Meta ads cart events tracking

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Topic summary

A user is experiencing tracking issues where Meta pixel events fire correctly through “Add to Cart,” but “Initiate Checkout” and “Purchase” events fail to reach Google Analytics and Shopify. These events occur within Shopify’s cart and are only being received by Meta through the Facebook & Instagram plugin.

Root causes identified:

  • Ad blockers and browser privacy settings blocking cookies
  • Browser-based script limitations in GA4
  • Shopify checkout restrictions
  • Technical bugs in the Facebook & Instagram app

Proposed solutions:

  1. Server-side tracking with Conversions API - Recommended apps include Facebook Pixels by AdNabu and NestAds, which bypass browser limitations by capturing events from Shopify’s backend
  2. Google Tag Manager (GTM) configuration - Setting up GTM scripts on custom pixels to properly track all conversion events

The original poster indicated they would test the GTM approach. The discussion remains open with follow-up questions about implementation success.

Summarized with AI on October 24. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hi everyone,

I’m running into a tracking issue I hope someone can help with.

Meta ads pixels are working properly.

Meta ads events are being passed all the way to add to cart to Google analytics. “Initiated check-out” and “Purchase” events are not being passed on to Google analytics or Shopify.

Those events only happen inside the Shopify cart. Cart events are being passed trough the Facebook & Instagram plug-in and Meta is receiving them.

Why isn’t Shopify and Google analytics not receiving those events?

Thanks in advance!

1 Like
2

you should note that this is a common error. i checked some other threads as well and users have faced this issue where the add to cart event is firing properly, but other events such as ‘initiate checkout’ and ‘purchase’ aren’t.

first, please note that many times, issues also happen because of the facebook and instagram app. many users have complained about tracking issues with the app even in the past.

second, these issues related to GA4 tracking mostly happen because GA4’s tracking depend a lot on browser-based scripts.

when browser-based scripts are being used, your tracking can get affected due to:

  1. Ad blockers
  2. Browser privacy settings that block cookies and user consent
  3. Shopify’s checkout limitations

as per my research, one solution to this issue can be server-side tracking with the Conversions API.

i will suggest you to try an app like Facebook pixels by AdNabu. it supports server-side tracking. moreover, using the app, you can track multiple events such as purchase, add to cart, begin checkout, view cart, search, view content, and add payment. and the app also has a shopify-embedded marketing analytics dashboard where you will get to see all tracking data with ease.

1 Like
3

Could I track it with GTM then?

4

you will get all the detailed analytics for all events in Meta Events Manager and with a Shopify dashboard. you can skip the hassle of tracking via GTM.

5

Hi,

Thanks for your queries.

To better observation, could you please share your website URL? I’d be happy to review it.

If you are using facebook and Instagram app to track the events for pixel then it could be technical bug. As you are not getting the checkout and purchase event you would need to configure GTM script on custom pixel.

To fix the meta pixel issue to track the all conversion events you would need to configure GTM script on custom pixel and configure the tracking via Google Tag manager GTM.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

Thanks

shopify GTM script.png
shopify GTM script.png1339×805 87 KB

Meta pixel and CAPI tags
Meta pixel and CAPI tags1885×819 109 KB

1 Like
6

I see, this way I can pass on all conversion info to GA, I’ll test it out thank you

7

Hey gui_terzoni,

Any success? i would love to hear if you are able to fix the issue.

Thanks

8

Hi @Gui_terzoni, the problem is that your events are getting lost due to iOS updates, browser restrictions, and ad blockers preventing proper pixel firing during checkout. Plus different platforms expect events to be structured differently, so even when they do fire, they don’t always make it through properly.

NestAds can fix this with server-side tracking that bypasses all the browser limitations. Instead of relying on client-side pixels that get blocked, it captures events directly from Shopify’s backend and sends them to all your platforms - GA, Meta, Shopify, everything.

The server-side approach means no more missing checkout or purchase data, regardless of ad blockers or privacy settings. Setup is straightforward and you’ll finally get consistent tracking across your entire funnel.

Worth checking out if you’re tired of incomplete conversion data!