Google Analytics Data incorrect as Paypal does not auto return to Receipt Page

[intrapreneur]

Finally figured out why Google Analytics under reports our website sales - it's because Paypal (we are using Pro Hosted Solution) does not automatically return customers to our Receipt page and therefore the majority of sales go un-reported.

Does anyone know if you can configure GA to use an earlier point in the Check-Out process to work around this problem?

[feemish]

unfortunately using an earlier point might also give you incorrect data. Many orders are curtailed before the final payment page... and you would register those as being completed.. Also orders that 'fail' at the payment stage will be included.

Its a real pain that I struggled with for ages. it make google analytics and conversion tracking pretty unusable.

[intrapreneur]

Thank you feemish - at least I don't feel alone now!

I am still thinking about the earlier point in the checkout process even though, as you say, cart abandonment, payment fail etc will lead to incorrect results because at least I will know that my Adwords spend is having some positive effect by bringing punters to the website!

[feemish]

True, but have a look at your 'pending payments service provider' tab.. If its like mine there are a lot of failed orders in there.. sometimes people fail 4 or 5 times.. if you are not careful you will record all these as sales and have totally skewiff figures showing an unbelievable conversion rate.

[intrapreneur]

Following on from our discussion 8 months ago (!)...I spoke to a Paypal staffer at the Sellerdeck conference today who has now taken this issue on board and promised to come back to me with a solution. Watch this space!

[saucysal]

That will be great

If PayPal can sort this it would be great for all of us. I have always had to bear in mind that there are more sales than the Google stats show. What I have been doing is a spreadsheet on which I put each month the Google total spend, Google conversion figures, the number of sales invoices in our book-keeping, and the turnover, and calculate cost per order for these as a useful guideline and comparison.

Sarah

[intrapreneur]

Paypal's answer

There is an option in the code that gets rid of this page but as it’s a cart you may need a developer to make the change If you’re not that technical. Please find below the script you require to solve this issue.

showHostedThankyouPage - Display PayPal’s confirmation page.
Default Value: true
Allowable Value: true or false, where true = show and false = hide


Umm yes I would have no idea how or where to make this change...anyone???!!

[peblaco]

I would expect any changes would need to be made to the payment provider script file in the site installation folder "CommonOCC" folder. However none of the PayPal scripts there have that exact code. There are other return URL strings, there is likely a technical reason for the way the process works.

[intrapreneur]

I would expect any changes would need to be made to the payment provider script file in the site installation folder "CommonOCC" folder. However none of the PayPal scripts there have that exact code. There are other return URL strings, there is likely a technical reason for the way the process works.

Well I am going to keep on with my Paypal man until he gets bored as this is an important issue for me and I suspect quite a few others!

[intrapreneur]

Well I am going to keep on with my Paypal man until he gets bored as this is an important issue for me and I suspect quite a few others!

Thought I would just conclude this discussion by saying that despite the time I spent with the Paypal staffer at the Sellerdeck Conference at Paypal's HQ and his promise to help me resolve this problem and similar assurances from the Paypal man at the eCommerce show at Olympia and several follow up emails this seems to be intended behaviour by Paypal and there is no workaround.

Paypals staff seem amazed about the inability to auto return to the receipt page following a sale and infer that I must be missing something - but I'm not!!!

I have therefore had to drop Paypal as my main PSP although I have set up Express Checkout. Very annoying for me as Paypal integrated tightly with my online book keeping service - Kashflow and without this I will have to spend a good 2 days a month book keeping now....

[Jan]

Kashflow has a CSV importer, it would be quite easy to setup something using our Order Processing plugins to import invoices. It looks as if there would be three stages, firstly to import the customer details, then to import the invoice and then to import the payment, I would expect it to take a lot less than the 2 days a month though you have at the moment though.

This thread seems to offer a solution to auto-return from the paypal receipt page :

http://community.sellerdeck.com/showthread.php?t=47541

Regards,

[intrapreneur]

Kashflow has a CSV importer, it would be quite easy to setup something using our Order Processing plugins to import invoices. It looks as if there would be three stages, firstly to import the customer details, then to import the invoice and then to import the payment, I would expect it to take a lot less than the 2 days a month though you have at the moment though.

This thread seems to offer a solution to auto-return from the paypal receipt page :

http://community.sellerdeck.com/showthread.php?t=47541

Regards,

Hi Jan

Thanks for your advice. Yes I can see there would be a way to do as you say although there's still the Paypal charges to deal with and also drawing down of funds from Paypal...It's frustrating as its actually a one click import if one is prepared to ignore the no Auto Return/GA thing.

The thread you mention doesn't address the problem with Paypal Pro HOSTED Solution...