Case study: a 90% data accuracy rise for a Dutch lighting company with server-side tracking | Tanu Agency

LEDWINKEL-Online is a Dutch-based challenger player in the lighting sector, offering both intelligent and conventional LED solutions. Their extensive product line caters to residential and commercial environments, encompassing a wide array of designs and functionalities. LEDWINKEL-Online serves an extensive customer base across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France.

In this case study, we will detail how Tanu Agency, a partner of Stape, assisted LEDWINKEL-Online in tackling the crucial issue of accurately tracking conversions and revenue — an essential aspect in the fiercely competitive LED market—through the implementation of server-side tagging.

Problem: inaccurate conversions data

Several key tracking issues were affecting the accuracy of LEDWINKEL-Online’s conversions data:

1. Broken Checkout Tracking: inconsistencies at various steps of the checkout process led to the underreporting of successful transactions.

2. Google Ads Tracking Limitations: Apple's Safari browser, which accounts for roughly 30% of the site’s traffic, restricts cookie lifespan to 24 hours, thereby reducing the accuracy of conversion tracking over longer periods.

3. Ad Blocker Interference: the use of ad blocking software by some users resulted in unrecorded visits and conversions, further distorting the analytics.

4. Cross-Device Purchases: the growing trend of consumers using multiple devices throughout their purchase journeys posed a substantial challenge in tracking conversions across these devices.

LEDWINKEL-Online, being an e-commerce platform reliant on Google Ads and organic traffic, recognized the critical importance of optimizing the user journey leading to conversions.

Initially configured with Shopify's native Google and YouTube app, the platform registered only about 70% of actual transaction data compared to its back-end systems. This discrepancy suggested a significant loss of insights about customer behavior and advertising efficacy, thereby hindering decision-making processes.

Acknowledging these limitations, Tanu Agency proposed that the store owners investigate server-side tagging via Google Tag Manager to secure more comprehensive and precise data.

Solution: Stape products integration

To counter these issues, LEDWINKEL-Online adopted Tanu Agency’s recommendations, which included several advanced approaches:

1. Hybrid server-side tagging: the store continued using its existing web container while incorporating a server-side tracking environment. This dual setup allowed for richer data collection without sacrificing the advantages of traditional web analytics.

2. Custom Loader for Google Tag Manager: to mitigate Safari's cookie policy constraints, the agency enabled Stape’s power-up Custom Loader that prolonged the duration of tracking cookies. Moreover, the Custom Loader was adapted to load different GTM libraries for each domain (ledwinkel-online.nl, ledwinkel-online.be).

3. Meta Conversion API: utilizing the server-side container, the store implemented Meta's Conversion API, which facilitated more reliable tracking of user actions by directly interacting with Facebook’s systems.

4. Enhanced Conversions via DataLayer: this method involved transmitting more detailed conversion data to Google Ads through the DataLayer, thus improving the accuracy of measurable purchases. What’s more, custom DataLayer was created using the new Customer Events feature.

Results: over 90% match between CRM and analytics

By integrating this hybrid server-side tagging approach, significant enhancements in data accuracy were observed.

For instance, the alignment between recorded revenue in Google Analytics 4 and the back-end financial data surged from 70% to over 90% within three months.

There’s also a direct impact on CPA, which decreased by 23% after implementing the server-side tagging setup.

Furthermore, substantial improvements in Facebook (Meta) Events Data were noted. 

The introduction of Meta’s Conversion API via Stape simplified the tracking process and elevated the accuracy rate to over 95%, a stark improvement over the 50% accuracy provided by Shopify's native analytics tool.

Conclusion

LEDWINKEL-Online’s success demonstrates the power of Stape’s server-side tagging solutions in improving data accuracy and performance. With over 90% accuracy in conversion tracking and a 23% reduction in CPA, Stape’s tools helped optimize marketing efforts and drive growth.

For businesses seeking reliable data and better results, Stape offers proven solutions to enhance tracking and maximize success. Start using Stape today to unlock the full potential of server-side tagging.