Introduction

Hey guys,

Aharon here from Hype Digital. Today we’ll be discussing the importance of having a single source of truth for your data, and how your various data sources can often show very different results from one another.

Weekly Insight

We've onboarded 22 clients this year and 19 of them had a huge mismatch of revenue on Google Analytics vs Shopify.

Do me a quick favor - Log into your Shopify Dashboard and write down your revenue. Then go to GA4 and write down the total purchase revenue amount.

If they're the same, I’m impressed and would love to see how you got there.

If, however, you're like our 19 clients, you’re likely suffering from one of the most common issues we see across all industries.

Your data does not match up.

Shopify shows the raw data of your online store. You had 10 purchases worth $5 each, therefore your total revenue is $50. Simple.

GA4 and testing software data, is a bit more complex.

For every new client we onboard, the first thing we do is a GA4 audit. We need the GA4 data to be trustworthy to run a successful CRO program, and we won’t begin our research or testing until this is where it needs to be.

When we start running tests using a tool like VWO or Convert, we integrate GA4/GTM events into the testing tool itself (rather than setting up custom events within the actual testing tool).

In order to ensure the testing tool is working together with GA4 properly, we always run something called an A/A Test (AKA ‘Stress Test’).

A/A tests compare two identical pages against each other. Instead of discovering a lift in conversions (as is the goal with an A/B test), the goal of an A/A test is to check that there is no difference between your control and variation versions. The point of doing this is to validate the accuracy and reliability of the A/B testing process.

In simple terms, an A/A test is run to make sure that everything is working properly before starting to A/B test.

We’ll usually run these tests anywhere from for 2/3 days to a week. We then present the results to the client in a meeting where we show data from the testing tool together with GA4 and ensure it’s aligned and that they understand why the data may look different. We have a set A/A testing template which we use to present this data.

Why might there be discrepancy in the testing tool data vs GA4 data?

Well, depending on which pricing plan you’re using for your desired testing tool, some lower plans may only show you unique purchasers (i.e. if someone bought the same product 4 times, it would only show up as 1 purchase), whereas GA4 will show you total purchases (that same user who bought 4 times will show us a 4 separate purchases).

This ties back to my earlier point on why it is so crucial to have accurate GA4 data which matches your testing tool data, as without the above knowledge, you may not understand why you are seeing such discrepancies.

In summary, always ensure that your testing tool is working properly, that GA4 is setup correctly and integrated into your testing tool, and arm yourself with the knowledge of why the two may not match up.

News

For those who missed our webinar with VWO which spoke about how to start practicing CRO on a tight budget and with minimal traffic, check out the recording below:

Watch Recording

We are very excited to announce a new offering on top of our Paid Ads and CRO services.

The product is called HypeInsights and is aimed at unifying your data to deliver revenue-based opportunities, focusing on:

• Building an accurate foundation of Data Reporting.

• Focusing on Performance, Usage, Traffic and Customers to better understand and work with your data.

• Building Performance Dashboards as a customizable foundation where the client's and Hype's needs are compiled into dashboard briefs that guide the data to be presented in a simple way for all stakeholders to understand.

• Performance Consulting lead by Data: The value of this offering lies in the actionable information that can be applied to the business to leverage missed opportunities across the website and marketing channels. These insights are delivered in snippets each week and in a comprehensive performance meeting at Month-end.

  
  

Reach out if you’d like to learn how HypeInsights can integrate with your business!

Test of the Week

Test: Predefined Deposit Amount Buckets → We tested showing users predefined deposit bucket amount options to encourage quick and easy deposits, rather than only being able to choose a custom amount.

Result:

• +61.93% increase in Average Purchase Revenue Per User (ARPU)

• +59.39% Total Overall Revenue Lift
  
  
  
  

Conclusion

In conclusion, always ensure that your GA4 and testing tools are working together seamlessly. Running A/A tests is a great way to validate the accuracy of your data before diving into A/B tests. This alignment helps avoid confusion when you see discrepancies between different data sources. Understanding why these differences occur will give you the insights needed to make better decisions and optimize more effectively. If you want to dive deeper into A/A testing or need help fixing your data discrepancies, reach out to us—we’re always here to help!