A futureproof alternative to Google Analytics for e-commerce

It is no longer legal to use Google Analytics for statistics and analysis of users on European websites in Denmark. That is the conclusion from Datatilsynet as they refer to cases from Austria, France, and Italy in which Google Analytics is also banned now. But what is the alternative to Google Analytics and how should you go about it with your e-commerce?

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What are your options now?

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Datatilsynet gives 2 solutions to what you can do as e-commerce to overcome these new changes to the regulations:

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1. Stop using Google Analytics and switch to a GDPR-compliant alternative like a CDP.

2. Continue using Google Analytics, but configure it to no longer transfer personal data to the United States.

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Which one to pick is obviously a question that depends on the resources, goals, and needs of the individual business. However, we strongly recommend thinking a step further than just Google Analytics. This new wave of compliance, regulations, and protection of consumer data is here to stay. There are plenty of people giving advice on how to solve this short-term with solution 2 – check out this guide on it. So let us have a look at solution 1 and an alternative to Google Analytics that is future-proof too.

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More than just Google Analytics in trouble

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Google Analytics is on its way out. And with it goes many more tools not living up to the European standards.Google data studio, is one of those tools that are likely to suffer immensely from this decision. It collects most of its from Google Analytics and with it being illegal, Google Data Studio will either also be illegal or have to work without data from Google Analytics. This would basically render it useless compared to today and likely die out as a popular option for e-commerce businesses.

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Time to take control of your data

It might sound very gloomy and doomy, but the reality is that the world of e-commerce is about to see big changes. And this ban is only the first in what we expect are major changes to the whole way of approaching data. Now is the time to re-think your data handling approach. It’s time to see the bigger picture, and stop using stopgap every time your data system break because you are working with a non-compliant outdated way of handling data. You need to control your own data in e-commerce today.

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A Danish alternative to Google Analytics

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There are no doubts that Datatilsynet’s decision is going to reshape how you can approach your customer, product, and marketing data in e-commerce. Setting up a proxy to anonymize data might work on a short-term basis. But it will not protect your business and data in the future.

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Future-proof solution to data compliance

Instead, you need to look towards a future-proof alternative to how you collect, store, analyze, and activate your data. The Danish software company, Custimy.io, has developed an operating system that can do exactly that for e-commerce. We are talking about a system, built on European laws, in European-locked servers, that is able to connect your data from channels, customers, products, and marketing in one place. Think of it as one system to connect them all.

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The e-commerce CDP from Custimy gives you ownership and control of your data. It means, ultimately you own it, and you no longer have to be dependent on Google, Meta, or any other third party. The data are yours to control and use for your e-commerce.

This ultimately means you are able to minimize your risks against things GDPR, and iOS14.5. And now, with the Google Analytics ban that otherwise would harm your e-commerce operations to an incredible degree. Future changes will come, we expect Google Data Studio to also take a hit and much more will follow.

So, if you want a European alternative to Google Analytics, that provides not only future-proof data security but also connects all your data in one place look no further.

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Why a Customer Data Platform as Google Analytics alternative

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The big difference in how a Customer Data Platform like Custimy.io and Google Analytics operates comes down to how and which kind of data is collected.

• Google Analytics collects IP addresses: This is one of the keys to why they just got deemed illegal.
• Our Customer Data Platform does not do that.Our Customer Data Platform is based on first-party data primarily. This means you own your own data, you control it and you are not dependent on others for it.
• A CDP is future-proof: Following the above. First-party data ensures you won’t be hit as hard as your competitors when these bombs drop on data and privacy regulations.
• One platform to connect it all: A Customer Data Platform can collect, sort, store, analyze, and activate all your data in one place. Think of it as your cockpit to see all the business insights you need and where you can shoot the right data into the right channels.
• A Customer data platform ensures you are compliant with data-privacy guidelines and GDPR.

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Benefits of using a Customer Data Platform

A Customer Data platform is not an alternative to Google analytics. In fact, it can do much more than you would think at first.

When it comes to compliance and consent it is the ultimate tool in regards to protecting your customers, and their data and ensuring you are working with data that they have given consent to use.

But here are some of the other, very powerful benefits of having a CDP in e-commerce:

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Understand the Customer Journey

A Customer Data Platform can unify all this data across every customer touchpoint. This makes it easy for you to understand the customer journey and how each step impacted their behavior and your revenue.

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Have one single source of truth

Having one single point of data collection, consolidation, and analysis means that you can segment your customers with better insights. You can base it on the full picture of their journey and thus personalize every single interaction with the customer, at scale.

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Create multichannel segmentation

A Customer Data Platform can create target audiences on e.g. Facebook, and by using a CDP instead of your disconnected tools, you can make sure that you have streamlined your segmentation and interaction with them across all channels.

The future of marketing is data-driven with first-party data. As that is the only way you can keep tabs on your customer’s journey as it keeps getting more complicated. You need real-time data, that is accurate, interconnected, and empowered by machine learning.

There is a lot more to it – check out our Ultimate Guide to Customer Data Platform

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A future-proof alternative to Google Analytics and more

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A Customer Data platform is not only a future-proof alternative to Google Analytics. It is the future of e-commerce, marketing, and data handling. With a first-party data and compliance first approach, it ensures you can minimize damage as a result of major changes like Google Analytics. By taking ownership and control of your own data, you can work and scale confidently. All without having to always lose massive amounts of insights every time the rules change a bit.