Google Analytics Audit Test #

20

(not set) item at view_item/product detail

Why It Matters:

Critical to understanding shopping performance and identifying opportunities for improvement.

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 checks whether view_item events are missing required product metadata, particularly item_id or item_name, which may appear as (not set) in GA4 reports.

This event is key for understanding what products users are viewing in detail and forms the foundation for product-level funnel analysis.

If product views are being recorded without full metadata, it causes:

  • Gaps in product performance reporting
  • Incomplete attribution for items seen vs. purchased
  • Poor visibility into browsing behavior
  • Disrupted merchandising and A/B testing efforts

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How to Conduct This Test

Basic Tests

  • In GA4 > Explore, create a Free-form report:
    • Dimensions: Item name, Item ID
    • Metrics: Event count
    • Filter for event_name = view_item
    • Scan for any rows where values are (not set)
  • In Reports > Monetization > Ecommerce purchases, compare product-level performance and check for rows labeled (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'
      AND (ep.key = 'item_id' OR ep.key = 'item_name')
      AND (ep.value.string_value IS NULL OR ep.value.string_value = '(not set)')
    GROUP BY ep.key, ep.value.string_value;
  • If a significant percentage of view_item events show (not set) for item fields, you’re losing critical funnel and product analytics.

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How To Fix

Fixing 'view_item' events with (not set) items

  • Use the recommended push to the dataLayer, ensuring the items array is complete:
    gtag('event', 'view_item', {
      currency: 'USD',
      value: 89.99,
      items: [
        {
          item_id: 'SKU_12345',
          item_name: 'Wireless Keyboard',
          item_category: 'Accessories',
          quantity: 1
        }
      ]
    });
  • In Google Tag Manager, ensure:
    • That the dataLayer on product detail pages includes a valid items array
    • The tag pulling the view_item event correctly maps to that array
    • and, avoid relying on page-level DOM scraping if possible—use structured data instead

QA Tips

  • Test in GA4 DebugView and confirm:
    • The view_item event fires on the correct page load
    • The items array is complete and contains all required attributes
    • Hire a pro to implement solid ecommerce tracking that delivers accurate product view insights from every session.

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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