Cracking the Code: Attribution for Your Shopify App
Published 3 months ago • 2 min read
Scaling Shopify Apps Newsletter
June 9th
Cracking the Code: Attribution for Your Shopify App
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Hey there, Oyku here!
Welcome back to another issue of Scaling Your Shopify App! Today, we’re tackling a particularly challenging topic: marketing attribution for Shopify apps.
This is an area I’ve been learning about each day, and I can tell you, getting to a good enough result has been quite the journey.
The Challenge of SaaS Marketing Attribution for Shopify Apps
Marketing attribution for SaaS products is tough, and it gets even more challenging when it comes to Shopify apps. Tracing user interactions across varied platforms and touchpoints is far from straightforward, and seamlessly connecting these interactions to marketing efforts poses its own set of hurdles.
For many niche Shopify apps, growth often comes through the Shopify App Marketplace and referrals, outside of digital marketing efforts. These apps might not have had to worry about analytics and attribution until now, but understanding the basics is crucial for scaling.
Once Shopify apps venture into digital marketing, attribution becomes a bit of a black box. This often shows in their analytics, where tracking may be set up incorrectly or not at all.
The Problem Arises As:
➡ User Journeys Span Multiple Domains and Platforms: Users might discover your app on the marketplace, research it on your website, and then make a purchase or sign up within the marketplace again.
➡ Cookie Restrictions and Privacy Regulations: Increasing privacy regulations and browser restrictions on third-party cookies make it harder to track users across different domains and services.
➡ Data Silos: Information about user interactions can become siloed within each platform, making it challenging to have a unified view of the customer journey.
Shopify App Marketing Attribution
To Combat These Challenges, Consider:
✅ Cross-Domain Tracking Mechanisms: These help link user sessions across different domains.
✅ UTM Parameters: Use these to track the effectiveness of marketing campaigns across different platforms.
✅ Data Consolidation Tools: Platforms that specialize in attributing and analyzing customer journeys across different touchpoints are invaluable.
Let's see how to set up and use Google Analytics! Once you follow the steps below, you can check Advertising tab (previously modal comparison) on GA4.
The First Step: Setting Up Analytics
Setting up analytics properly is crucial for having clear access to data. Farid Movsumov explains the step-by-step process:
While many users might find your app directly via the app store, a significant portion may start their journey elsewhere, like on your website. Elad Levy explains how:
