
Shopify has a built in free connector for Analytics and Ads as part of the Google & YouTube Sales Channel. This was built in 2023 and is maintained by Shopify.

| Feature | Google Sales Channel | Littledata |
|---|---|---|
| Customer data to marketing platforms | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| 30 day free trial | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Fully automatic, no code setup | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Founder owned and led | ✔️ | |
| Identity resolution to boost audiences | ✔️ | |
| Server-side tracking | ✔️ | |
| Automatic tracking of checkout steps | ✔️ | |
| No-code setup for Shopify Hydrogen | ✔️ |
Google Sales Channel offers a built-in connector for Analytics and Ads, providing seamless integration for Shopify users. It features a 30-day free trial and requires no coding for setup. However, Littledata enhances tracking with server-side capabilities, automatic checkout step tracking, and identity resolution to optimize audience targeting. While both platforms provide customer data integration and a no-code setup, Littledata's focus on modern tracking solutions and its founder-led approach may offer a more tailored experience for advanced data collection and audience insights, giving it an edge in comprehensive tracking capabilities.
| Google Sales Channel | Littledata | |
|---|---|---|
| Example product review | "I have an online store that sells home decor products, but Google says that I sell products with adult content. It says I have policy issues and missing shipping information, but it's not specific or provides any further information, so it's impossible to fix without knowing what's wrong. What a nightmare!" | "We were having difficulties with accurate and consistent revenue attribution...With Littledata implemented, we now get consistent and accurate revenue attribution." |
| Example support review | "Google support is robotic... they keep pointing us to articles after articles to read. This has become such a big headache." | "Customer support is absolutely amazing... you can never go wrong when an app does what it says and tacks on great service!" |
| Link | Read more reviews |
| Store size | Google Sales Channel | Littledata |
|---|---|---|
| 50 orders / month | $0 | $39 |
| 500 orders / month | $0 | $149 |
| 5,000 orders / month | $0 | $349 |
| 20,000 orders / month | $0 | $799 |
For an online store with 50 orders per month, Littledata costs 100% compared to Google Sales Channel. At 500 orders, Littledata is 0% (free), while the other Littledata option costs 100%. For 5000 orders, both Littledata options cost 100% compared to Google Sales Channel. At 20000 orders, Littledata remains at 100%, while Google Sales Channel remains free. Overall, Google Sales Channel consistently costs 0%, while Littledata pricing increases significantly with order volume, reaching 100% at higher tiers.
| Destination | Google Sales Channel | Littledata |
|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Google Ads | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Meta Ads | ✔️ | |
| TikTok | ✔️ | |
| ✔️ | ||
| Klaviyo | ✔️ | |
| Segment | ✔️ | |
| Attentive | ✔️ |
The main difference lies in the breadth of data destinations and integration capabilities. Google Sales Channel primarily focuses on Google Analytics and Google Ads, providing a streamlined approach for tracking and advertising within Google's ecosystem. In contrast, Littledata offers a more comprehensive solution with multiple data destinations, including Meta Ads, TikTok, Pinterest, Klaviyo, Segment, and Attentive, allowing for a broader range of marketing channels and enhanced customer insights. This makes Littledata more versatile for brands looking to track performance across various platforms beyond just Google.
| Feature | Google Sales Channel | Littledata |
|---|---|---|
| Product list views & clicks | ||
| Tracks products list as you scroll | ✔️ | |
| Tracks clicks on product list | ✔️ | |
| Consistent product identifier in GA4 | ✔️ | |
| Add to Cart | ||
| Tracked client-side | ✔️ | |
| Tracked server-side | ✔️ | |
| Enriched product info | ✔️ | |
| Tracks remove from cart | ✔️ | |
| Checkout steps | ||
| Tracked via checkout page | ✔️ | |
| Tracked direct from Shopify's servers | ✔️ | |
| Compatible with checkout extensibility | ✔️ | |
| Compatible with accelerated checkouts | ✔️ | |
| Purchase | ||
| Tracked via thank you page | ✔️ | |
| Tracked server side for 100% accuracy | ✔️ | |
| Includes post-purchase upsells | ✔️ | |
| Includes recurring orders | ✔️ | |
| Filter orders by sales channel | ✔️ | |
| Includes refunds | ✔️ | |
| User-provided data for improved attribution | ✔️ | |
| Custom mapping to a source / medium | ✔️ | |
Littledata's purchase and checkout tracking offers superior accuracy and detail compared to Google Sales Channel's tracking, which relies on the thank you page. Littledata's server-side tracking ensures 100% accuracy, capturing all purchase events, including post-purchase upsells and recurring orders, while also filtering by sales channel and including refunds. Additionally, it utilizes user-provided data for better attribution and allows for custom mapping to source/medium.
When compared to Littledata's own tracking for Google Analytics, the key advantage lies in the server-side tracking method, which enhances data reliability and completeness, especially for accelerated checkouts and checkout extensibility, ensuring a more comprehensive view of user behavior and sales performance.
| Feature | Google Sales Channel | Littledata |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads Conversions | ||
| Tracked direct from Shopify's servers | ✔️ | |
| Real-time tracking of Enhanced Conversions | ✔️ | |
| Fully automatic setup | ✔️ | |
| New vs Returning customer conversions | ✔️ | |
