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How to set up Facebook Сonversions API for Shopify

Ivanna Holubovska

Ivanna Holubovska

Author
Updated
May 21, 2025
Published
Mar 20, 2023
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Tracking performance in Shopify becomes more difficult every year because of user privacy protections from browsers and ad blockers.

Many store owners see gaps in their data, missed conversions, and low ad efficiency, even when campaigns seem to perform well according to analytics.

In this article, we cover how to avoid these issues, explain why Meta Conversions API (CAPI) matters in 2025, and provide a step-by-step setup summary.

Key benefits of implementing Meta CAPI for Shopify:

  • Boost ad performance: businesses have reported up to a 30% improvement in Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) after integrating the Meta CAPI.
  • Improve event match quality: CAPI sends first-party data (like email or phone) directly from your server, helping Meta better identify users and optimize ads to bring you better results.
  • Recover lost conversions: server-side tracking captures events that browser tracking misses due to ad blockers and privacy restrictions.
  • Simplify setup: the Stape server Google Tag Manager (GTM) app for Shopify makes it easier to connect Meta CAPI without needing advanced tech skills.

How to set up Meta CAPI:

  1. Get started: create a server-side GTM container and install the Stape Server GTM app for Shopify.
  2. Connect Meta: add the Meta CAPI tag inside your server GTM container.
  3. Set the rules: add a trigger to tell the tag when it should send data.
  4. Test everything: use the GTM debugger or Facebook’s test tools to make sure your setup works correctly.

💡 Note: There are other ways to set up Facebook CAPI for Shopify, such as using native Shopify pixel integrations. However, these rely on fixed data flows, offer less flexibility, and don’t give you full control over what data is sent or when. In contrast, server-side tracking with GTM and Stape provides more transparency, better accuracy, and the ability to track exactly what you need, when and how you need it.

Let's dive in!

Set up the Facebook Conversions API for Shopify

Here’s a step-by-step guide about Server-side tagging for Shopify, where you can find more information about the implementation.

3. Send data to the server Google Tag Manager container. There are three most popular ways to do that:

4. Configure Facebook CAPI inside server Google Tag Manager.

Facebook tags by Stape have two behaviors: Inherit from the client and Override. If you select the inherit option, the FB CAPI tag will listen to the event data and try to parse and map all data it can identify and send to the meta. If you select override, then you must manually specify all the parameters. Below are examples of configuring FB CAPI for each of these tag behaviors. 

- Inherit from GA4 client:

We will automatically convert your GA4 events into corresponding Facebook standard events. 

I. Add a Facebook Conversion API Tag to your server GTM container by clicking Add to Workspace.

Facebook Conversion API Tag
Facebook Conversion API Tag

II. Create a new tag and select the tag type Facebook Conversion API Tag.
Select Inherit from client and add:

Facebook Conversion API Tag
Facebook Conversion API Tag

III. Add a trigger. Click triggers →  + in the top right corner →  trigger settings and select a custom trigger →  this trigger will fire on Some Events →  Client Name equals GA4. Click Save.

Client Name equals GA4
Client Name equals GA4

- Override:

I. You’ll need to set up FB events manually.

Use GA4 events to trigger Facebook server events.

Example: an “add_to_cart” event and send value, currency and item_id parameters.

II. In your server container add Meta API tag from the template gallery. Select override in Event Name Setup Method and the event type AddToCart. Fill in your:

Set up FB events manually
Set up FB events manually

III. Fill in the custom data that we decided to pass to Facebook. For these parameters, we will also need to make variables, but now in a server container with the type of variable “event data”.

Fill in the custom data that we decided to pass to Facebook
Fill in the custom data that we decided to pass to Facebook

The trigger should fire when the event name is add_to_cart and the client name equals GA4.

Click Save.

Custom event is triggered with the event name add_to_cart that triggers on the client name equals GA4.
Custom event is triggered with the event name add_to_cart that triggers on the client name equals GA4.

Verifying the setup is complete and correct

1. Open the web and server GTM containers debugger and click through your site. In the server GTM container, you should see events fired by the Facebook Conversions API tag. 

Facebook: verifying the setup is complete and correct
Facebook: verifying the setup is complete and correct

2. You can test this event inside the Facebook testing tool as well.

Facebook: verifying the setup is complete and correct
Facebook: verifying the setup is complete and correct

Final thoughts

Overall, Shopify users have various options when it comes to integrating Facebook’s conversion API. We’ve discussed each possibility thoroughly and explored how to deploy the Facebook conversion API for Shopify using the Stape Server Google Tag Manager app

Take the time to review your business needs and use cases before determining which integration is best for you. Then, whether you choose a manual solution or rely on automation, implementing the Meta Conversions API will give your company additional insights into customer behaviors, help optimize campaigns, and deliver more engaging experiences for your customers. 

To get started quickly and achieve the best results, we recommend trying the Stape server GTM app for Shopify, which provides an easy-to-use implementation option.

author

Ivanna Holubovska

Author

Ivanna is a Lead Content Manager at Stape, a professional writer focused on creating high-quality content about server-side tracking to help businesses optimize their strategies and analytics.

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