BigCommerce Tracking Setup: What You Need to Know

BigCommerce and GA4: Your Options

BigCommerce offers multiple paths to ecommerce tracking with GA4. Unlike Shopify which has recently made custom pixels the primary path, BigCommerce gives you three options with different trade-offs: the native Google Analytics integration, BigCommerce Scripts (similar to Shopify's custom pixels), and Google Tag Manager.

Option 1: Native BigCommerce GA4 Integration

BigCommerce has a built-in Google Analytics 4 integration under Channel Manager then Google.

Setup:

1. Channel Manager then Google then Google Analytics
2. Connect your Google account and select your GA4 property
3. Enable Enhanced Ecommerce in the settings

What it tracks: view_item, add_to_cart, begin_checkout, purchase — the core funnel. The purchase event fires on the order confirmation page with transaction data from BigCommerce's order system.

Limitations: no custom parameters, no granular checkout funnel (add_shipping_info and add_payment_info are not sent), limited control over items array content. If your BigCommerce store has custom product fields or business-specific data you need in GA4, the native integration cannot include them.

Best for: straightforward BigCommerce stores without custom tracking requirements.

Option 2: BigCommerce Scripts (Script Manager)

BigCommerce's Script Manager (Storefront then Script Manager) allows you to add custom JavaScript to specific page types — including checkout pages, which is where BigCommerce differs favourably from Shopify's default GTM limitation.

You can write a custom script that listens to BigCommerce's Cart and Checkout JavaScript APIs and pushes GA4-format events to the data layer or directly to gtag. This gives full control over what is tracked and how it is structured.

Advantages:

• Works on all page types including checkout and order confirmation
• Full control over event parameters and custom dimensions
• Can forward to multiple analytics platforms in one script

Disadvantages: requires JavaScript development skills; testing requires deploying to a staging store.

Option 3: Google Tag Manager on BigCommerce

Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce allows GTM on checkout pages by default. Install GTM via Script Manager with "All pages" scope, and it will load on every page including checkout and order confirmation.

In GTM, configure your GA4 tags triggered by data layer events pushed by your BigCommerce theme or a custom Script Manager script.

Best of both worlds: GTM's flexibility for tag management + access to checkout and confirmation pages. This is the recommended approach for stores with active GTM users or multiple tracking needs.

BigCommerce-Specific Implementation Notes

• Order confirmation deduplication: BigCommerce's order confirmation page can be revisited. Always check if the purchase event has already been sent using a cookie or data layer flag set on first visit.
• Multi-storefront: BigCommerce's multi-storefront feature requires separate GA4 data streams or properties per storefront — they share a domain but are distinct brand experiences.
• Headless BigCommerce: if you are using BigCommerce headless (React/Next.js frontend), implement tracking entirely in the frontend framework. BigCommerce's native integrations do not apply in headless mode.

Summary

BigCommerce gives more out-of-the-box flexibility than Shopify for custom tracking, particularly because Script Manager works on checkout pages. For most stores, GTM via Script Manager is the recommended approach — it provides the full power of GTM, works across all pages, and supports the complete ecommerce funnel.

See our Enhanced Ecommerce Tracking service for BigCommerce implementation.

Need BigCommerce GA4 tracking set up? Contact Adslytics.