Google Analytics Audit Test #

128

More 'shipping_info' than 'begin_checkout'

Why It Matters:

Critical to understanding checkout behavior.

Industries:

Ecommerce

Checks For:

Accuracy

How accurate is your recent data?

Insight Category:

Behavior

Can you tell what visitors are doing?

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Background

A GA4 audit is essential for uncovering missing insights—key data points that organizations don't yet know and can act upon. A well-done audit evaluates both behavioral tracking and traffic attribution, ensuring each is accurate and useful. It also assesses whether the data collected truly supports business decisions and reporting.

Test Detail

This test identifies whether add_shipping_info events are being triggered more frequently than begin_checkout events. In a properly implemented ecommerce funnel, the typical event order is:

  • begin_checkout – when the user starts the checkout process
  • add_shipping_info – when the user enters or confirms shipping details
  • add_payment_info
  • purchase

If add_shipping_info events outnumber begin_checkout, it suggests:

  • begin_checkout isn’t being tracked correctly or consistently
  • add_shipping_info is being triggered too early or too often
  • A one-step checkout implementation isn’t properly mapped to the recommended event sequence
  • Server-side or duplicate client-side events are inflating counts

This misalignment skews funnel insights, limits optimization efforts, and may signal broader tracking breakdowns.

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How to Conduct This Test

Basic Tests

  • In Google Analytics > Explore, build a Free-form report:
    • Metrics: Event count
    • Dimensions: Event name
    • Filter to include only: begin_checkout, add_shipping_info

Advanced QA

  • In BigQuery, run this query:
    SELECT event_name, COUNT(*) AS event_count
    FROM `your_dataset.events_*`
    WHERE event_name IN ('begin_checkout', 'add_shipping_info')
    GROUP BY event_name
  • If add_shipping_info has a significantly higher count than begin_checkout, there’s likely an implementation issue.

Automated, Free Audit

Want to catch this kind of event sequencing error automatically? Run our Instant Audit

Or hire a pro to fix your ecommerce funnel tracking.

How To Fix

  • Review your Google Tag Manager or direct site tagging:
    • Ensure begin_checkout fires only when the user explicitly initiates the checkout flow (e.g., clicks “Checkout” from cart)
    • Ensure add_shipping_info is only triggered when the shipping information is actually submitted or confirmed
    • In single-page checkout flows, you may need logic to ensure events fire in the correct order, even if form elements are on the same screen
  • Use Google Analytics DebugView to step through checkout and confirm:
    • Event order: begin_checkout → add_shipping_info
    • No duplicate add_shipping_info events on page load or reload
  • Align your funnel logic across both client-side and server-side implementations
  • Hire a pro to review your full ecommerce event strategy and restore accurate funnel insights.

Tips from a Google Analytics Consultant

Focus on Insights

Every Google Analytics audit should result in a plan for more insights.

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An insight is:

  • something you don't know
  • and can act on to improve performance

The Goal

Identify and remove insight blockers. Don't get tempted to track things you can't act on!

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