I’m noticing a mismatch between Purchases in Ads Manager and the actual orders in Shopify.
I know this issue is common, but it’s happening during my testing phase (only 2–3 orders/day), which is concerning. Right now, only about 60% of purchases are tracked, making me hesitant to scale since the data in Ads Manager seems inaccurate.
I already tried reinstalling my Pixel, checking for duplicate events. I also tested events in Events Manager and everything is set up correctly. For example, today I see 5 Purchase events in Events Manager (1 is a sample order), but only 2 purchases in Ads Manager. Because of that, my ROAS looks terrible even though sales are coming in.
Integrations is with Shopify, CAPI and Meta Pixel and I have advanced matching on.
When checking the Purchase event details, I see iOS traffic, so I’m wondering if this is related to iOS tracking limitations and whether I should be concerned.
Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks!
–
And for my heroes that can answer those questions too: When customers click on “Shop Now,” leave the site, and later return to complete a purchase, how can I make sure those sales are properly tracked and attributed in Ads Manager?
Like you said. It’s a common issue. Matching accurate conversion data between platforms is the age old dilemma in ecommerce..
But I think your last question is pretty straightforward. A conversion is based on the current session. So if I click Shop Now, browse around and leave for 5 hours, come back and make a purchase, that original session will have ended and my conversion will be from a different session.
Hey Maximum3, thanks for the quick reply.
Accurate conversion tracking is a key success factor in dropshipping, so I’m trying to understand how this issue can be bypassed. Most advertisers are using Meta Ads, and I find it hard to believe they rely on inaccurate data when spending $10k per day on ads.
It’s not unachievable, it’s just costly. It either costs your time to do all the research and figure out how to set it up and maintain it properly, or your money. With the number of changes in how Pixels work, where you can implement them, and everything else, it’s an ongoing struggle. What worked flawlessly 2 years ago no longer functions. And then there’s the straight up glitches and bugs… Merchants that see accurate results one day and then the next nothing. Bots don’t help either. Bots that come through Meta Ads especially.
If you have money to afford some needed technical help to figure out if there is something wrong with the Meta Pixel, I think you should.
I believe you’re using shopify native app facebook and Instagram app to track conversions.
It is a very common issue that many store owners face, and Facebook support members also admit that this app is not optimized for maximum tracking accuracy.
I had a multiple meeting for my clients with facebook support member. They also failed to provide solution for accuracy using their App.
Their Recommendations:
Facebook support member recommended me to configure facebook pixel and conversion API/server side tracking through google Tag Manager GTM for maximum tracking accuracy.
You can install multiple pixel ID on your website with different integrations
Actions:
Created 2 pixel ID on facebook business manager and rename them with differnet name.
One pixel ID installed with Google Tag Manager GTM
Another on using Facebook and Instagram App
Result:
The result is quite ahead for Google tag manager GTM rather than the App.
Here you can see the result on a specific time period for 2 different websites
Hi @chrisecom, yes, this is a very real issue and what you’re describing actually lines up with how Meta tracking behaves under the hood.
A few important clarifications that usually help people diagnose this correctly:
1. Events Manager is different from Ads Manager (and that’s normal)
Events Manager shows raw events received by Meta. Ads Manager only shows purchases that Meta can attribute to an ad within its attribution window and rules.
So seeing 5 Purchase events in Events Manager but only 2 in Ads Manager doesn’t automatically mean tracking is broken. It means Meta could only confidently link 2 of them back to ads.
2. iOS traffic absolutely plays a role. With iOS users:
Some browser events never fire
Some CAPI events arrive but can’t be attributed
Some purchases happen outside attribution windows
At low volume, this feels dramatic. At higher volume, it smooths out, but during testing I know it’s painful.
3. The “leave → come back later” scenario is a big attribution killer
If someone clicks “Shop Now” then leaves then comes back hours or days later, it often means:
The browser cookie may be gone
The click may fall outside the attribution window
Meta may receive the Purchase event but choose not to credit the ad
This is one of the most common reasons purchases show in Shopify but not Ads Manager.
I hope this helps clarify your confusion. At the moment, I’m not sure how you are currently installing Facebook Pixel and CAPI on your store, and whether all required tracking parameters are being handled correctly, but you can try third-party tracking app, like Zotek to ensure proper technical setup.
If you’re willing to share more details about your setup, I’d be happy to check and support you further.
