Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a powerful tool for businesses, particularly in industries like education classes, hospitality, events, and tourism, where online booking plays a crucial role. GA4 offers advanced insights and tracking capabilities, helping companies monitor the entire booking journey. One of its standout features is the ability to retarget customers who abandon the process before completing a booking. This article explores the benefits of using GA4 to track the booking funnel and how businesses can re-engage potential customers who drop off.
1. Benefits of GA4 for Tracking the Booking Process
1.1. Detailed Customer Journey Tracking
If your booking platform is like BookitLive, it can push a data layer with key information for each step of the booking process which can be integrated with GA4 to provide advanced tracking across multiple sessions and devices. This gives businesses a clear view of the user’s journey. It records the touchpoints customers encounter, including when they land on the website, browse services, start filling out the booking form, and (ideally) complete the reservation.
This feature is especially valuable for businesses where customers often research over several days before making a booking decision. For example, a customer might visit the site on mobile but complete the booking later on a desktop device. GA4 seamlessly links these events to a single user, giving businesses a unified view of user behaviour.
1.2. Funnel Visualisation and Drop-Off Analysis
GA4 allows businesses to set up custom funnels and identify where users drop off during the booking process. This helps pinpoint friction points—such as confusing forms, unnecessary fields, or slow-loading pages—enabling businesses to make data-driven improvements to increase conversion rates.
Example Funnel for Booking a Driving Lesson:
- Step 1: Select lesson type (e.g., beginner, refresher, or advanced driving)
- Step 2: Choose an available or preferred instructor and date
- Step 3: Enter personal and contact information
- Step 4: Review and confirm booking
- Step 5: Make a payment or select a payment plan
With GA4, businesses can analyse at which step users abandon the booking, enabling them to identify bottlenecks or friction points. For instance, if many users leave during the personal information step, it might indicate the form is too long or unclear. Identifying these patterns allows businesses to refine the booking process and improve completion rates.
1.3. Event-Based Tracking for Customised Insights
Unlike Universal Analytics, GA4’s event-based model allows businesses to track highly customised interactions. Events such as button clicks, form submissions, or payment failures offer deeper insights into user behaviour. Businesses can even create specific events for abandoned bookings—for example, tracking users who reach the payment stage but don’t complete the transaction.
This granular tracking provides better insights into intent vs. action gaps, helping businesses refine their booking flow for better results.
1.4. Enhanced Cross-Channel Attribution
GA4’s improved attribution models give a more accurate understanding of which marketing channels contribute to bookings. With tools like path analysis, businesses can see how organic search, paid ads, social media, or email campaigns interact throughout the user journey.
This level of insight ensures businesses can invest in the most effective channels, driving higher ROI on marketing efforts.
2. Retargeting Customers Who Abandon the Booking Process
A significant benefit of GA4 is its seamless integration with Google Ads, enabling businesses to retarget users who abandon the booking process. Here’s how businesses can leverage GA4 data to re-engage potential customers:
2.1. Create Retargeting Audiences Based on Behavior
GA4 allows businesses to define custom audiences, such as:
- Users who viewed a product/service but didn’t start the booking process.
- Users who initiated a booking but didn’t complete it.
- Users who reached the payment step but abandoned.
These audiences can then be shared directly with Google Ads to run targeted remarketing campaigns. For example, a swimming school can create ads for users who abandoned the booking after selecting dates, encouraging them to complete their reservation with a discount code or limited-time offer.
Pro Tip: Google requires a minimum of 100 monthly users to reach the page/perform an action) you wish to create an audience for to run remarketing.
2.2. Use Dynamic Remarketing Ads
Dynamic remarketing ads are personalised ads that display the exact service or product a user viewed but did not book. For example, a Hair Salon can show ads featuring the specific hairstyles the user browsed. GA4’s data feeds these dynamic ad campaigns, increasing the chances of conversion by reminding users of what they are interested in.
2.3. Trigger Email Campaigns with Real-Time Data
GA4 integrates with marketing automation tools like Google Tag Manager and CRM platforms to trigger abandoned booking emails. If a user starts the booking process but doesn’t complete it, an automated email can be sent to remind them, offering incentives or assistance to finalise the booking.
2.4. Analyse Retargeting Performance with GA4
GA4 helps set up retargeting campaigns and provides in-depth reports on their performance. Businesses can track which audience segments and campaigns drive conversions and refine their strategies accordingly.
You’re leaving money at the door if you don’t integrate your Booking System up to GA4 today..
As you can see, using GA4 to track the booking process offers businesses unprecedented insights into user behaviour, enabling them to optimise their funnels and increase conversions. The ability to retarget users who abandon the booking journey—via personalised ads, email campaigns, and dynamic remarketing—further enhances marketing efforts. By leveraging GA4’s event-based tracking and integration with Google Ads, businesses can reduce drop-offs, improve customer experience, and boost bookings.
Adopting GA4 is no longer just an upgrade; it’s a strategic necessity for companies looking to stay competitive in today’s digital landscape.
bookitLive provides a comprehensive data layer output so GA4 can report key details of any booking including, booking date, booking time, instructor name, booking price. This becomes very powerful in a remarketing sense because you can create ads that feature a user’s instructor to encourage completion. To try all these features sign up for a free trial today.