# Ecommerce Analytics Events and Tracking > Ecommerce event tracking records defined actions with timestamps and useful parameters. Events should represent stable business actions rather than individual button labels that may change during a redesign. Testing each event before trusting a report prevents decisions from being built on broken or duplicate data. - Type: Merchant guide - Level: Intermediate - Reading time: About 7 minutes - Audience: Written for store owners, builders, and designers refining high-performance ecommerce stores. - Last updated: 2026-11-04 - Canonical page: https://academy.getzenbasket.com/merchant-questions/ecommerce-analytics-events-and-tracking/ - Part of: [Merchant Questions](https://academy.getzenbasket.com/merchant-questions/) on ZenBasket Academy --- ## What you need to know ### What is ecommerce event tracking? Ecommerce event tracking records defined actions with timestamps and useful parameters. Events should represent stable business actions rather than individual button labels that may change during a redesign. ### Which ecommerce events should be tracked? Track product-list exposure and selection, product views, search, filters, cart changes, checkout steps, payment outcomes, purchases, cancellations, refunds and relevant fulfillment events. Collect only data with a defined use. ### What is a page-view event? A page-view event records that a page or route became viewable under the tracking definition. It should include a stable page type and location without counting accidental duplicate loads. ### What is a product-view event? A product-view event records that a shopper viewed a specific product detail experience. Include a stable product ID, name, category, variant, displayed price and list context when available. ### What is an Add to Cart event? An Add to Cart event records that a shopper successfully added a defined item and quantity to the cart. Fire it after the cart accepts the change, not merely when the button is clicked. ### What is a checkout-start event? A checkout-start event records that an eligible shopper entered the checkout process with a cart. Define the precise entry point so cart views and repeated checkout steps do not inflate it. ### What is a purchase event? A purchase event records a confirmed transaction with a unique transaction ID, currency, value and item details. Fire it from a reliable completion state and prevent reloads from creating duplicates. ### Should search and filter interactions be tracked? Yes. Track query, result count, refinements and downstream actions, while avoiding unnecessary personal data. This reveals unmet demand, weak relevance and filters that help or block discovery. ### Should product recommendations be tracked? Yes. Record recommendation exposure, position, algorithm or rule, selected product and downstream outcome. Clicks alone cannot show whether recommendations created incremental value. ### How should refunds and cancellations be represented in analytics? Represent cancellations and refunds as separate reversal events linked to the original transaction and affected items. Preserve the original purchase record so gross activity and net outcome can both be reconciled. ### A quick store check Complete a test journey from landing page through refund and confirm the expected event name, timestamp, item data and transaction ID at each step. --- ## Frequently asked questions ### Should event names change when the website design changes? Not when the business action is unchanged. Stable event meaning protects historical comparisons across redesigns. ### How should failed payment attempts be tracked? Record a separate failure event with a safe reason category; never send sensitive payment credentials into analytics. --- ## Related learning path - **Building an Ecommerce Measurement Framework** - **Ecommerce Funnel Analytics** - [ZenBasket Build Guide](https://help.getzenbasket.com/zenbasket-builder/)