Shopify
- 16 Jan 2025
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Shopify
- Updated on 16 Jan 2025
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Compatibility Notice
The Awin App has only been validated with standard Shopify themes. We provide no guarantee that the App will be compatible with other themes.
Supported Tracking Types & Features
Method and feature support notes are based on the latest available app version. If a feature is not present on your shop, please ensure you have updated the Awin Shopify App.
Each of these tracking methods is required for compliance with our Tracking Policy. To review the Awin Tracking Policy, please reach out to your Awin point-of-contact.
✅ Conversion Tag
✅ Fall-back Conversion Pixel
✅ Server-to-Server (S2S)
✅ Deduplication
✅ Auto Validation
✅ Consent Signals
Installation and Configuration
Current Version: 5.0.0
The most efficient way to integrate Awin’s tracking with your site is to use our provided Shopify app, available in the Shopify App Store.
After you’ve installed the App, you’ll need to set your Advertiser ID. If you’re unsure, you should have received this ID from your assigned integrator or you can find it in the Awin UI > Account > Overview.
Stuck? Check out our Shopify Integration video tutorial:
Comprehensive tracking
The Awin app includes our Hybrid tracking solution with its benefits. The app will trigger the tracking tags on order confirmation pages and the tracking tags will include all aspects of tracking, including client-side conversion tags, fallback image pixel, server-to-server tracking, the Shopify web pixel as a fallback tracking method and the Awin Mastertag on all pages.
Since Shopify’s introduction of Checkout Extensibility, third party scripts on the checkout pages are blocked and this affects the Awin tracking from the Shopify app. It does mean however, that affiliate conversions can still be recorded by the server-side tracking and the web pixel fallback tracking method. More information is available on our online documentation.
Tracking Features
Auto Validation is a feature in our latest revision of the Shopify App that allows cancelled transactions in Shopify to be automatically declined in Awin. For orders with partial refunds or returns, these amendments will also be applied.
Under the Awin app settings in Shopify, you can enable auto-validation of transactions and set the returns period (in days). If a customer does not cancel or return an order within this set period, the transaction is approved automatically on the Awin platform.
To enable this feature, please share the myShopify.com URL for your website with your Awin technical point of contact. This URL will need to be whitelisted first.
Once you’ve enabled the feature, please input your return period and save your changes.
The Awin auto-validation period is the time period set whereby pending tracked transactions, that were not approved, amended or declined in any way, will be automatically approved in Awin itself. Note that this will partially be taken over by the Shopify order validation feature. The Shopify order validation feature should therefore be set with a shorter timeframe than the Awin auto-validation, and it is common practice to set the Shopify order validation to the return period, whereas the Awin auto-validation period is usually set to the return period plus an additional 15 days.
For more information, please refer to the Auto Validation article.
The Shopify app utilizes the source query parameter from the landing page URL and passes this value along to the channel parameter of our tracking request for deduplication purposes.
It is important to note that only the source query parameter will be used for deduplication, not the more commonly used utm_source parameter. You should ensure that the source parameter is correctly configured for your program. Your Awin point of contact can assist you with changes to this configuration.
Additionally, the App creates a cookie named _aw_channel to store the value of the source parameter. This value will update accordingly each time the value of this parameter changes in the URL.
If you are configuring other channels, please ensure that they’re reporting to the
sourcequery parameter with the proper value. (e.g. source=email, source=fb, source=na, etc.)
Customer Acquisition information is included in the tracking of the Shopify app, and this is appended to the server-to-server tracking tag, and Shopify’s web pixel. The customer acquisition parameter will tell us whether a customer was a new, or returning customer.
Note that the server-to-server tracking will include a customeracquisition parameter value, whereas the web pixel tracking method might not have this included for the same transaction. This is expected behavior. If for any reason we cannot obtain the order count in Shopify, the customeracquisition parameter value will be empty.
The customer acquisition information in the tracking can eventually be used to set commission rules on Awin’s side, distinguishing between new and returning customers with each their applicable commission rates. Please refer to our commission flexibility guide for further information.
The Awin app for Shopify has been updated to enhance the integration script, ensuring it respects user consent. This update currently applies to web pixel and client-side script tags
The latest version of the app utilizes consent status from consent events, or consent cookies, via the Customer Privacy API to set the Awin Consent Signals consent status accordingly (AWIN.Tracking.AdvertiserConsent). The integration script has been modified to read cookies only when user consent is provided, leveraging Shopify’s consent data to ensure compliance.
All advertisers using the Shopify app will receive the consent update regardless of the Shopify app version.
Whenever the Shopify Customer Privacy API is not used, please also see more information on Consent Framework.
Product Level Tracking (PLT) information is sent via the S2S tracking tag and follows the default format of an Awin PLT dataset:
AW:P|{{advertiserId}}|{{orderReference}}|{{productId}}|{{productName}}|{{productItemPrice}}|{{productQuantity}}|{{productSku}}|{{commissionGroupCode}}|{{productCategory}}productSkuis supported, provided you have set a given product’s SKU field in the Shopify Admin panel. This is optional but may be updated as needed if you would like the data to be available in our Product Reporting. When not included, this field will remain empty in tracking.productCategoryis currently not supported and excluded from PLT within the App.
Product Feed
We are currently in the process of developing the Product Feed feature for the Awin Shopify App to offer a seamless integration experience. While this feature is being built, you can use the third-party tool as an alternative. For setup instructions, please refer to this documentation.
Testing your Tracking
Please see our article on testing your Integration for further instruction.
FAQ
I am getting an error when trying to add my Advertiser ID.
This error seems to occur most commonly in Google Chrome.
Please configure the App in an Incognito window or clear your cache before installation.
How does Checkout Extensibility affect tracking?
Please review our Advertiser Success Center article for more information.
I am seeing “critical issues” and warnings in the Tracking Diagnosis tool on my Awin dashboard.
The critical issues and warnings under the Tracking Diagnosis tool may be related to Shopify’s Checkout Extensibility.
Shopify's Checkout Extensibility has introduced some changes that affect how tracking tags, including the Awin Mastertag, function during the checkout process. With Checkout Extensibility, Shopify has sandboxed the checkout process, which means third-party JavaScript, like the Awin Mastertag, can no longer be added directly to checkout pages. This sandboxing limits how tracking pixels work during the checkout process, blocking client-side tracking tags and preventing the Awin Mastertag from sending conversion tag callbacks.
However, Awin uses alternative methods for tracking, which means that tracking performance remains unaffected by the Shopify changes. Awin's Shopify App remains functional due to its Hybrid Tracking approach, which includes fallback solutions and Server-Side tracking.
Please also see What you need to know regarding Shopify's Checkout Extensibility update for more information regarding Awin tracking and Shopify’s Checkout Extensibility.
I don’t see the right order reference values in Awin.
Shopify manages order identification using different identifies. Each has a different format and is designed for specific purposes. The following article explains each of these and why is it normal to see differing identifiers in your Awin UI and in Shopify reporting: Why do I see different order references in my Shopify reporting?
I have concerns over GDPR and use a Cookie Consent tool.
Unless properly configured, Awin’s cookies will be blocked by default. You will need to ensure that our cookies are exempt from blocking by the app/plugin in use.
Add the following cookies to your exempt list: awXXXXX, _aw_m_XXXXX and _aw_sn_XXXXX. Please be sure to replace all “XXXXX” with your Advertiser ID. You can review our full list of cookies here.
My website is sending duplicate orders with different sale amounts.
This is often the result of having both our App installed and the Custom Script.
Please reach out to your Awin technical point of contact for guidance on how to resolve this.
I’m using Recharge for recurring sale, is tracking possible?
Older versions of Recharge use a separate checkout domain, therefore our cookies and tracking scripts will not work. To resolve this, you will need support from Recharge’s technical team.
Please raise a ticket with Recharge Support. Request edit permission of “JavaScript on page 1.” Once granted this access, follow the instructions in the attached PDF at the bottom of the page.
You will also need Admin Access to your Shopify backend and permission to edit themes. Please consult with your Awin contact for guidance during this process.
How do I retrieve my Product Feed?
We recommend retrieving your Product Feed based on the guidance offered in our Shopify Product Feed Guide.
Alternatively, for shops with few items, you can retrieve your Atom Feed. To access this Feed’s URL, type in this URL:
yourstorename.com/collections/all.atom
When the page loads, you will have the option to save this file. Change the file extension from .atom to .XML and share with your Awin technical contact.
I am seeing an Awin AWC reference number under “Additional Details” in my order’s notes.
Shopify Admins may see the Awin information on the cart note attributes in the order’s “additional details”. This is a standard behavior on Shopify’s end to show all note attributes that have been recorded for a given cart.
This only means that an AWC value has been saved with the cart for Server-to-Server tracking purposes. This value, however, does not mean the transaction is a validated Awin transaction. This can unfortunately not be changed, due to the tracking functionality of the Awin app on Shopify.
I am using Chargebee for recurring transactions, is tracking possible?
In this case, we cannot integrate via the Shopify App. You’ll need to follow ChargeBee’s guidance on a GTM integration and add Awin tracking manually to this page via our GTM Integration Guide.
I cannot see gift cards reflected in the tracking.
Currently with the Shopify app, only discounts of type DISCOUNT_CODE are tracked. Discounts of types AUTOMATIC, MANUAL, and SCRIPT are not tracked, as is the case with gift cards. Please see Discounts for Shopify’s official documentation on the types of discounts.
Can the Awin app still be used for headless Shopify websites?
Single Page Applications (SPAs) can decouple the website content pages from the checkout sections, and in that way fully customise the websites with a headless Shopify setup. The tracking from the Awin app might therefore be different than expected in these scenarios, and often this means that the usage of the Awin app for Shopify requires additional configuration, or the implementation of the tracking tags will need to be done in an alternative way altogether. For more guidance, please reach out to your Awin technical point of contact.
Recharge App Solution PDF
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