Read Time 18 mins | Written by: Attribuly
If your e-commerce business wants to succeed, then look for tools that make it possible to work better. Facebook conversion API allows a customer to share customer web events with Shopify and Facebook to improve the effectiveness of their marketing plan. Facebook Pixels are becoming less effective because of privacy policies & IOS14.5. It collects information by way of a cookie in the browser of the user, unlike the Facebook conversion API from Shopify that relies on the server-side tracking. How do we deal with it? You can easily get confused. That is our reason!
What is Shopify facebook pixel?
Shopify Facebook Pixel is a powerful marketing tool that helps e-commerce businesses track, measure and optimize their advertising campaigns. It uses an embedded code within the Shopify online store to collect data about your visitors’ actions on your site. This data can then be used to create more targeted ads and better understand how customers interact with your store. With Shopify Facebook Pixel, you can also create custom audiences for retargeting ads or set up conversion tracking to see which products are most popular among customers. By utilizing this powerful marketing tool, you will have access to valuable customer attribution insights that will help you refine your strategies in order to maximize ROI from each of your campaigns.
As one of most popular marketing channel, Shopify facebook pixel is widely deployed. Shopify builds a simple way to install Facebook pixel. But now, the FB pixel can't work properly, so here comes Facebook conversion API.
Why we need Facebook conversion API?
Privacy-focused browsers and ad blockers technologies are creating a tricky situation for Shopify brands trying to collect customer data. Because the browsers will block facebook pixel.It's hard now to have a identity resolution. So you may find your conversion data in Facebook ads manager is not accurate.
You will start to feel the impact of your campaigns with inaccurate conversion data which is not good for optimization.
Impact of iOS14 tracking restrictions On Shopify Store
With the introduction of iOS14.5, Store owners will now need to obtain explicit permission from their customers before collecting any data for advertising purposes. This has caused a significant change in the way Shopify stores are able to track and measure performance, as well as its effects on Facebook Ads campaigns.
To help store owners remain compliant with Apple’s privacy policy, you'll need to set up Facebook Conversion API for all events tracking. This method is more secure and reliable than using client-side (browser-side)pixels because it relies on server-side tracking instead of browser-based tracking which can be blocked or disabled by users. Setting up this tool correctly can help ensure that your store’s data is properly tracked and reported to Facebook Ads Manager so you can continue to measure and optimize the performance of your campaigns.
What is Facebook Conversions API? Also Known as “CAPI”
The Conversions API enables you to connect key events from your server to Facebook. With a recent update to iOS 15, CAPI also became a Facebook solution addressing data security threats.
CAPI or Server-Side API (SSAPI) was implemented in response to changes in how email and web-based marketing receive and process information about conversion. It provides a secure way for Shopify stores to send conversions and in-app events data directly to Facebook Ads Manager from their servers. This ensures that any data passed on is accurate, valid, and up-to-date, eliminating the need for manual tracking or pixel implementation.
Conversion API consists of the creation and use of an API which provides a direct and reliable connection between the data of the marketing system.
Is Facebook conversion API better than Facebook pixel?
Almost all Shopify stores advertise in Facebook based advertisements. Facebook's conversion API serves the exact same purpose as Facebook Pixels, though it works totally differently. Facebook pixel tracking uses the client-side and FB CAPI uses servers. Facebook CAPI allows: Track events of websites and gather the user information from their names and last names, etc. Creating audiences or groups of audiences from data is possible. Facebook encourages both browser and server monitoring.
Conversion API, Server-side API is similar to facebook pixel but is much greater because you share data server-side with the server directly with you. These conversion tracking methods are more flexible due to their use of pixels and can also capture the interaction of the web site.
What's the benefit for implementing Facebook conversion API?
Good quality data has direct impact to your ads performance. Facebook conversion API can help drive better ROI from ads since it provides accurate, up-to-date information on user activity and behaviour that helps Facebook's machine learning to find target audiences faster.
By leveraging the powerful combination of Facebook Conversions API and Pixel, Patpat was able to reduce their cost-per-acquisition by a stunning 34%. This global family apparel brand has seen its campaigns become more efficient and effective since implementing this strategy.
Meng HU, CTO of Patpat said: “Using the Conversions API has strengthened the performance of our Facebook Ads campaigns by tracking the account's performance more accurately. This has helped the Facebook algorithm find better traffic and generate incremental purchases at an improved cost per acquisition. Additionally, the Conversions API has produced more conversion data that enabled our digital team to make better budget decisions.”
Overall, Facebook conversion API offers a secure and reliable way to track conversion data, helping Shopify stores remain compliant with Apple’s privacy policies while still optimizing their ad campaigns for better ROI. With accurate tracking data, you can make the most out of your marketing efforts by optimizing and scaling up ads
How to improve Facebook advantage+shopping campaign with Facebook CAPI?
Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns, one of Meta's Advantage+ products, utilizes machine learning to help you access valuable customers quickly and cost-effectively. It is ideal for performance-focused marketers who wish to drive online sales with minimal set up time expenditure and maximum efficiency.
The latest technology requires high grade conversion data to feed its AI, but browser based ad blockers, IOS14.5 updates provent facebook pixel to get enough data from browser tracking. Hence Facebook CAPI is a must to maximize ads performance.
What is Facebook conversion API best practice?
1. Use the Conversions API in addition to the Meta Pixel, and share the same events using both tools
This way, you can continue to track conversions that are not shared by browser pixel and vice-versa. It's highly recommended not only share customer purchase events, but also other important events including add to cart and checkout process.
Also, make sure to use the same parameters for each event in both the Conversions API and Pixel events. Finally, make sure to keep your event names consistent with the official Facebook Event names. For example: “AddToCart” should be used instead of “AddedToCart” or “add_to_cart”. These best practices will help ensure data accuracy and consistency in your reporting.
2. Aim high and strive for a Good or Great event match data quality rating in your events manager
Event match quality is your ultimate scorecard since it grades you Poor, Okay, Good, or Great. The higher the rating — the better your chances of matching events to Meta accounts; thus allowing you to observe more conversions as well as reduce costs per result.
3. Increase coverage of customer information parameters.
The more events that have customer information parameters, and the more customer information parameters each event has, the more likely an event will be matched. you may collect more first party data such as customer personal information to help Facebook better identify customers.
4. Share your conversion events in real-time or as close to real time as possible.
Maximize the effectiveness of your ad delivery system with Meta by quickly sharing events. The earlier you share, the more accurately it can predict a person's likelihood to take action after viewing your ad.
How do I set up Facebook conversion API with my Shopify store?
Implement Facebook conversion API can be easy with some shopify app that have built-in shopify integration for both client-side and server-side event.
Let's take Attribuly for example. Since it's also facebook integration, so yoy only need install Attribuly from Shopify appstore or Attribuly website. Then you may directly login from shopify admin and Attribuly is starting collecting customer data from both browser events and server events, to get maximum tracking capability. And you may find a real-time customer conversions at " Live events"
Go to tools-covnersion feed to set up how Attribuly share data directly to Facebook events manager.
Click "Add" to build a new conversion feed to facebook pixel. You may select the critical data sharing events. By default, select maximum event types to be sent. Attribuly not only send purchase event, but also send all the other important events to maximize performance.
Then find your facebook pixel iD and Facebook conversion API token, the video will walk through the process.
Now Attribuly is starting to send data to facebook. It will take upto 48 hours for Facebook to grade the data matchiing quality. Attribuly adopts lot technologies to comply with Facebook best practice, and send the best in class data to identify customers.
Open your events manager from Facebook business manager, you may want to check the event matching status. How the data matchs between facebook pixel and facebook conversion api. There are four data matching levels: poor, okay, good and great. The higher the rating — the better your chances of matching events to Meta accounts.
With Attribuly you may mostly get good and great data quality, and result significant sales improvement after one day or two.
What parameters are required by Facebook Conversion API Events
Setting up Facebook’s Conversion API requires the following parameters:
• Event Name: The name of your event, such as “AddToCart”. It is important to note that this parameter must match the official Facebook Event name for accuracy.
• Currency: The currency you wish to track
• Value: The value of the event. Attribuly takes the total price as event value.
• Content Type (optional): The type of content associated with this event. Examples include product, article, video, etc.
• Content ID (optional): A unique identifier for the particular piece of content associated with the event.
• Description (optional): A description or comment about the event.
• Partner Agent (optional): Information about the partner or agent associated with the event, such as an affiliate ID or campaign name.
• Event Attributes: Any additional attributes that you wish to track for the event, such as product category and price range.
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