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Install the Meta Pixel and TikTok Pixel on Shopify, Check They Report Purchases, and Tag Your Links With UTMs

Vincent Fredet··Updated on September 18, 2026·6 min read

You can have the best ad in the world, if the platform can't see the purchases it generates, it optimises blind. It looks for people who click, not people who buy. And you don't know which ad to keep and which to cut.

The pixel is the foundation of every campaign. It takes twenty minutes to install, provided you do it properly.

What a pixel does

At each key step, the pixel sends a signal to the platform:

Event What happened
View content The visitor opened a product page
Add to cart They added a product
Initiate checkout They started checkout
Purchase They paid, with the amount and currency

The platform links these signals to the people who saw your ad. It then knows which ads bring buyers, and shows yours to similar profiles.

Today, some browser signals get lost (blockers, browser restrictions). That's why the official apps also send events straight from Shopify's server: at Meta it's called the Conversions API, at TikTok the Events API.

Install the Meta pixel

  1. In the Shopify App Store, install the Facebook & Instagram app, published by Meta. It's free; ads are billed to your Meta ad account.
  2. Connect your Facebook account, then choose or create your Business Manager, Facebook page, ad account and pixel (also called a dataset).
  3. In the data sharing settings, pick the most complete level offered, the one that adds server-side sending to the browser pixel.
  4. If you want to sell on Facebook and Instagram, the app also syncs your catalogue. You can use it later for catalogue ads.

Install the TikTok pixel

  1. In the Shopify App Store, install the TikTok app. It's free; ads are billed to your TikTok ad account.
  2. Connect or create your TikTok for Business account, then your ad account.
  3. Create or select your TikTok pixel, and turn on the most complete data sharing offered, with the Events API.
  4. Sync your catalogue if you plan to use product formats.

The duplicate trap

If an old pixel was pasted into your theme by hand, or installed by another app, your purchases may be counted twice. Your campaign will look twice as profitable as it is, and you'll raise your budget on false numbers.

Before installing the official apps:

  • Under Settings > Customer events, look at the list of pixels already there.
  • Ask yourself whether old pixel code was added to your theme, and remove it.
  • Use only one method per platform: the official app.

Check that everything comes through

An installed app isn't a working pixel. Always check with a real test order (in Shopify Payments test mode, see set up shipping and payments).

At Meta, open Events Manager, select your pixel, and use the Test events tab. Browse your store: each step should appear, and the purchase should arrive once, with the right amount and currency. The Meta Pixel Helper Chrome extension also helps see what fires on each page.

At TikTok, in TikTok Ads Manager's Events Manager, open your pixel and use the event testing tool the same way. The TikTok Pixel Helper extension plays the same role as Meta's.

What you check, for each platform:

  • The four events appear at the right steps.
  • The purchase arrives once, not twice.
  • The amount matches your order, in the right currency.

In Europe, your visitor must be able to accept or refuse advertising cookies. Shopify offers a cookie banner under Settings > Customer privacy. The official apps respect that choice: a visitor who refuses doesn't send the same signals, and it's normal for your ad numbers to be a little below your real orders.

UTMs: know where your sales come from

Each platform credits sales its own way, with its own rules. If you add up what Meta, TikTok and Google report, you'll often find more sales than you actually made. To get your own version, add UTM parameters to your ad links. Shopify reads them and shows you where your visits and orders come from.

Parameter What it says Example
utm_source The platform facebook, tiktok, google
utm_medium The traffic type paid_social, cpc, email
utm_campaign The campaign stand_launch
utm_content The creative or version problem_video_v2

Three rules: all lowercase, always the same names, and never personal data (email, name) in a URL.

In Meta and TikTok, you add these parameters in the URL parameters field, at ad level.

What's next

Your pixel is installed and checked. You can launch your first Meta Ads campaign or your first TikTok campaign knowing every sale will be counted.

No store yet? You can generate it with Scale Ova from your product, look at it and change it for free, and only pay when you publish it on Shopify.

FAQ

How do I install the Facebook pixel on Shopify?
With Meta's official Facebook & Instagram app, from the Shopify App Store. Connect your account, choose your ad account and pixel, then turn on the most complete data sharing. Don't add code by hand.
How do I know if my pixel works?
Place a test order and look at the test events tool in Meta's or TikTok's Events Manager. Each step should appear, and the purchase once with the right amount.
Why does Meta count more sales than Shopify?
Because each platform credits sales with its own rules, and the same order can be claimed by several platforms. A pixel installed twice can also count each purchase twice. Shopify remains your reference for real orders.
What is the Conversions API?
It's sending events from Shopify's server straight to Meta, on top of the browser pixel. It recovers some of the signals lost to blockers. The official app turns it on for you.

Sources

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