# GA4 ecommerce events: which ones you need and how to set them up

Published: 2026-11-09. Updated: 2026-11-09. Written by: Framepx Team.

Google lists 14 recommended events for online sales in GA4, from `view_item_list` to `refund` ([Analytics Help: recommended events](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9267735)). A store that wants to see its buying path needs at least `view_item`, `add_to_cart`, `begin_checkout` and `purchase`, each sent with `currency`, `value` and an `items` array, and checked in DebugView before you trust a single report.

![The buying path as GA4 events: view_item_list, select_item, view_item, add_to_cart, begin_checkout, add_shipping_info, add_payment_info, purchase](/blog/ga4-events-funnel-en.svg "The buying path and the event Google names for each step.")

## What the recommended events are

Recommended events are ones Google names for you, with their parameters, so your reports can use them. The online sales group on [Google's list](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9267735) holds 14 events, among them `view_item_list`, `select_item`, `view_item`, `add_to_cart`, `view_cart`, `begin_checkout`, `add_shipping_info`, `add_payment_info`, `purchase` and `refund`. The rest are `add_to_wishlist`, `remove_from_cart`, `view_promotion` and `select_promotion`.

Google's [measure ecommerce guide](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/ecommerce) walks through them in this order: item lists, item details, cart and wishlist, checkout, purchases and refunds, and promotions. That is the order of the buying path, so we use it here.

Google does not say which of the 14 are optional. The four we call the minimum, `view_item`, `add_to_cart`, `begin_checkout` and `purchase`, are our reading: they are the points where a shopper looks, intends, starts paying and pays. Add the others when you want to see where people drop out between them, or in lists, promotions and refunds.

## The events in the order of the buying path

| Event | When it fires | Key parameters | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| `view_item_list` | A user views a list of items or offerings | `currency`, `items`, `item_list_id`, `item_list_name` | [Reference](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events) |
| `select_item` | A user selects an item from a list of items or offerings | `items`, `item_list_id`, `item_list_name` | [Reference](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events) |
| `view_item` | A user views an item | `currency`, `value`, `items` | [Reference](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events) |
| `add_to_cart` | A user adds items to the shopping cart | `currency`, `value`, `items` | [Reference](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events) |
| `begin_checkout` | A user begins checkout | `currency`, `value`, `items`, optional `coupon` | [Reference](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events) |
| `add_shipping_info` | A user submits their shipping information during checkout | `currency`, `value`, `items`, optional `shipping_tier` | [Reference](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events) |
| `add_payment_info` | A user submits their payment information during checkout | `currency`, `value`, `items`, optional `payment_type` | [Reference](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events) |
| `purchase` | A user completes a purchase | `transaction_id`, `currency`, `value`, `items`, optional `shipping`, `tax`, `coupon`, `customer_type` | [Reference](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events) |
| `refund` | A user receives a refund | `transaction_id`, `currency`, `value`, optional `items` | [Reference](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events) |

The "when it fires" column is Google's wording, lightly shortened, from the [recommended events page](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9267735); the parameters come from the [event reference](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events). On `view_item_list` and `select_item`, `items` is the one required parameter besides the conditional `currency` on the list event; `select_item` lists no `currency` or `value`. On `refund` the reference marks `items` as not required but says to include it "to see item-level refund metrics in Analytics".

Two more cart events complete the picture: `view_cart` (a user views the shopping cart) and `remove_from_cart` (a user removes items from it) ([recommended events](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9267735)).

## The parameters that matter

Four parameters carry most of the weight, and the reference spells out their rules ([event reference](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events)):

- **`currency`:** "If you set `value` then `currency` is required for revenue metrics to be computed accurately." Google's guide adds that you should set it at the event level when sending `value` ([measure ecommerce](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/ecommerce)).
- **`value`:** the sum of `price * quantity` for all items. Do not include `shipping` or `tax`.
- **`transaction_id`:** on `purchase`, it "helps you avoid getting duplicate events for a purchase". Give every order its own.
- **`items`:** the products of the event. Each one needs `item_id`, `item_name` or both.

![A purchase event with its parameters, and the items array it carries, each item with an id, a name, a price and a quantity](/blog/ga4-events-items-en.svg "One purchase event, and the items array inside it.")

The `items` array is where the product detail lives. Google's guide says each item needs `item_id` or `item_name`, and recommends sending both. `price` and `quantity` are optional, and `quantity` defaults to 1 when you leave it out. The array holds up to 200 elements, and you can add up to 27 custom parameters on top of the standard ones, such as item brand, categories one to five, variant and list name ([measure ecommerce](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/ecommerce)). Google also says to send every ecommerce parameter you have data for, optional ones included.

## What a purchase event looks like

Google's guide shows the purchase event under two tabs, gtag.js and Tag Manager ([measure ecommerce](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/ecommerce?client_type=gtm)). This is the Tag Manager version, shortened to the fields discussed above, with the page's example values: the data layer gets an `event: "purchase"` and an `ecommerce` object, after a push of `ecommerce: null` that clears the previous one.

```js
dataLayer.push({ ecommerce: null });  // Clear the previous ecommerce object.
dataLayer.push({
  event: "purchase",
  ecommerce: {
    transaction_id: "T_12345",
    // Sum of (price * quantity) for all items.
    value: 72.05,
    tax: 3.60,
    shipping: 5.99,
    currency: "USD",
    coupon: "SUMMER_SALE",
    customer_type: "new",
    items: [
    {
      item_id: "SKU_12345",
      item_name: "Stan and Friends Tee",
      // brand, category and more fields as listed in the guide
      price: 10.01,
      quantity: 3
    },
    {
      item_id: "SKU_12346",
      item_name: "Google Grey Women's Tee",
      price: 21.01,
      quantity: 2
    }]
  }
});
```

Check the sum: 10.01 x 3 + 21.01 x 2 = 72.05, which is the `value`, without `tax` or `shipping`. The gtag.js tab sends the same fields in a `gtag("event", "purchase", {...})` call. The names are the contract, not the way you send them.

## How the events reach GA4

![A shop page sends events to a Google tag, either gtag.js or Tag Manager, which sends them to a GA4 property, where DebugView and the reports read them](/blog/ga4-events-tag-en.svg "From the shop page to GA4, and where you look.")

The guide lists the starting points: the Google tag is on your site, and you can reach both Analytics and the site's source code ([measure ecommerce](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/ecommerce)). Then the shop sends each event at the moment it happens: `view_item` when the product page loads, `add_to_cart` when the button is pressed, `purchase` on the order confirmation. Google's order is: lists, item details, cart, checkout, purchase.

If your numbers in GA4 do not match Meta or Google Ads once this works, that is expected; see [why Meta, Google Ads and GA4 report different numbers](/blog/why-meta-google-ads-ga4-report-different-numbers). If you run Google Ads, our guide to [Performance Max](/blog/what-is-performance-max-and-how-to-set-it-up) covers the campaign side.

## How to check the events arrive

Google's DebugView shows "the events and user properties that Analytics collects from a user in real time" ([Analytics Help: DebugView](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/7201382)). The check, step by step:

1. **Turn on debug mode.** For yourself only, use Google Tag Assistant: it adds a parameter to your site's URL. For all users, add `debug_mode` set to `true` to the `config` command; in Tag Manager, set the `debug_mode` field to true in the Google tag, or in a Google Analytics Event tag for chosen events.
2. **Open DebugView.** In Analytics go to Admin, then DebugView under "Data display".
3. **Walk the path yourself.** Open a product, add it to the cart, start checkout and buy.
4. **Read the stream.** The seconds stream shows events from the last 60 seconds; click an event to see its parameters. The minutes stream shows the last 30 minutes. Look for `currency`, `value`, `transaction_id` and the `items`.

Three limits from the same page. To switch debug mode off you must remove the parameter, because setting it to `false` does not disable it. Events do not show in debug mode if privacy controls on the client side hide them. And debug traffic can skew your reports, so filter out developer traffic while you test.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which GA4 ecommerce events do I need at minimum?

Google does not name a minimum. Our reading: `view_item`, `add_to_cart`, `begin_checkout` and `purchase`, the four points where a shopper looks, adds, starts paying and pays. Add the rest as you need to see more of the path ([recommended events](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9267735)).

### Why does `purchase` need a `transaction_id`?

Google says it helps you avoid duplicate events for a purchase ([event reference](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events)).

### Do I have to send `currency` every time?

Whenever you send `value`, yes. Without it the revenue metrics cannot be computed accurately ([event reference](https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ga4/reference/events)).

### How do I know an event reached GA4?

Watch it in DebugView with debug mode on ([DebugView help](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/7201382)). Events hidden by privacy controls will not show there.

## A last word

Tracking tells you where the path leaks; the ads and product pages are the other half. We run Framepx, an AI system that turns a product feed into ads for every channel, so the creative side keeps up with what the numbers show; see [how it works](/how-it-works).