Google Analytics Audit Test #

19

(not set) item at list view

Why It Matters:

Critical to understanding friction and opportunities in the shopping process on a product-by-product level.

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 instances where the view_item_list event is missing critical metadata, specifically when product attributes like item_name, item_id, or item_list_name appear as (not set).

This event is used to track when users view a list of products (e.g., category pages, search results, product carousels).

Missing item data in these events leads to:

  • Poor visibility into product list performance
  • Inability to analyze list-to-detail-view conversion
  • Gaps in merchandising and UX optimization
  • Underreporting of high-value product impressions

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How to Conduct This Test

Basic Tests

  • In GA4 > Explore, build a Free-form report:
    • Dimensions: Item name, Item ID, Item list name
    • Metrics: Event count
    • Filter for event_name = view_item_list and scan for (not set) in any item-related fields
  • In GA4 Reports > Monetization > Item list views, check for product rows with (not set)

Advanced QA

  • In BigQuery, run the below query:
    SELECT ep.key, ep.value.string_value, COUNT(*) AS event_count
    FROM `your_dataset.events_*`,
         UNNEST(event_params) AS ep
    WHERE event_name = 'view_item_list'
      AND (ep.key IN ('item_id', 'item_name', 'item_list_name'))
      AND (ep.value.string_value IS NULL OR ep.value.string_value = '(not set)')
    GROUP BY ep.key, ep.value.string_value;
  • If you’re seeing (not set) in any product list view data, you’re losing valuable insight into how shoppers discover products.

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How To Fix

Fixing 'view_item_list' events with (not set) items

  • Use the recommended push to the dataLayer, ensuring the items array is complete:
    gtag('event', 'view_item_list', {
      items: [
        {
          item_id: 'SKU_12345',
          item_name: 'Running Shoes',
          item_list_name: 'Search Results',
          item_category: 'Footwear',
          index: 1
        },
        ...
      ]
    });
  • In Google Tag Manager, make sure:
    • The dataLayer contains complete product metadata when a product list is displayed
    • Tags for view_item_list correctly map to the data layer and don’t trigger prematurely

QA Tips

  • Test in GA4 DebugView to ensure:
    • The view_item_list event includes a full items array
    • Fields like item_list_name, item_id, and item_name are never empty or null
    • Hire a pro to review and clean up your product list tracking—so you know exactly what shoppers see and engage with.

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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