Building Sales Funnels in Google Analytics 4

This guide explains how to set up and analyze sales funnels in Google Analytics 4 using the events tracked by IgnitionStack’s checkout flow.

Overview

IgnitionStack tracks a comprehensive set of events throughout the purchase journey, enabling you to build detailed sales funnels in GA4. This helps you:

Identify where users drop off in the checkout process
Measure conversion rates at each step
Optimize your pricing and checkout pages
Track authentication and payment success/failure rates

Events Tracked

Pricing Section Events

Event Name	Description	Key Parameters
`pricing_section_view`	User views the pricing section	`locale`, `page_path`
`pricing_tier_view`	User views a specific tier card	`tier`, `tier_price`
`pricing_cta_click`	User clicks a pricing CTA button	`tier`, `tier_price`, `is_highlighted`
`pricing_promo_banner_view`	Promotional banner is displayed	`spots_remaining`, `days_remaining`

Checkout Funnel Events

Event Name	Description	Key Parameters
`checkout_page_view`	User lands on checkout page	`tier`, `tier_price`
`checkout_step_view`	User reaches a checkout step	`step_name`, `step_number`, `tier`
`checkout_auth_method_selected`	User selects auth method	`method` (google/email_login/email_register)
`checkout_auth_success`	User successfully authenticates	`method`, `user_id`
`checkout_auth_error`	Authentication fails	`method`, `error_type`
`checkout_terms_accepted`	User accepts terms/license	`terms_type`, `accepted`
`checkout_payment_button_click`	User clicks payment button	`tier`, `tier_price`, `user_id`
`begin_checkout`	GA4 e-commerce event	`value`, `currency`, `items[]`
`checkout_stripe_redirect`	User redirected to Stripe	`tier`, `user_id`
`purchase`	Payment successful	`transaction_id`, `value`, `items[]`
`purchase_failed`	Payment failed/cancelled	`tier`, `error_reason`
`checkout_error`	Any checkout error	`error_type`, `error_message`
`checkout_abandoned`	User leaves checkout	`last_step`, `time_on_page`, `was_authenticated`
`checkout_back_to_plans`	User returns to pricing	`tier`

Setting Up Funnels in GA4

Step 1: Access Explore

Go to your GA4 property
Click Explore in the left navigation
Click Blank to create a new exploration
Or use the Funnel exploration template

Step 2: Create the Main Sales Funnel

Funnel Name: Checkout Conversion Funnel

Steps Configuration:


Step 1: Pricing Page View
├── Event: pricing_section_view
├── OR Event: pricing_tier_view

Step 2: Pricing CTA Click
├── Event: pricing_cta_click

Step 3: Checkout Page View
├── Event: checkout_page_view

Step 4: Authentication Complete
├── Event: checkout_auth_success

Step 5: Terms Accepted
├── Event: checkout_terms_accepted
├── Filter: accepted = true

Step 6: Payment Initiated
├── Event: checkout_payment_button_click

Step 7: Stripe Redirect
├── Event: checkout_stripe_redirect

Step 8: Purchase Complete
├── Event: purchase

Step 3: Add Breakdown Dimensions

Add these dimensions to analyze funnel performance:

tier - Compare conversion by pricing tier (starter, pro, diamond)
locale - Compare by language (pt, en, es)
method - Authentication method breakdown

Step 4: Create Segments

High-Intent Users:


Include users where:
- checkout_page_view occurred
- AND checkout_auth_success occurred

Abandoned Cart:


Include users where:
- checkout_payment_button_click occurred
- AND purchase did NOT occur within 30 minutes

Error Segment:


Include users where:
- checkout_error occurred
- OR checkout_auth_error occurred

Recommended Reports

1. Tier Conversion Report

Purpose: Compare conversion rates across pricing tiers

Configuration:

Rows: tier
Values: Event count for each funnel step
Calculate: Conversion rate per tier

Insights:

Which tier has the highest conversion?
Is the “Pro” tier (highlighted) performing better?
Should you adjust tier pricing or features?

2. Authentication Funnel

Purpose: Analyze authentication method performance

Configuration:


Step 1: checkout_auth_method_selected
Step 2: checkout_auth_success

Breakdown by: method

Insights:

Google OAuth vs Email login conversion
New registration vs returning user rates
Authentication error rates by method

3. Drop-off Analysis

Purpose: Identify where users abandon the checkout

Configuration:

Use checkout_abandoned event
Breakdown by: last_step

Key Metrics:

time_on_page - Average time before abandonment
was_authenticated - Did they complete auth?
last_step - Which step caused the drop-off?

4. Error Analysis Report

Purpose: Track and diagnose checkout errors

Events to track:

checkout_error
checkout_auth_error
purchase_failed

Breakdown by:

error_type
error_message
tier

Creating Custom Metrics

Checkout Completion Rate


Name: Checkout Completion Rate
Formula: purchase / checkout_page_view
Format: Percentage

Authentication Success Rate


Name: Auth Success Rate
Formula: checkout_auth_success / checkout_auth_method_selected
Format: Percentage

Stripe Redirect Rate


Name: Stripe Redirect Rate
Formula: checkout_stripe_redirect / checkout_payment_button_click
Format: Percentage

Cart Abandonment Rate


Name: Cart Abandonment Rate
Formula: checkout_abandoned / checkout_page_view
Format: Percentage

Setting Up Alerts

1. High Error Rate Alert

Condition: checkout_error count > 10 in 1 hour Severity: Critical Action: Investigate Stripe integration

2. Low Conversion Alert

Condition: purchase / checkout_page_view < 5% over 24 hours Severity: Warning Action: Review checkout UX

3. Authentication Issues

Condition: checkout_auth_error count > 5 in 1 hour Severity: Warning Action: Check OAuth configuration

E-commerce Tracking

IgnitionStack uses GA4 standard e-commerce events:

begin_checkout Event


{
  event: "begin_checkout",
  items: [{
    item_id: "pro",
    item_name: "Pro Plan",
    price: 297,
    quantity: 1
  }],
  value: 297,
  currency: "BRL"
}

purchase Event


{
  event: "purchase",
  transaction_id: "stripe_session_xxx",
  items: [{
    item_id: "pro",
    item_name: "Pro Plan",
    price: 297,
    quantity: 1
  }],
  value: 297,
  currency: "BRL"
}

GA4 Reports Setup

Monetization Reports

Go to Reports > Monetization
The purchase events will appear in Ecommerce purchases
Configure Revenue to use the value parameter

Real-time Monitoring

Go to Reports > Realtime
Filter by events containing “checkout”
Monitor live checkout activity

Best Practices

1. Use Consistent Parameters

All events include standard parameters:

locale - User’s language
page_path - Current page
page_title - Page title
tier - Selected pricing tier
funnel_stage - conversion

2. Track the Full Journey


awareness → consideration → conversion
    ↓            ↓             ↓
  Landing    Pricing      Checkout
   Page      Section       Flow

3. Debug in Development

Events are logged to console in development mode:


npm run dev
# Open DevTools > Console
# Filter by "[GA4]" to see events

4. Verify in GA4 DebugView

Install GA4 Debugger Chrome extension
Enable debug mode
Go to GA4 > Configure > DebugView
Test your checkout flow

Troubleshooting

Events Not Appearing

Check NEXT_PUBLIC_GA_ID is set
Verify GA4 script is loading
Check browser console for errors
Wait 24-48 hours for data processing

Duplicate Events

The analytics library includes deduplication:

Page views have 5-second cache
Use unique event combinations

Missing Parameters

Required parameters are validated:

locale
page_path
page_title
funnel_stage
source_component

Events Documentation - Complete event reference
Tracking Examples - Implementation examples
Quick Reference - Event trigger table

Building Sales Funnels in Google Analytics 4

Overview

Events Tracked

Pricing Section Events

Checkout Funnel Events

Setting Up Funnels in GA4

Step 1: Access Explore

Step 2: Create the Main Sales Funnel

Step 3: Add Breakdown Dimensions

Step 4: Create Segments

Recommended Reports

1. Tier Conversion Report

2. Authentication Funnel

3. Drop-off Analysis

4. Error Analysis Report

Creating Custom Metrics

Checkout Completion Rate

Authentication Success Rate

Stripe Redirect Rate

Cart Abandonment Rate

Setting Up Alerts

1. High Error Rate Alert

2. Low Conversion Alert

3. Authentication Issues

E-commerce Tracking

begin_checkout Event

purchase Event

GA4 Reports Setup

Monetization Reports

Real-time Monitoring

Best Practices

1. Use Consistent Parameters

2. Track the Full Journey

3. Debug in Development

4. Verify in GA4 DebugView

Troubleshooting

Events Not Appearing

Duplicate Events

Missing Parameters

Related Documentation