Google Sales Channel vs Northbeam
Is Google Sales Channel or Northbeam a better data solution for Shopify brands?
What is Google Sales Channel(formerly Shopify Trekkie)?
Shopify has a built in free connector for Analytics and Ads as part of the Google & YouTube Sales Channel. This was built in 2023 and is maintained by Shopify.
What is Northbeam?
Northbeam is the marketing intelligence platform for profitable growth, including multi-touch attribution and media mix modeling, both powered by industry-leading machine learning.
Google Sales Channel vs Northbeam comparison
| Feature | Google Sales Channel | Northbeam | Littledata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fully automatic, no code setup | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Customer data to marketing platforms | ✔️ |  | ✔️ |
| 30 day free trial | ✔️ | | ✔️ |
| Founder owned and led | | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Marketing reporting | | ✔️ | |
| Proprietary attribution model | | ✔️ | |
| Works with platforms other than Shopify | | ✔️ | |
| Identity resolution to boost audiences | | | ✔️ |
| Direct from Shopify's servers | | | ✔️ |
| Natively supports Shopify Markets | | | ✔️ |
| Automatic tracking of checkout steps | | | ✔️ |
Google Sales Channel offers seamless integration with Shopify for customer data transfer to marketing platforms, with a focus on Google Analytics and Ads. It features a 30-day free trial and requires no coding. Northbeam provides advanced marketing reporting and a proprietary attribution model, supporting multiple platforms beyond Shopify. It also emphasizes machine learning for insights.
Littledata stands out with its identity resolution, server-side tracking, and automatic checkout step tracking, enhancing audience targeting and data accuracy. It also offers a 30-day free trial and is founder-led, providing a more comprehensive solution for data collection and tracking compared to both competitors.
Reviews comparison
Google Sales Channel vs Northbeam's customer reviews
| Google Sales Channel | Northbeam | Littledata | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example product review | "I have an online store that sells home decor products, but Google says that I sell products with adult content. It says I have policy issues and missing shipping information, but it's not specific or provides any further information, so it's impossible to fix without knowing what's wrong. What a nightmare!" | "Since this change I have struggled to get my clients on to Northbeam as integration can require support, which they refuse to offer any." | "We were having difficulties with accurate and consistent revenue attribution...With Littledata implemented, we now get consistent and accurate revenue attribution." |
| Example support review | "Google support is robotic... they keep pointing us to articles after articles to read. This has become such a big headache." | "Something has changed at Northbeam... they have stripped all support... I am looking for an alternative for all my clients." | "Customer support is absolutely amazing... you can never go wrong when an app does what it says and tacks on great service!" |
| Link | Read more reviews |
Cost comparison
Google Sales Channel vs Northbeam's monthly subscription cost
| Store size | Google Sales Channel | Northbeam | Littledata |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 orders / month | $0 | $1000 | $39 |
| 500 orders / month | $0 | $1000 | $199 |
| 5,000 orders / month | $0 | $1500 | $449 |
| 20,000 orders / month | $0 | $2500 | $1390 |
For an online store with 50 orders per month, Northbeam is 2,564% more expensive than Littledata. At 500 orders, Littledata costs 100% more than Northbeam, which is free. With 5,000 orders, Northbeam is 329% more expensive than Littledata. At 20,000 orders, Northbeam is 213% more expensive than Littledata. Overall, Google Sales Channel remains free across all order volumes, while Northbeam's costs increase significantly with order volume compared to Littledata's more moderate pricing.
Supported data destinations
| Destination | Google Sales Channel | Northbeam | Littledata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | ✔️ | | ✔️ |
| Google Ads | ✔️ | | ✔️ |
| Meta Ads | | | ✔️ |
| TikTok | | | ✔️ |
| | ✔️ | |
| Klaviyo | | | ✔️ |
| Segment | | | ✔️ |
| Attentive | | | ✔️ |
