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How to Process Refunds in Google Analytics with Google Forms (GA Refundr Tool)

Last Modified on October 20, 2023

🚨 Note: All standard Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits on July 1, 2023. 360 Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits on October 1, 2023. That’s why it is recommended to do the GA4 migration.

Do you want to track the refund requests on your eCommerce store accurately? 

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With the Google Analytics Refundr tool, you’ll be able to process refunds and track them using a simple Google Form. 

Processing refunds is actually a functionality of the enhanced eCommerce tracking system in Google Analytics. You can simply connect your backend data to Google Analytics to process these refunds.

But for some unconventional eCommerce systems, this might be difficult to track.

In this guide, we’ll learn how to track refund requests on an online store using Google Forms.

An overview of what we’ll cover how to:

So let’s dive in!

How to Check Refund Data in Google Analytics Reports

Let’s start with the eCommerce reports of Google Analytics. Note that you can only see the refund data if the enhanced eCommerce settings are enabled. 

1. In your Google Analytics account, go to E-commerce → Overview. Under the Admin tab, click the toggle to Enable Enhanced E-commerce Reporting

Enabling enhanced eCommerce settings option in Google Analytics to track refunds

2. You’ll find the Refund Amount for each product under the Reporting tab of Google Analytics. Let’s check this under E-commerce → Sales Performance.

Refund Amount for sales transactions under the Reporting tab of Google Analytics

So we know that Google Analytics will track refunds. But if these values are empty, how do you fill refund amounts in your Google Analytics report? 

Google Form Refundr Tool

One way to track refunds is to install a JavaScript code on your website to send refund data into Google Analytics. 

The problem with this process is that there is usually no specific page through which refunds are requested. Sometimes a refund request comes by phone or through some other backend system.

To make the process easier for you, I have created a Google Form Refundr Tool that sends the refund data to your Google Analytics.

This is a simple Google form that records the refund requests. It sends information such as Order ID, Tracking ID, etc. to your Google Analytics account. In the case of partial refunds, it also tracks the Product ID and refund quantity. 

Google Form Refundr Tool is a simple Google form for processing full and partial refunds in Google Analytics

Let’s take a look at how it works!

Processing Refunds with the Refundr Tool

First of all, we’ll need to grab our Google Analytics Tracking ID. You can copy it from the Admin section under Tracking Info

Accessing the Tracking ID for the Google Analytics refunds process

Next, we’ll need the exact OrderID for any order that is refunded. So we’ll copy the order’s Transaction ID from the Sales Performance report under the Reporting tab, then paste it into the Google Form.  

Copying the Transaction ID from the Sales Performance report under the Reporting tab of Google Analytics

Lastly, you’ll need to choose if this particular refund is a partial refund or a full refund

Let’s first demonstrate with a full refund. So we click on No under Partial Refund, click Next, and Submit our Google Analytics Refund request. 

Checking the option No in the Google Form Refundr Tool for processing full refunds in Google Analytics

This will automatically trigger a refund event. We can see this triggered event in the Events menu of our Real-Time report. 

The Event Category for this event will be Ecommerce and Event Action will be Refund.

Refund event is triggered under Real-Time report of Google Analytics

However, this may take a while to actually be visible in our Sales Performance report. 

Next, let’s process a partial refund. 

Processing Partial Refunds

A partial refund is quite similar to a full refund, but requires a couple of extra steps.

First, we’ll add our Analytics ID and Transaction ID in the Google Form.

Then, click on Yes for Partial Refund

Selecting Yes for Partial Refund in the Google form

This will take us to the next page where we can input the first product that we want to refund. 

To find the Product ID, click on the order containing your product under the Sales Performance report.

Finding the Product ID of a product from an order in Google Analytics for processing refunds

You will be redirected to a page showing all the products contained in that order. In order to get the product ID, change your Secondary dimension to Product SKU

Copying Product ID of a product for the refunds process in Google Analytics

Copy the ID of the product you want a refund for, and paste it on the Google Form. 

Next, fill in the quantity of the product you want a refund for. 

After filling up the details, you’ll be asked whether you want to Add further product to refund. You can fill up to four different products for the refund with the help of this form. 

When you are done with all the products you want a refund for, click on Next, and then Submit the form.

Filling up Google form for processing partial refunds in Google Analytics

Once the form is submitted, a new event will be triggered on your Event report. This refund may also take some time to appear in your Sales Performance report. 

So that’s how this Google Form can track both partial and full refunds. You can use this tool to track the refund requests on your own eCommerce store.

Let’s see how!

How to Implement the Refundr Tool on Your Website

To implement this Refundr tool on your own website and track returns in Google Analytics, all you need to do is go to the Google Form and click on Make a copy

🚨 Note: You’ll need a Google account and need to be logged in to your Google Drive to be able to make a copy of this Google Form.

This will generate a customizable version of the Google Analytics Refundr form in your drive. 

This form is tied to a Google Apps Script, which we’ll need to configure. So let’s go to the Google Form menu and click on Script editor to open the code. 

Opening the script editor to configure the Google Analytics Refund form

This code does all the work for us!

Whenever a new response is submitted, this script goes through the answers in the form, maps them to a Google Analytics request, and sends that data to Google Analytics through the measurement protocol. 

Google Apps Script code to map and send refund data to Google Analytics

The only configuration that we need to do is set up a trigger. For this, click on the Current project’s triggers under the Resources tab. 

Current project triggers in the Google Apps Script

We currently do not have any triggers set up for this. So click on the option to add one. We’ll set the trigger to refund / From form / On form submit

Setting up a trigger for sending refund data to Google Analytics

💡 Top Tip: To track any errors in the form, you can set up notifications on your email account.

Once you are done with the setup, click on Save

This will request your account permission for sending data to Google Analytics. Click on Review Permissions, and then click on Allow

All the data will be stored in your own Google Drive. This means no other parties will be able to view your data. 

You can copy the link to the Google Form to input new data. To do this, click on the Send button on top of the window, then click on the link icon and copy the link. 

Testing Your Refund Tracking

Let’s try testing our form with the help of the link we just copied. You can fill in the details of the products you wish to request a refund for. 

After submitting the form, you’ll be able to see a new event being tracked under the Events section of Reporting. You should also see the refund amount reflected in the Sales Performance report, though this may take a little while.

New event triggered under the Reporting tab of Google Analytics

One advantage here is that you’ll be able to keep a track of the events in your Google Form under the Responses section. You can see every refund request that gets submitted and also open it in a Google Sheet if you like. 

Tracking responses from Google Refundr form for refunds process in Google Analytics

FAQ

How can I check refund data in Google Analytics reports?

To check refund data in Google Analytics reports, follow these steps:

1. Enable Enhanced E-commerce Reporting in your Google Analytics account under the Admin tab.
2. Go to E-commerce → Overview in Google Analytics to access the refund amount for each product.
3. Navigate to E-commerce → Sales Performance to view the refund amount in the reporting tab.

How does the Google Form Refundr Tool work?

The Google Form Refundr Tool is a simple Google Form that records refund requests and sends the necessary information to your Google Analytics account. It collects data such as Order ID, Tracking ID, product details, and refund quantity. It enables tracking of both full and partial refunds.

How do I implement the Refundr Tool on my website?

To implement the Refundr Tool on your website:

1. Make a copy of the Google Analytics Refundr form by clicking “Make a copy” in the Google Form.
2. Access the Script editor in the Google Form menu and configure the Google Apps Script.
3. Set up a trigger for the script to send refund data to 4. Google Analytics upon form submission.
5. Save the configuration and grant permission for data to be sent to Google Analytics.
The form and data will be stored in your own Google Drive, ensuring privacy.
6. Copy the link to the Google Form and use it to input new refund data.

Summary

So that’s it! This is how you can use the Google Form Refundr tool to send refund requests to Google Analytics. 

The Refundr tool can track both partial and full refunds for your eCommerce store. Sending this data into Google Analytics will help you track your profits more accurately.

And if you’re new to tracking eCommerce data, check out our guide to eCommerce in Google Analytics 4.

What other eCommerce data do you track? Do you track your partial and full refunds separately? Let us know all about it in the comments below!

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Stub
Stub
6 years ago

comment image Have just tried to use the script but there’s not option to include a trigger as you can see from the screenshot. Any ideas what’s wrong?

Julian
Julian
6 years ago
Reply to  Stub

ah yes. The triggers were moved to the Edit menu

Stub
Stub
6 years ago
Reply to  Julian

Nice one, works perfectly!

Frank Jaenicke-R.
Frank Jaenicke-R.
6 years ago
Reply to  Stub

Great! Could you tell more details what is a “partial refund” or “full refund”? What would change with the form or HIT?

FO
FO
6 years ago

I should be seen the video completely before i post a question 😉

Stub
Stub
6 years ago

comment image Have just tried to use the script but there’s not option to include a trigger as you can see from the screenshot. Any ideas what’s wrong?

Julian
Julian
6 years ago
Reply to  Stub

ah yes. The triggers were moved to the Edit menu

Stub
Stub
6 years ago
Reply to  Julian

Nice one, works perfectly!

Frank Jaenicke-R.
Frank Jaenicke-R.
6 years ago

Great! Could you tell more details what is a “partial refund” or “full refund”? What would change with the form or HIT?

FO
FO
6 years ago

I should be seen the video completely before i post a question 😉

Frank Jaenicke-R.
Frank Jaenicke-R.
6 years ago

Great! Could you tell more details what is a “partial refund” or “full refund”? What would change with the form or HIT?

bechy
bechy
2 years ago

Wow! You’re a rock star, Julian!

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