Google Enhanced Analytics> Custom Dimensions Not Tracked

Question

We have a website that uses advanced analytics. On the product listing page, the tracking code is as follows:

window.ga=window.ga||function(){(ga.q=ga.q||[]).push(arguments)};ga.l=+new Date; ga.l = +new Date; ga('create', 'xxxxxx', 'auto', { anonymizeIp: true }); ga('require', 'ec'); ga('set', 'currencyCode', 'EUR'); ga('ec:addImpression', { 'id': '5', 'name': 'Lorem Ipsum', 'category': 'Lorem', 'list': 'lorem-list', 'dimension1': '15', 'dimension2': 'Lorem' }); ga('ec:addImpression', { 'id': '6', 'name': 'Lorem Ipsum', 'category': 'Lorem', 'list': 'lorem-list', 'dimension1': '16', 'dimension2': 'Lorem' }); ga('ec:addImpression', { 'id': '7', 'name': 'Lorem Ipsum', 'category': 'Lorem', 'list': 'lorem-list', 'dimension1': '17', 'dimension2': 'Lorem' }); ga('send', 'pageview'); 

Dimensions are displayed correctly (identifier, name, category, list, etc.), but custom dimensions (dimension1 and dimension2) appear to be zero for all dimensions (collected within 3 weeks).

As far as I can see, the code is exactly the same as indicated in the documentation: https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/analyticsjs/enhanced-ecommerce#measuring-activities

What am I watching?

Update: as requested by the (anonymous) debug log using chrome GA: debug, where, apparently, the dimensions are correct:

 analytics_debug.js:10 Running analytics_debug.js. This script is intended for testing and debugging only. log @ analytics_debug.js:10 J @ analytics_debug.js:9 (anonymous) @ analytics_debug.js:76 (anonymous) @ analytics_debug.js:76 analytics_debug.js:10 Initializing Google Analytics. analytics_debug.js:10 Loading resource for plugin: ec analytics_debug.js:10 Loading script: "https://www.google-analytics.com/plugins/ua/ec.js" analytics_debug.js:10 Running command: ga("create", "UA-xxx-1", "auto", {anonymizeIp: true}) analytics_debug.js:10 Creating new tracker: t0 analytics_debug.js:10 Auto cookieDomain found: "myclient.nl" analytics_debug.js:10 This field cannot be set in a create method. Please use ga("set", "anonymizeIp", true); log @ analytics_debug.js:10 J @ analytics_debug.js:9 Td @ analytics_debug.js:13 ad @ analytics_debug.js:51 Z.create @ analytics_debug.js:69 Yb(anonymous function) @ analytics_debug.js:38 jf.R @ analytics_debug.js:68 jf.H @ analytics_debug.js:66 ZP @ analytics_debug.js:73 cd @ analytics_debug.js:59 A @ analytics_debug.js:59 (anonymous) @ analytics_debug.js:76 (anonymous) @ analytics_debug.js:76 analytics_debug.js:10 Running command: ga("require", "ec") analytics_debug.js:10 Waiting on require of "ec" to be fulfilled. analytics_debug.js:10 Registered new plugin: ga(provide, "render", Function) analytics_debug.js:10 Running command: ga("require", "ec") analytics_debug.js:10 Waiting on require of "ec" to be fulfilled. analytics_debug.js:10 Executing Google Analytics commands. analytics_debug.js:10 Registered new plugin: ga(provide, "ec", Function) analytics_debug.js:10 Running command: ga("require", "ec") analytics_debug.js:10 Plugin "ec" intialized on tracker "t0". analytics_debug.js:10 Running command: ga("set", "currencyCode", "EUR") analytics_debug.js:10 Running command: ga("ec:addImpression", {id: "1", name: "xxxx", category: "xxx", list: "xxxx", dimension1: "7", dimension2: "xxx"}) analytics_debug.js:10 Running command: ga("ec:addImpression", {id: "2", name: "xxxx", category: "xxx", list: "xxxx", dimension1: "7", dimension2: "xxx"}) analytics_debug.js:10 Running command: ga("ec:addImpression", {id: "3", name: "xxxx", category: "xxx", list: "xxxx", dimension1: "7", dimension2: "xxx"}) analytics_debug.js:10 Running command: ga("ec:addImpression", {id: "7", name: "xxxx", category: "xxx", list: "xxxx", dimension1: "7", dimension2: "xxx"}) analytics_debug.js:10 Running command: ga("ec:addImpression", {id: "8", name: "xxxx", category: "xxx", list: "xxxx", dimension1: "7", dimension2: "xxx"}) analytics_debug.js:10 Running command: ga("send", "pageview") analytics_debug.js:10 Sent beacon: analytics_debug.js:10 _j1 (&jid) analytics_debug.js:10 adSenseId (&a) xxxxxxxxx analytics_debug.js:10 apiVersion (&v) 1 analytics_debug.js:10 clientId (&cid) xxxxxxxxx analytics_debug.js:10 currencyCode (&cu) EUR analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" name (&il1nm) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "1" category (&il1pi1ca) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "1" dimension "1" (&il1pi1cd1) 7 analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "1" dimension "2" (&il1pi1cd2) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "1" id (&il1pi1id) 1 analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "1" name (&il1pi1nm) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "2" category (&il1pi2ca) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "2" dimension "1" (&il1pi2cd1) 7 analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "2" dimension "2" (&il1pi2cd2) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "2" id (&il1pi2id) 2 analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "2" name (&il1pi2nm) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "3" category (&il1pi3ca) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "3" dimension "1" (&il1pi3cd1) 7 analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "3" dimension "2" (&il1pi3cd2) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "3" id (&il1pi3id) 3 analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "3" name (&il1pi3nm) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "4" category (&il1pi4ca) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "4" dimension "1" (&il1pi4cd1) 7 analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "4" dimension "2" (&il1pi4cd2) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "4" id (&il1pi4id) 7 analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "4" name (&il1pi4nm) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "5" category (&il1pi5ca) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "5" dimension "1" (&il1pi5cd1) 7 analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "5" dimension "2" (&il1pi5cd2) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "5" id (&il1pi5id) 8 analytics_debug.js:10 ec:impression list "1" product "5" name (&il1pi5nm) xxx analytics_debug.js:10 encoding (&de) UTF-8 analytics_debug.js:10 hitType (&t) pageview analytics_debug.js:10 javaEnabled (&je) 0 analytics_debug.js:10 language (&ul) en-us analytics_debug.js:10 location (&dl) https://www.myclient.nl/xxxx analytics_debug.js:10 screenColors (&sd) 24-bit analytics_debug.js:10 screenResolution (&sr) 1680x1050 analytics_debug.js:10 title (&dt) xxxxx - myclient analytics_debug.js:10 trackingId (&tid) UA-xxxx-1 analytics_debug.js:10 viewportSize (&vp) 1610x494 

Answer 1

My assumption is that there are two problems.

1) You use custom product sizes.

Since your custom dimensions are the product’s scope, it’s important to note that these dimensions are not associated with an identifier at all stages of advanced e-commerce. This means that the user size will only have data related to the hit to which it was sent. In this case, the only metric you can get is Impressions. If you want to view these custom dimensions with other relevant metrics, you need to include them in every hit with improved e-commerce.

Link to more information about enhanced ecommerce attribution: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6014841?hl=en#product_attribution

This leads us to:

2) Perhaps you are using the wrong metrics with your custom settings.

Since these measurements are only relevant in the place where they were sent, and given the example you provided, the only report that can be created is:

Dimensions:

Size 1, size 2

Metrics:

Impression

In the presented example of a custom report (with author / pageview), the metric used is pageview. Since your measurements do not match the level dimensions sent along with the pageview hit, there are no page view options available for these custom dimensions, which results in them being blank.