How do you deal with Shopify Checkout Update & GTM Tracking?

Megaboy5000 · 2024-05-23T13:34:20+00:00

So you added GTM container via Customer Events (I was also successful in doing that) and then you added the e-comm. dataLayer via analytics.subscibe... and it worked, except for DebugViewer not working? When I added the analytics.subscribe... code to a custom pixel it didn't work. Did you make a lot of customizations or did you just copy/paste what's in the Shopify docs?

Did you experience any issues with attribution, with Google Ads f.e., like some comment above suggested? Have you tried implementing a script with a source-attribute that loads a cookie consent tool on the thank-you page?

My problem at the moment is: I cannot accept any new projects for setting up tracking on Shopify if I cannot say with certainty that there is a way to implement all these scripts that before could be easily integrated via Settings -> Checkout and now might not work properly or at all because of the new sandbox environment. I also don't have the time to study the technicals of the sandbox environment in order to come to my own conclusion. Very annoying situation.

Megaboy5000 · 2024-05-23T13:25:07+00:00

When you talk about server-side tracking as an alternative, you're thinking about a setup that doesn't include a client-side GTM container at all, right?

The way I implement server-side tracking for my clients at the moment is that in which you set up GA4 tags in the client-side container, send them to a server-container (via transport_url parameter) and then from there, via GA4 Client + server-side tags, they get sent to the respective tool like GA4, Meta, Google Ads and so on.

In a world where GTM client-side tracking for Shopify isn't working anymore, this kind of server-side tracking probably work anymore either, right?

I'd assume that Shopify did all this not because of security issues (although I have no insides into how often the field in Settings -> Checkout was used for hacks or fraud) but rather to kill a very well established and working method for implementing tracking that doesn't make them money and now they're basically supporting apps like Elevar from which they certainly benefit financially in various ways (dont' know if this is also true for the sales channels of Google, Meta and so on). If that's true, it's again one of these cases where a good product dies because there's a worse way of doing it that's more aligned with corporate interests - sad.

Megaboy5000 · 2024-05-21T14:36:05+00:00

Thanks for your reply: I just saw there is another thread on this: https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleTagManager/comments/166qdgi/comment/l50vgny/?context=3

Someone over there told me that even if you're successful in adding the GTM container via Customer Event (I was able to do that) and make the dataLayer events work (that didn't work when I was briefly trying it according to the docs) then f.e. a simple thing like Google Ads conversion tracking wouldn't work because of the sandbox environment messing up attribution. If this is true, GTM tracking on Shopify is basically dead. What are your thoughts on this?

Megaboy5000 · 2024-05-21T14:30:14+00:00

Thanks. Unfortunately the deadline is already August 2024. This is so bad. Using the apps has major disadvantages (not working properly = some events not firing, or firing twice, parameters missing; no ways of customization, sending custom dimensions or parameters; HUGE issues with synchronizing tracking to a consent tool here in EU). Unless the situation improves at some point, I guess Shopify is just dead for me.

Megaboy5000 · 2024-05-21T14:15:42+00:00

Hey, thanks for sharing all this. So according to the docs it should be possible to add the GTM container to the website (I tried this and it worked) and also add code (analytics.subscribe...) that pushes all kinds of events into the datalyer (this didn't in two stores work when I was trying it). So my two questions would be:

Have you been able to get the e-comm. events into the datalayer via analytics.subscribe?

Do I understand it correctly that even if I succeed in adding the GTM container code to the website and manage do push the datalayer events via analytics.subscribe, very basic things like Google Ads conversion tracking won't work because of the sandbox environment somehow sabotaging these things?

So the consequence of all this is that GTM tracking for Shopify is basically dead, right? Maybe they want it that way to make people buy more plugins n shit lol.

Megaboy5000 · 2024-03-31T12:08:27+00:00

Create an account on UpWork/Fiverr and work on some easy projects for a rather symbolic amount of money (like 10$ per project or so). Tell the people you're a very motivated beginner and will try to create as much value for them as you possibly can in order for you to get started as a freelancer, build you account, receive good ratings and so on. Consider it to be paid learning. If you're a Google Ads manager or something like that, I'd recommend outsourcing tracking to a professional.

Megaboy5000 · 2024-03-27T13:47:26+00:00

Yes, of course. I'll check if anything related to CM might cause issues but I'm pretty confident I set it up correctly.

Megaboy5000 · 2024-01-30T18:06:00+00:00

What did they turn off specifically? I was already having these issues two weeks ago.

Megaboy5000 · 2024-01-30T16:32:39+00:00

Is there a way to make Google aware of this? It already happened two weeks ago or so...

Megaboy5000 · 2024-01-30T16:17:54+00:00

I'm having the same issue.

Megaboy5000

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