Shopify

1Role / Purpose

Shopify is the source of all e-commerce data. The store emits the user events that the rest of the stack (Addingwell, GTM, sGTM) collects and distributes.

• Source of e-commerce events (page_view, add_to_cart, purchase, …)
• Proprietary checkout with the Custom Pixel API
• Shopify Privacy API for pixel consent control
• Markets for multi-currency and multi-language
• Customer Events for web pixels and custom pixels

2Store Architecture

Stack layers on Shopify

Shopify Store
├── Theme (Storefront)
│   └── Public pages (home, collection, product, cart)
│
├── Checkout (isolated iframe)
│   └── Extensible through Custom Pixels
│
├── Customer Events (Settings)
│   ├── Web Pixels (JS sandbox)
│   └── Custom Pixels (arbitrary code)
│
├── Installed apps
│   ├── Addingwell (DataLayer + GTM + sGTM)
│   ├── Cookiebot (CMP via GTM)
│   └── Klaviyo (Shopify-native)
│
└── Privacy API
  └── Consent management for pixels

Key points

• The theme plays no part in tracking (no custom Liquid code)
• The checkout is isolated: only Custom Pixels reach it
• Addingwell handles the whole DataLayer and GTM layer automatically
• The Privacy API governs Shopify web/custom pixels only

3Pre-install Cleanup

Before installing the tracking stack you must clean up whatever is already there. Two tracking systems running in parallel means duplicate events, which means corrupted data.

Apps to remove

Where to check

1. 1Shopify Admin > Settings > Apps and sales channels: uninstall the tracking apps listed above
2. 2Shopify Admin > Settings > Customer events (custom pixels): delete the old custom pixels
3. 3theme.liquid — find and remove fbq('init', …), gtag('config', …) and any hand-injected tracking script

Disable Shopify's native privacy features

Go to Shopify Admin > Settings > Customer privacy:

4DataLayer Events

The DataLayer is generated automatically by Addingwell. No custom code is needed in the theme.

Events per page

5Checkout Extensibility

The Shopify checkout is an isolated iframe. Theme JavaScript cannot reach it directly. Shopify offers two mechanisms for checkout tracking:

Addingwell Custom Pixel

Addingwell uses a Custom Pixel to capture begin_checkout and purchase inside the checkout, then pushes them to the GTM DataLayer.

Checkout sandbox — testing limitation

6Web Pixels vs Custom Pixels

7Shopify Privacy API

Role

The Shopify Customer Privacy API decides which web pixels and custom pixels are allowed to fire. It is kept in sync with Cookiebot through the bridge.

Consent flow

Cookiebot (CMP in GTM)
      ↓
Bridge cookie-consent_boostecom.liquid
      ↓
Shopify.customerPrivacy.setTrackingConsent({
marketing: true/false
})
      ↓
Web pixels fire / blocked

What the Privacy API governs

8Markets & Multi-currency

Shopify Markets handles multi-currency and multi-language. Tracking must support conversions in the local currency.

Impact on tracking

• Addingwell includes the currency in every e-commerce event
• Values (value, price) are in the visitor's local currency
• GA4 supports multi-currency natively
• Meta CAPI receives the correct currency through the sGTM
• No extra configuration needed

9Configuration

Prerequisites

• Active Shopify store (Basic plan or above)
• Admin access with the Apps and Customer Events permissions
• Custom domain configured
• Pre-install cleanup done (see section 3)

Apps to install

1. 1Addingwell — GA4 DataLayer, GTM injection, adblocker bypass, cookie restore
2. 2Cookiebot — GDPR CMP (consent banner, configured through GTM)

Addingwell features to enable

Checkout Custom Pixel

1. 1Go to Shopify Admin > Settings > Customer Events
2. 2Add custom pixel > paste the code Addingwell provides
3. 3Permission: "Not required" (not "Required"), consent is handled by GTM, not the Privacy API

sGTM server

1. 1Create the server in Addingwell
2. 2Configure the custom domain (e.g. tags.my-store.com)
3. 3Recommended region: Europe multi-region
4. 4DNS: the CNAME provided by Addingwell > Server > Custom Domain

Post-install checks

1. 1Addingwell connected and active in the dashboard
2. 2Addingwell Custom Pixel present under Settings → Customer Events
3. 3Custom Pixel permission = "Not required"
4. 4Shopify native banner disabled (Settings → Customer Privacy)
5. 5Consent bridge present in theme.liquid (cookie-consent_boostecom.liquid)
6. 6DataLayer Monitor custom pixel installed under Customer Events
7. 7sGTM custom domain answers with status 200

10Verification

Verify the DataLayer

1. 1Open the browser console on the store
2. 2Type dataLayer and check the events are there
3. 3Browse: home → collection → product → cart
4. 4Check page_view, view_item_list, view_item, add_to_cart, view_cart
5. 5Complete a test checkout → check begin_checkout and purchase

Verify the Custom Pixels

1. 1Shopify Admin → Settings → Customer Events
2. 2Check the Addingwell Custom Pixel is present and active
3. 3Check the permission reads "Not required"
4. 4Check the DataLayer Monitor is present and active
5. 5No other conflicting custom pixel

Verify the Privacy API

1. 1Browser console → Shopify.customerPrivacy.getTrackingConsent()
2. 2Before consent: marketing = "no_interaction"
3. 3After accepting in Cookiebot: marketing = "yes"
4. 4After declining in Cookiebot: marketing = "no"

Pre-consent test (private window)

1. 1Open the site in a private window
2. 2Click "Deny all" in the Cookiebot banner
3. 3GTM Preview: check that only Necessary tags fire
4. 4Network: no request to GA4, Meta or Google Ads

Post-consent test

1. 1Open the site in a private window
2. 2Click "Accept all" in the banner
3. 3GTM Preview: analytics and marketing tags must fire
4. 4GA4 DebugView: events visible in real time

Purchase test — test order

Place a test order, then run this in the console:

dataLayer.filter(e => e.event === 'purchase')

• transaction_id unique (no duplicates)
• value correct (total price including tax and shipping)
• currency valid (ISO 4217, e.g. EUR, USD)
• items array complete, with every product

Final cleanup

Once the stack is verified, confirm that nothing left behind can interfere:

• "Facebook & Instagram" app removed (native Meta pixel)
• "Google & YouTube" app removed (native Google tracking)
• Old tracking apps removed (Trackify, Pixel Perfect, Elevar, …)
• No manual tracking script left in the theme (liquid)
• Shopify cookie banner + opt-out page disabled (no region checked)

11Troubleshooting