for your automated bidding strategies.
5. Data protection meets data power
The biggest advantage: you get precise, complete data without having to compromise on data protection. This makes etracker the perfect foundation for truly measuring, understanding, and optimizing performance.
Learn more about the tracking and analytics tool from etracker!
We enable privacy-friendly web analytics without data loss.
Olaf Brandt
Managing Director @ etracker
CPC Savings and More Visibility: The Benefits of the etracker CSS
In addition to precise tracking, the click price is also a crucial lever for successful shopping ads. This is where etracker CSS comes into play. With the help of Label Up, etracker has even become a CSS partner.
The Whitelabel CSS system offers you the opportunity to run shopping ads via an independent price comparison site while achieving up to 20% savings on CPC compared to Google CSS.
Read how you can become a CSS partner yourself.
In addition to cost savings, Label Up's own CSS also delivers:
More visibility with your chosen keyword under the shopping ad
Free clicks on the CSS name
Full control with your own Merchant Center and feed setup
Independence from Google and no reliance on internal tools or support
Fast onboarding process with direct contacts for technical implementation
Having your own CSS thus offers not only cost advantages but also visibility advantages in the Google Shopping world.
Read here how you can become a CSS partner yourself and make the most of the combination of CSS and tracking.
Clean Tracking and Own CSS: An Unbeatable Duo
When tracking and CSS are strategically combined, the Google Shopping strategy becomes truly powerful and fully utilized.
etracker Analytics provides the foundation: clean, complete, and data protection-compliant data, on which informed decisions can be made.
etracker CSS ensures that each click costs less, increases brand visibility, and budgets are used more efficiently.
This is also demonstrated in practice: agencies or shops that rely on both etracker and Label Up report the same positive effect: they have more complete data and extract much more from their budget. Retailers who think about tracking and CSS together gain a clear competitive advantage.
Those who invest in the combination of analytics and CSS are not just investing in better campaigns but in a sustainable, scalable e-commerce strategy.
