Server-side GTM app for BigCommerce

If you are looking for an easy way to set up Google Tag Manager (GTM) tracking for your BigCommerce website, you are in the right place. Stape’s app for BigCommerce will help to achieve this goal.

The app has additional features that enhance the tracking process and will be especially beneficial for server-side tracking. These features include accurate data tracking, bypassing ad blockers and browser restrictions, high website security, and fast website page loading.

In this article, we will consider the benefits of the BigCommerce app in detail and show how to set up an app for your website so you can start using all the features immediately.

Benefits of GTM app for BigCommerce

The Stape BigCommerce app can be used by both client-side and server-side GTM users. For client-side users, an app makes it easier to add a GTM script to a BigCommerce website, and you won’t even need the help of developers.

However, there are some limitations for those who use web GTM. Server-side tracking itself enhances the data-tracking process by providing the following benefits:

• Precise data tracking. Server-side tracking provides higher data quality as it reduces the risk of data loss caused by ad blockers and browser restrictions - all the factors that client-side tracking is exposed to.
• Faster website load. Server-side tracking doesn’t require additional code to be added to the website, as web GTM does. Without additional code, the website will load faster. This will improve user experience and SEO.
• Higher data security. It lowers the risk of data breaches, which is essential for stores that require a lot of vulnerable data (such as card details).
• More accurate conversion attribution. Server tracking will prolong cookies' lifetime, helping to identify the channel conversion that came from more accurately. This is an extremely helpful feature for estimating the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

Why choose Stape server-side tracking for BigCommerce app

BigCommerce app can be used on any hosting for server GTM. However, such features as Custom Loader (it eliminates the harmful impact of ad blockers) and Cookie Keeper (it prolongs cookies' lifetime, bypassing browsers’ restrictions) are available only for those who host server GTM on Stape.

Hosting on Stape is cheaper and easier than on a popular platform like Google Cloud Platform (GCP). You can read more in our post on the difference between Stape and GCP in the blog. Start with a free Stape plan and then choose one that fits your business’s needs. The paid plans start at only $20/month, while with GCP, you will spend at least $120/month.

When you run out of resources (CPU, RAM), you won’t need to take any action, we will add them automatically to sGTM account.

How to set up BigCommerce app for server GTM

1. Set up server GTM container.

2. Install BigCommerce app. Click Get this app → log in to your BigCommerce account → Install.

3. Then, you need to complete the settings parameters in three tabs: General, Data Layer, and Webhooks.

3.1 General tab

Here, you need to add the following data:

• GTM Web container ID - add the ID of Web container in the format GTM-XXXXXXX. You can find it in your GTM account in the tab “Accounts”. Click “Insert GTM snippet” to automatically add the snippet with JavaScript code to every page on your website.
• Custom domain - use your subdomain created for first-party cookies for the most precise tracking.

• Custom loader - this feature will help increase protection against ad blockers, resulting in better data quality. Add in the field Stape container identifier. Check this quick guide to find your container identifier.

• Cookie keeper - it helps prolong the cookies' lifetime by bypassing the browsers’ restrictions. 

After setting all the necessary fields, click “Save”.

3.2 Data Layer tab

Here you can find a list of events and their payload, which is added via the App for BigCommerce.

In this tab, you can add two points to the settings:

• Add ecommerce Data Layer events - it will add standard Data Layer, based on them you can configure tracking in GTM container.
• Add user data to Data Layer events - with this feature, events will include user data. You can configure the data you want to collect from your website visitors in the GTM container.

Click “Save”.

3.3 Webhooks tab

The webhooks feature will be handy if you want to track events outside your website, such as sales made by phone or in offline stores. You just add or update information on a user in CRM or CMS, and the webhook sends data in GTM.

To activate a webhook, you need to choose the type of webhook, “Purchase” or “Refund” (or both), and then you can click on “Send webhooks to server GTM container”. Then, add your GTM server container URL (the path where the webhook will be sent).

Click “Save”.

Note: If you encounter problems setting webhooks, see our blog post on debugging incoming webhooks in GTM server preview.

4. Make sure that your container is uploaded to the website.

To check this, go to your website, on any page, open the console of your browser → network tab  → enter container ID without “GTM-” part. If you see a request with the status 200, everything works, and the container is set on your website.

Once a server GTM container is added to your BigCommerce website, you can start setting up server-side tracking for the platforms you use. We have the GTM templates and installation instructions for the most popular ones:

• Google Analytics 4
• Data Tag/Data Client
• Facebook
• Google Ads
• Snapchat

Conclusion

Server-side tracking provides numerous benefits for data tracking, making the data you get more accurate. Stape aims to simplify users' experience with sGTM, so we created the BigCommerce app.

With our app, you can configure a custom loader and cookie keeper that help bypass ad blockers and browser restrictions for more accurate data collection. You can also set up webhooks to track conversions outside your website.

If you are looking for a quick and easy solution to set up server-side tracking for your BigCommerce website, Stape’s app is the right option for you.