The new customer acquisition goal allows you to optimize for acquiring new customers in your Google Ads campaign. In this article, we’ll let you know how to set up new customer acquisition reporting using tagging to further improve the accuracy of new customer detection in your campaigns. Learn more about the new customer acquisition goal
Instructions to set up customer acquisition reporting
Install with the global site tag
Note: To use this option, you must have a "Purchase" conversion action set up in Google Ads that meets certain specifications, and set up customer acquisition in your account. Learn more about the new customer acquisition goal
Step 1: Install the Google tag conversion tracking code on your website
Review Set up conversion tracking for your website to install conversion tracking with the Google tag.
Step 2: Add the new_customer parameter to your tag event snippet
You’ll want to add the following customer parameter to your event snippet:
| Parameter | Value type | Description |
new_customer |
Boolean: True / False / [Not specified] | Is the customer who is converting a new customer?
|
Example of the global site tag configured with the above parameter:
<script type="text/javascript">
gtag('event', 'purchase', {
"send_to": "AW-CONVERSION_ID/CONVERSION_LABEL", /* PLEASE REPLACE WITH YOUR VALUE */
...
"new_customer": true, /* calculate dynamically, populate with true/false */
...
]
});
/* ]]> */
Install with Google tag manager
Use the following instructions to add the new_customer parameter to your Google Tag Manager code
- Select the new customer conversion tag.
- Check the “Provide new customer data” check box.
- Choose your data source of either Data Layer or Custom Fields.
- The below variables are required to be added on the checkout page to be referenced.
| Parameter | Value type | Description |
new_customer |
Boolean: True / False / [Not specified] | Is the customer who is converting a new customer?
|
customer_lifetime_value |
Currency |
Is the customer lifetime value attributed to the customer making the conversion a new customer?
|
The data layer is used to temporarily hold data. It’s a structured format that is understood by Tag Manager to make it easy for you to move that data from your web page or mobile app to tags, triggers, and other variables in Tag Manager.
You don't necessarily need to set up a data layer for variables to retrieve information. Tag Manager Variables can also be configured to retrieve values directly from Custom Fields, first-party cookies, and the DOM. However, the best practice is to have your variables retrieve information directly from a well-organized data layer object. A data layer implementation can minimize the likelihood of data loss from inadvertent code changes, encourage a well-organized and accessible data model, and simplify troubleshooting.
For each conversion, you can either let Google auto-detect whether a conversion is new or report this yourself via the conversion tag which would allow for better accuracy in your Google Ads reports. You can also adjust how much you value a new customer by adding a fraction of the average order value to their first purchase.
Customer lifetime value is calculated using the average conversion value for Shopping campaigns and the purchase frequency of your customers. Keeping this in mind, you can choose a fraction to determine the new customer value that you feel comfortable with.
Example implementation with Data Layer:
dataLayer.push({
"event": 'purchase',
"transaction_id": "1545c34e-691e-4726-aeda-b798df255e9c",
"affiliation": "Google online store",
"value": 23.07,
"currency": "USD",
"new_customer": true,
});
Example implementation with Custom Fields:
<script type="text/javascript">
send_to = 'AW-CONVERSION_ID/CONVERSION_LABEL'; /* PLEASE REPLACE WITH YOUR VALUE */
transaction_id = "1545c34e-691e-4726-aeda-b798df255e9c";
affiliation = "Google online store";
value = 23.07;
currency = "USD";
new_customer = true;
</script>
Install with Firebase
Step 1: Set up Firebase conversion tracking
- Add Google Analytics to your Android or iOS app.
- Sign in to your Google Ads Account.
- Link your Google Ads account with Google Analytics App and Firebase. Follow the instructions on linking.
- Measure app conversions from Google Analytics App using the Firebase SDK. Follow the instructions on measuring app conversion with Firebase.
Step 2: Verify conversion action settings
In order to track new customer acquisitions, you’ll want to verify that you've correctly set up the conversion action. Map your conversion action settings to the following:
- Make “conversion action category” equal to “purchase”.
- Make the “Firebase event” equal to “purchase”.
- Make the “source” equal to “Firebase”.
- Make your conversion actions “biddable” (primary conversion action).
Step 3: Add the new_customer parameter to your purchase event
Before you add the new_customer parameter, you have to update the purchase event. If you haven’t created a purchase event yet, follow the instructions for Android and for iOS. The new_customer parameter listed below is required for new customer acquisition tracking using Firebase.
| Parameter | Value type | Description |
new_customer |
Boolean: True / False / [Not specified] | Is the customer who is converting a new customer?
|
Example of a Firebase ecommerce_purchase event driven by a new customer.
Android:
// Prepare ecommerce bundle
Bundle ecommerceBundle = new Bundle();
// Set relevant bundle-level parameters
// New customer information. Should be calculated dynamically and populated with true/false.
ecommerceBundle.putBoolean( "new_customer", true ); // or false
ecommerceBundle.putDouble( Param.VALUE, 37.39 ); // Revenue, optional
ecommerceBundle.putString( Param.CURRENCY, "USD" ); // Optional
// Log event with ecommerce bundle
mFirebaseAnalytics.logEvent( Event.PURCHASE, ecommerceBundle );
iOS:
// Prepare ecommerce dictionary
NSDictionary *ecommerce = @{
// New customer information. Calculate dynamically, populate with @YES/@NO.
@"new_customer" : @YES, // or @NO
// kFIRParameterValue : @75.98, // Revenue, optional.
// kFIRParameterCurrency : @"USD", // Optional.
};
// Log ecommerce_purchase event with ecommerce dictionary.
[FIRAnalytics logEventWithName:kFIREventPurchase
parameters:ecommerce];
Test new customer conversions
Confirm that you're using the global site tag and that you've installed the new_customer parameter. If you have the ability to create a test order, follow the steps below to confirm if the parameters are being passed.
- Use Chrome Developer tools to inspect the page to ensure code optimization by following these steps:
- Select the Chrome menu at the top right corner of your browser window. Select Tools, then select Developer Tools.
- Right-click on any page element and select Inspect Element. The DevTools window will open at the bottom of your Chrome browser.
- In the DevTools window, select Network.
- Submit your test order in the web browser.
- Search for the request that contains your conversion (search for “/conversion”). The query string parameters should include additional parameters, as shown in the example below:
vdnc: true where vdnc = new_customer
Test new customer conversions with Firebase
Confirm that you're using Firebase and that you've added or adapted the purchase event with the cart data parameters.
Then, you can debug events in Firebase in near real-time. You can also track new customer events in Firebase.
