Google Analytics not working with Hosted Payment Page CC method

[Dennis11]

We have a hosted payment page with the National Australia Bank so all CC transactions happen on the NAB site- therefore ensuring that customers' CC numbers are never on our site. This is for security.
At the end of the payment process the NAB sends details of the transaction to our site so that an order is generated in our admin. The customer is then offered the chance to click a link to return to our site after the payment is made. If the customer chooses to click this link then they are returned to the “success page” in our admin. When this happens the statistics of the sale are sent to Google Analytics and the sale is recorded there.
But- if the customer does not click the link to go back to our site after they have paid they will not end up on the “success page” and no info will be recorded for that sale in GA.

We want to start running a Google Adwords campaign, so full GA stats are important to us more than ever.

The info from NAB regarding this is:
Two methods exist to remotely update your system following an approved transaction: return_link_url and reply_link_url:
• The return_link_url is the visible clickable hyperlink on the top and bottom of the transaction receipt screen that the customer
sees in the event of an approved transaction. The customer must click on the URL for the remote service to receive data.
• The reply_link_url is a server-side request from the NAB Transact payment server to a web service within the client’s web site
or hosting environment. It is triggered automatically at the time the receipt page is displayed to the customer.

We have both of these set up at present (which they say is correct)

I have spoken to NAB and they don’t have any ideas. The guy that’s doing our work now says the only option he can think of is to change the whole payment system to the API type (where the CC info is sent to NAB in encrypted form from our server. Perhaps a little less secure and also it is going to be quite a job to swap over on the 2 sites we have set up like this now.

Does anyone have any ideas for how we can get GA working with a hosted page payment system?
Thanks in advance,
Dennis

[twitchtoo]

So assuming someone orders, pays and doesn't come back to your site... how do you know they paid? You manually check the hosted checkout account?

[Dennis11]

No- the order is created in the "admin" section of Zencart (and also we get the details of the order in an email from the bank), but GA seems to rely on the customer being on the post-order "success" page to receive the stats. This is the page that the customer may (or may not) click back to after the payment is made on the bank's page.

[lhungil]

We have a hosted payment page with the National Australia Bank so all CC transactions happen on the NAB site- therefore ensuring that customers' CC numbers are never on our site. This is for security. ...

Does NAB not offer the feature to automatically return the customer to your site? You may want to ask them why they do not...

Of course if your payment gateway does not have such a feature (do not see why after finalizing payment a customer should NOT be returned to the site they just bought stuff from) capturing post sales information via Google Analytics becomes more complicated...

Some Options:

• Use one of the Sales Reporting packages within Zen Cart. These works very well - and allow reporting based upon order status + date.
• Write some code to send the appropriate data directly to Google Analytics at the end of the NAB transaction (reply_link_url). Basically you send an appropriately formatted cookie in a request to the Google Analytics beacon image. There are a few projects in the wild with more information and code.
• Use an API to send analytic data (may require a different analytic collection / reporting system).
• Switch to using a Payment API. This keeps the customer on your site (including after the order). Much easier for the customer as they can continue shopping, easily send you a followup email, or view their invoice right away on the site. The downside is your hosting provider needs to ensure there servers are properly secured against hacking / malware (and if you need to be PCI compliant, all the requirements are met).
• Export analytic data from whatever accounting software / systems are in use.

[Dennis11]

Thanks for the suggestions.
I think we are going to go with "Switch to using a Payment API".
It seems that the bank wants people to stay on their site to review the transaction just made with them. I can see the point but sadly if one wants the extra security of a hosted payment page (which must be better for them) then it is not possible to have an accurate GA. Frustrating.
Thanks again.
Dennis