Google Analytics Funnel

[Rgkopchak]

What is the proper way to set up an analytics Funnel with ShopSite? Following the directions on the Analytics site, it appears you can track progress by URL only. Since the Thank You page and Order Confirmation page are the same URL, is it possible to track when users actually complete an order, as opposed to those who abandon the cart at the last step?

Thank you in advance.

[ShopSite Lauren]

With the ShopSite/Google Analytics integration there is no way to track the cgi pages (such as the cart). You can specify in your Google Analytics account that your website is an e-commerce store and that you would like to track sales of products, but it does not track abandoned carts.

The main issue is that your cart page URLs include your store id, but it is encrypted. Each time you publish your store, or if your customers click on an add to cart button from the search results screen. Each time it is re-encrypted by the server, the URL looks like it changes.

You could do a round-a-bout way of figuring out the cart abandonment on your website using Google Analytics. In your GA account you can view all of your top content pages. Then do a search for "order.cgi" for the shopping cart screen, "billing.cgi" for the shipping and billing screen, and "thankyou.cgi" for the thank you screen. You can then look and the number of "unique views" for each of those in a given period. On my website I tested this, I had 450 unique views of the order.cgi screen. Of those, only 139 people/unique views continued onto the billing.cgi screen. Then of those, 133 people/unique views continued onto the thankyou.cgi screen.

Another option would be to use a cart abandonment module. This is something that usually requires getting your host invovled. There may be companies who offer add on modules for any hosting account, but the one I am familiar with is the LexiConn add on module which is only offered to LexiConn hosted ShopSite merchants.
http://www.lexiconn.com/ecommerce/shopsite/cart_abandonment.html

[PatG]

"The main issue is that your cart page URLs include your store id, but it is encrypted."
But GA has the ability to overcome that.
http://www.google.com/support/analytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en_US&answer=72285

When you setup the goal...
Goal Type = URL Destination
Match Type = Head Match
Goal URL = /sc/thankyou.cgi (the folder depends on where you installed your SS cart)
Case Sensitive = Unchecked (but I think this doesn't matter with ShopSite)
Goal Funnel Step 1 URL = /sc/order.cgi (same on folder name, depends on your install)
Goal Funnel Step 1 Name = Cart (or whatever you want to name it)
Goal Funnel Step 2 URL = sc/billing.cgi (same dealio on folder name)
Goal Funnel Step 2 Name = Checkout (or "Show Me The Money Jerry")

You may have other pages in your funnel depending on how you've configured ShopSite, but the Head Match choice will let you deal with that.

[Rgkopchak]

Excellent info PatG, thank you!

It does sorta leave me with the issue that the Last step and the next to last step are the same page right? Or am I missing something? Is there a way to differentiate?

[PatG]

could you please clarify which steps you are referring to? i'm thinking each page is a step, perhaps there's a page that does something dynamically and the page's url (head match) doesn't change... if so, perhaps there's something else in the url that can be matched and still avoid the dynamic unique number issue.

and can the Mods here list the cart / checkout steps and the corresponding page names please? might help us sort out what the question is.

[Jim]

here are the names of the cgi involved in the checkout process

order.cgi
the main shopping cart screen
If Google checkout is enabled there may be an additional call to order.cgi to display a pre-checkout screen.
billing.cgi
the screen where the shopper enters their address and payment information
.
thankyou.cgi
displays confirmation screen if that feature is enabled.
contacts payment processor (if needed)
rechecks tax and shipping in case billing screen zip/postal code differs from what was entered on shopping cart screen
displays web receipt to shopper
sends email receipt to merchant and shopper.

There can be multiple calls to all of those cgis depending on information that is entered by the shopper. For example order.cgi calls it self a couple of times the first time an item is added to the cart to see it can set a cookie and then read that cookie. If errors are made each screen can be called again to display error messages. etc.

[Rgkopchak]

So I think my point is the thankyou.cgi actually handles TWO pages of info. The "Confirm Order" page and the "Thank You" page. Is there a way to get the Analytics funnel to see those two steps as separate, or will it not be able to tell those who abandon the cart at the last step?

Thanks for all the advice.