Tracking Recurring Payments with Google Analytics Measurement Protocol

Ecom
1

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to set up tracking for my subscription-based service using Google Analytics Measurement Protocol. I want to monitor the monthly payments our customers make, but I’m hitting a roadblock.

The docs mention needing a productIndex for the API call, but I’m not sure where to get this from or if it’s even necessary for my use case. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

const trackPayment = (amount, userId) => {
  // What goes here?
  // How do I structure the API call without a productIndex?
}

Has anyone successfully implemented something similar? Any tips on how to properly structure the API call for recurring payments would be super helpful!

Thanks in advance for any insights!

2

I’ve implemented something similar for a client’s subscription service. Instead of using productIndex, we found success with the ‘transaction’ hit type, as it’s more suitable for recurring payments.

Here’s a basic implementation that worked for us:

const trackPayment = (amount, userId, subscriptionPlan) => {
  const params = new URLSearchParams({
    v: '1',
    tid: 'UA-XXXXX-Y',
    cid: userId,
    t: 'transaction',
    tr: amount,
    ti: `SUB-${userId}-${Date.now()}`,
    ta: subscriptionPlan
  });

  fetch('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', {
    method: 'POST',
    body: params
  });
}

This approach allows you to track each payment as a separate transaction, with the subscription plan as the affiliation. You might want to add more parameters based on your specific tracking needs.

Remember to respect user privacy and comply with data protection regulations when implementing this solution.

3

Hey DashingDog! That’s a great question about tracking recurring payments with GA’s Measurement Protocol. I’ve dabbled with this before and ran into similar confusion.

Have you considered using the ‘transaction’ hit type instead of the ‘item’ hit type? For subscriptions, it might make more sense. You wouldn’t need a productIndex that way. Something like:

const trackPayment = (amount, userId) => {
  // Basic structure, you'd need to flesh this out
  fetch('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', {
    method: 'POST',
    body: new URLSearchParams({
      v: '1',
      tid: 'UA-XXXXX-Y',  // Your tracking ID
      cid: userId,
      t: 'transaction',
      tr: amount,
      ti: 'SUBSCRIPTION-' + Date.now()  // Unique transaction ID
    })
  });
}

This is just a starting point, mind you. You might want to add more parameters depending on what exactly you’re trying to track.

Have you thought about what specific metrics you want to see in your GA dashboard for these subscriptions? That could help guide how you structure the calls.

Also, are you using GA4 or Universal Analytics? The approach might differ slightly depending on which you’re using.

4

hey dashingdog, I’ve used ga for tracking subscriptions before. for recurring payments, u don’t really need productIndex. try this:

const trackPayment = (amount, userId) => {
  fetch('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', {
    method: 'POST',
    body: `v=1&tid=UA-XXXXX-Y&cid=${userId}&t=transaction&tr=${amount}&ti=SUB-${Date.now()}`
  });
}

this should work for ya. just remember to replace UA-XXXXX-Y with ur actual tracking id!