Why GA4 Can’t Show the Full Customer Journey for Shopify Brands?

When Google sunset Universal Analytics and rolled out GA4, it promised smarter data, privacy-compliant tracking, and a clearer view of the customer journey. For many Shopify brands, this sounded like the perfect analytics solution.

But here’s the reality: GA4 still can’t show you the full customer journey—especially in a multi-channel ecommerce environment.

If you're a DTC brand owner or an agency managing Shopify stores, you’ve likely run into frustrating blind spots:

• Revenue misattribution

• Missing steps in the funnel

• A confusing UI

• No clear answer to the question: Which channels and touchpoints actually drive conversions?

In this article, we’ll break down:

• Why GA4 falls short for ecommerce attribution

• How it handles (and mishandles) multi-touch journeys

• What Shopify brands actually need to see

• Tools—like Attribuly—that can bridge the gap

What GA4 Does Well?

Let’s be fair—GA4 isn’t useless. In fact, it does several things quite well:

• Event-based tracking: Captures granular behavior like scrolls, clicks, and video views

• Cross-device logic: Uses machine learning to connect sessions (when possible)

• Flexible reports: The Explorations tool gives more control over how you slice your data

But these strengths don’t add up to real attribution insights.

Where GA4 Falls Short for Shopify Brands?

A. It Prioritizes Last Click by Default

Most GA4 reports still lean on last-click attribution, which ignores upper-funnel influence from:

• Influencer campaigns

• Organic social or brand ads

• Email opens that didn’t lead to immediate clicks

This gives Shopify brands a narrow and misleading view of what's working.

B. Session-Based Thinking in an Event-Driven World

Even though GA4 is event-based, it still thinks in sessions—a problem for ecommerce where:

• Customers come back days later

• The journey spans multiple devices and channels

• Conversions are rarely linear

C. Weak Attribution Reporting

GA4’s attribution tools are:

• Hidden and confusing

• Lack transparency

• Require technical know-how just to use

And even then, they don’t give you a clear view of assisted conversions or how top, middle, and bottom-funnel efforts work together.

D. No Channel-Level LTV Tracking

GA4 doesn’t make it easy to track lifetime value by source or campaign. That’s a big deal for stores with:

• Repeat customers

• Subscription models

• High AOV (average order value)

What Shopify Brands Actually Need from Attribution?

If you're running or managing a DTC store in 2024, you need tools that:

• Track every click, view, and touchpoint

• Merge data from Meta, Google, Klaviyo, influencers, etc.

• Tie actions to actual Shopify revenue

• Show first-time vs returning buyer paths

• Report on real ROAS and LTV by channel

Why Attribuly Fills the Gaps GA4 Leaves Behind?

Attribuly is built for exactly this.

Unlike GA4, which was adapted from web analytics, Attribuly is made for ecommerce attribution—from day one.

How Brands Are Using GA4 + Attribuly Together?

You don’t need to choose one or the other. Smart brands use:

• GA4 for micro-conversions and user behavior

• Attribuly for attribution modeling, revenue tracking, and ROAS reporting

Together, they tell the full story:
What users do + What drives revenue

Final Thoughts — Don’t Let Data Gaps Kill Your Strategy

GA4 isn’t built for Shopify attribution—especially not for DTC brands using Meta, Google, email, and influencers together.

Attribuly fills that gap with:

• Multi-touch tracking

• Shopify-native revenue attribution

• Full-funnel customer journey insights

🎯 Want to see where your ad dollars are actually going?
Try Attribuly free and stop guessing.