The select_item Event in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

The select_item event in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is used to track when a user selects a product from a list—typically by clicking on a product in a category, search results, or a teaser.

This makes select_item the companion to the view_item_list event:
view_item_list measures which product lists users see—select_item measures which products from those lists are actually clicked.

→ The view_item_list Event in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Implementation

The best place to trigger select_item is the click on the product tile or product link that leads to the product detail page.

Required fields

For select_item:

• items is required.
• The items array should contain exactly one product for select_item (the one that was clicked).
• Each item should have at least item_id or item_name set (ideally both).

If you implement select_item properly, you can later effectively analyze:

• Which lists actually work (e.g., category vs. “Similar Products”)
• Which positions get clicked (top vs. further down)

dataLayer

window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
window.dataLayer.push({
    event: "select_item",
    item_list_id: "search",
    item_list_name: "Search",
    ecommerce: {
        items: [{
            item_id: "SKU12345",
            item_name: "V-Neck T-Shirt",
            item_category: "T-Shirts",
            item_variant: "Black",
            item_brand: "MyFashion",
            item_list_id: "search",
            item_list_name: "Search",
            index: 3,
            price: 19.90,
            quantity: 1
        }]
    }
});

Common pitfalls

• Not including the list: Without item_list_id/item_list_name, you won’t know later where the click came from (category, search, teaser, etc.).
• Duplicate click events: In SPAs, a click can trigger both link navigation and a separate handler. Make sure select_item is only sent once per click.
• Event lost on page navigation: If the click immediately loads a new page, the event might not be sent in time. In such cases, server-side tracking or a setup with more reliable sending mechanisms (e.g., “beacon”) is often more stable.