Why are we still using Google Tag Manager, when we can use 1-click install apps?

I recently partnered with Sabir Semerkant on his well known Rapid2x program. In one of the workshops, Sabir instructed the class to remove Google Tag Manager.

I fully agree with this decision, from a technical point of view.

This was a very interesting area that most people don’t pay attention to.

While GTM is a useful tool, it’s not easy to set up correctly. The consequences of improper setup are detrimental for many reasons. One of which is your site’s loading speed and overall performance. Look at this 👇️ 

GTM has its useful purposes, but you don’t actually need to use this for conversion tracking.

Strictly relying on website tagging has been an unreliable tracking method for a long time now

Let’s start with breaking down how conversion tracking works:

Traditionally, a conversion is tracked when you add a tag to a specific page. For example, if a customer jumps from checkout page to a post-purchase page, that behavior is tracked via the various tags you add to your site. That would be tracked as a conversion.

If you’re familiar with this common tracking method, you would know that it typically misses 10~20% of conversion events. This is often because of network issues, or people click too fast and didn’t land on the post-purchase page.

Strictly relying on website tagging has been an unreliable tracking method for a long time now.

Shopify’s released new tools that actually work, really really well!

This means, you can actually set up effective tracking solutions yourself.

My two favorite Shopify tools to use are:

• WebPixels — this lets you collect behavioral data from online stores to optimize and analyze your marketing campaign

• Webhooks — this lets you build an app to receive almost-real-time notifications when a specific event takes place on your Shopify store

👆️ Both of these tools 👆️ let you track conversion events without relying on the traditional tagging method.

How can you take advantage of this as an eCommerce brand?

If you’re on a quest to build your own Shopify server-side tracking solution, there is something pretty powerful about combining these two tools I just talked about.

1. Building your own pixel using Shopify WebPixel
   
   How to use it: Track user behaviors, collect analytics data and session data.

   • You need to track user behavior on the storefront

   • You want to integrate with marketing and analytics platforms

   • You need to set cookies or access browser storage

   • You want to personalize the user experience based on behavior

   
   For the developers: Shopify WebPixel is an API that lets developers build their own web pixel extensions — and collect behavioral data from Shopify stores. It uses JavaScript code snippets that run on the Shopify site, and subsequently collects behavioral data known as  customer events.
   
   After building your own web pixel and configuring it to your Shopify site, the pixel then loads on your site. When your customer browses your online site — this will trigger customer events that are published to a Shopify data layer or event bus. At this stage, the pixel subscribes to the events on this data layer, and transforms the event payloads into a format that conforms to the requirements of your pixel’s data collection endpoint.
   

2. Enhancing your own pixel using Shopify Webhooks
   
   How to use it: Process orders, update inventory, and keep your systems in sync.

   • You need to respond to specific events in real-time

   • You want to keep external systems in sync with Shopify data

   • You want to trigger backend processes when specific events occur

   • You need to process orders, inventory changes, or customer updates

   
   For the developers: Shopify Webhooks are a mechanism for receiving almost-real-time data about specific events that took place on your online site. This lets your app subscribe to specific topics, as a way of getting notified when a certain event takes place on your Shopify site.

By using both tools, you will get BOTH client-side tracking and server-side event processing.

This is really all you need to get a complete picture of your Shopify store’s operations.

Big win: These tools are also compatible with customer privacy policies!

The best part here is that these are compatible with the Customer Privacy API. Meaning the tool will ultimately honor the consent signals your customers choose.

For example:

In regions where customers must consent to cookie banners, tracking is only executed only after consent is given.

In regions where tracking is enabled by default and customers can opt out, tracking is executed as events are registered until the user opts out.

Migrating off of Google Tag Manager

I have been helping a lot of brands migrate off of GTM. Honestly, cleaning the mess has made a lot of people feel really good.

GTM comes with a huge tech debt because of loss of context.

Build your own app, or go with a one-click installation app

Thanks to Shopify’s tools, I built Aimerce to give brands an app that can be installed in literally one-click.

Not only is this a better user experience.

It actually comes with a lot of technical benefits, which directly impacts your paid ads and email marketing performance!

Reason #1

One-click installation = No copy pasting scripts = Zero room for error in the configuration = Your pixel captures maximum customer events and pipes over the most accurate data to your marketing platforms

Reason #2

Lighter theme pixel = 2-3s faster page load

Reason #3

Combining WebPixel + Webhook data = 100% complete conversion tracking.

Oh and btw, this includes any conversion that happens outside the website. For example, manually drafted orders, Facebook shop, Instagram shop, POS, etc.

Reason #4

Complete customer data = better events match quality on Facebook and Google Ads algorithm

What this means if you’re an Aimerce brand

I intentionally built Aimerce with these considerations in mind. This is why we are one of the only 1-click installation apps out there for first party data collection and server side tracking.

I’ve learned over the course of building Aimerce in the last year, that these technical decisions we made early on have also resulted in higher marketing performance for our brands!

✌️ Here to help you win,

Yiqi