Good data tracking forms the foundation of successful advertising campaigns. Yet, many e-commerce businesses like webshops and marketing agencies remain unaware of the shortcomings in ‘traditional’ data tracking methods.

Client-side tracking, the conventional method where tracking pixels and tags load directly in the visitor’s browser, faces increasing limitations. Ad blockers, stricter privacy regulations, and cookie blocking results in a loss of valuable data.

Server-side tracking, also known as server side tagging, offers a solution. Instead of sending data directly from the visitor’s browser to marketing tools and social media platforms, it’s first sent to a server and then distributed to various platforms. This ensures the tracking of better and more reliable data, allowing ad campaigns to be optimized much more effectively.

Many people, webshops, and agencies believe server-side tracking is complicated, requires extensive maintenance, and takes time to deliver good results. While this was indeed the standard previously, solutions like TrackBee have changed the game. TrackBee stands out as the most user-friendly and effective solution, specifically developed for Shopify webshops and marketing agencies.

1: Complete data tracking for Shopify: How server-side tracking recovers lost data

With client-side tracking, the traditional form of data tracking, you're completely dependent on the user's browser for data collection. This causes several problems:

• Ad-blockers: Approximately 31.5% of all internet users have an ad blocker extension installed in the user's browser. These extensions block tracking pixels for platforms like Meta or Google Ads.
• Privacy measures: Stricter privacy regulations constantly introduce new measures that make client-side data tracking more difficult. For example, cookies on Apple devices disappear after 7 days, preventing you from tracking people over longer periods.
• Cookie banners: It's legally required to ask website visitors for permission to track them. Many people don't allow this, causing enormous amounts of valuable data to be lost through client-side tracking.

For an average webshop, this means a 30-40% loss in conversion data. Performance marketers are forced to work with incomplete information, resulting in less effective campaigns and a lower Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).

How does server-side tracking deliver accurate data for Shopify stores?

Server-side tracking tools like TrackBee capture all the website data from the website server that would be lost through client-side tracking by:

• Bypassing ad blockers: Since data is sent through the server instead of the browser, advertisement blockers are largely circumvented.
• Reduced cookie dependency: TrackBee's server-side tracking isn't bound to cookies, so cookie restrictions have little to no impact.
• Cross-browser tracking: If someone switches browsers during the purchase process, solutions like TrackBee recognize this person and the previously collected data isn't lost.

For performance marketers, TrackBee delivers complete data that can be used for advertising. Agencies can offer this advantage to all their clients without requiring additional effort

Example: The impact of data loss on Shopify webshops

A Shopify webshop with monthly revenue of €100,000 and a marketing budget of €20,000 loses 30% of conversion data with client-side tracking. As a result, the marketer only sees €70,000 in revenue against the €20,000 marketing budget. This results in a ROAS of 3.5.

In reality, the ROAS is 5.0, which is much higher. This demonstrates that the marketing budget is being used effectively. If the marketer isn't aware of this phenomenon, they would likely reduce the marketing budget or even stop a campaign entirely.

For marketing agencies with multiple webshop clients, this creates an even bigger problem. Incomplete data leads to wrong decisions about budgets, campaigns, and strategies, resulting in dissatisfied clients.

Can you imagine how happy you'll make them by solving this problem immediately?

Data Analytics for Strategic Decision-Making based on Accurate data

People implement tracking tools for one big reason: they want the real story behind their business.

With complete website data, you finally get answers to those questions that keep you up at night:

• Where are my sales actually coming from?
• Which marketing channels are worth every penny, and which ones are just burning cash?
• What path do customers take before they buy a product?

Tools like Google Analytics and Meta's Pixel are supposed to tell you all this, but they're only as good as the data they can see. And these days, that's not much.

Server-side tracking changes the game. It gives you the complete picture, so you're making decisions based on what's really happening, not just fragments of the truth. When you can see exactly how customers behave and which channels perform, you can make smarter choices about where to spend your marketing budget and how to make shopping easier for your customers.

2: Advanced data enrichment: More data for your advertisements and better data quality

Server-side tracking goes far beyond minimizing data loss. The real significant advantage lies in data enrichment and improving data quality. Data enrichment means that unknown data about your website visitors is added by a tracking solution like TrackBee. Based on this enriched data, you can target advertisements to specific audiences even more effectively.

A single data stream allows for better data enrichment and improved reporting capabilities, which benefits marketing efforts and provides deeper insights into user behavior.

Many tracking tools don’t enrich data, or they offer it as a premium package. TrackBee goes a step further by automatically enriching your data at no extra cost.

Simply put: good solutions provide you with more data than you can collect yourself. Profiles are built for your website visitors, with various data points added over time. This includes data like device type, browser information, and location, but of course also purchase history and behavior on your website. At TrackBee, we call these profiles Shopper Profiles.

Shopper Profiles: The new standard for data enrichment with server-side tracking for Shopify

Shopper profiles contain complete data sets of your customers, which are constantly enriched with more data. This is possible through:

• Cross-device tracking: Identification of the same shopper across different devices and browsers.
• Recognition of anonymous visitors: Standard tracking pixels don't recognize anonymous returning visitors. Server-side tracking tools like TrackBee do.
• Long-term tracking: Data is still trackable and retained, even after cookies expire.
• Deduplication: Duplicate data is removed. Sending double data to marketing platforms has a negative effect on your advertising algorithm.

For performance marketers and marketing agencies, Shopper Profiles offer the ability to target advertisements much more precisely and effectively to the right audience.

The real advantage of server-side tracking for Shopify webshops isn't just preventing data loss, but especially data enrichment. This enriched data makes it possible to make much better and more targeted marketing choices while gaining an even better understanding of who your customers really are and how they behave on your webshop.

3: Better ad targeting for Shopify: How complete and enriched data improve your marketing results

Server-side tracking truly shows its added value when it starts improving your ad targeting. By having complete and enriched conversion data, you get a better and real picture of your customers and can target ads more effectively. Without advanced tracking, your insights will be much more negative. This leads to poor choices -> wasting money!

Target Meta campaigns to New and Existing customers

Collecting and enriching complete data allows you to make better choices. Another great benefit is that with tracking tools like TrackBee, it becomes possible to target your Meta campaigns to both new and existing customers.

New and existing customers are each in a different position. 

🆕 New visitors need proof before they buy. They're skeptical and looking for validation like reviews, social proof and testimonials. 

🔄 Returning customers already trust you. They want recognition, perks and personal offers.

With TrackBee, you can share both New and Returning customer data with Meta. This makes it possible to target campaigns at new customers and create a different campaign for returning customers. The data is directly visible in your Meta dashboard, and you don't need any other tools. This makes it easy to track which portion of your advertising revenue comes from new or returning visitors.

The direct results of 100% data accuracy for Shopify

Performance marketers will notice that through solutions like TrackBee, poorly performing campaigns suddenly become profitable. Budgets that would have been reduced due to disappointing results might even be increased because of the new good results! And all this because you can trust your own data again.

Shifting data processing to the server can significantly enhance website performance and control over data flow.

Marketing agencies will immediately win client trust when they use TrackBee to show that performance was much better than thought. This way, the client regains trust in their data, and the agency wins the client’s trust. Win-win!

How Petrol Industries Achieved a 100% ROAS Increase for Meta with TrackBee

Petrol Industries was struggling with gaps in their ad platform data. Key conversions like purchases, checkouts and add-to-carts weren't being tracked properly - something that became obvious when comparing their Shopify data with what their advertising platforms were reporting.

Beyond missing conversions, the quality of their event data was pretty low too. Their Meta Event Match Quality Scores were consistently poor, hovering between 3.5/10 and 5.5/10. This clearly showed there was huge room for improvement.

Poor data means wasted ad spend. It's that simple. Advertising platforms need accurate info to do their thing effectively. To fix these issues, Petrol Industries implemented TrackBee as data tracking solution

The results were amazing. Their ROAS increased with 100%, a 20% boost in ROAS for Google Ads, and their Meta Event Match Quality scores jumped from a mediocre 3.5-5.5/10 to impressive 7-8.5/10 ratings. 

This dramatic improvement in data quality directly translated to better ad performance and more efficient spending.

Read the case study

4: Better retargeting with email marketing: How server-side tracking increases your abandonment revenue

Server-side tracking doesn't just improve your ad campaigns, but also the profitability of your email marketing campaigns. Modern data tracking tools integrate with email marketing platforms like Klaviyo. I'll explain why complete and rich data can increase your revenue this way as well.

As an email marketer or marketing agency, you use Klaviyo to send emails to your customers. A customer who visits your website and leaves without buying anything is called an Abandoner. You want to reach out again to abandoners who have already shown purchase intent, for example by adding something to a cart, through abandonment flows in Klaviyo. After all, it's easier to persuade people with an intention to buy from you to make a purchase.

And this is exactly where server-side tracking will increase your revenue. Platforms like Klaviyo track conversion events such as add to cart and purchase client-side, causing much data to be lost. This happens due to:

• Cookies on Apple devices expiring after 7 days
• Switching browsers during buying process
• Adblockers and other scripts & browser restrictions

By connecting a tracking platform like TrackBee to your Klaviyo environment, your revenue increases almost immediately. This happens because of:

• Cross-Browser tracking: When users move to a different browser, TrackBee will still be able to identify them.
• Tracking after cookie expiration: Cookies on Apple expire after 7 days. TrackBee's Shopper Profiles can recognize them for an extended period of time.
• Richer customer profiles through data enrichment: Because TrackBee enriches data, you sometimes have more data to reach customers with. For example, TrackBee can recognize an anonymous customer and link an already known email address to that customer. This allows you to reach someone you couldn't have reached without TrackBee.

TrackBee measures many more conversion events on your webshop than Klaviyo does. TrackBee sends this data to Klaviyo, allowing Klaviyo to trigger and send many more abandonment flows to Abandoners. This ultimately results in higher abandonment revenue.

Case study: How Shopify store HoneyBalm saw Klaviyo abandonment revenue increase by 213%

HoneyBalm, a Shopify webshop, has achieved demonstrably better results by connecting TrackBee with Klaviyo. After just 2 weeks, the results were undeniable:

• TrackBee tracked 171% more Add to Cart events on HoneyBalm's webshop and sent them to Klaviyo
• This triggered 220% more Abandonment Flows in Klaviyo
• This ultimately generated 213% more Abandonment Revenue for Klaviyo.

After 2 weeks, these are great results, but the longer you use tracking platform TrackBee with Klaviyo, the better your results will be. This is because data enrichment continuously improves your data, enabling more possibilities over time.

5: Improved website performance and load times: improve the customer journey and experience

Why server-side tracking makes your Shopify web pages faster

Website loading time has a direct impact on conversion rates. Research from Google shows that 54% of visitors leave a site if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. For Shopify webshops, where every visitor is a potential customer, good loading times can mean the difference between good and poor revenue.

Server-side tracking improves the loading time of a Shopify webshop by moving tracking scripts from the browser to a server. This results in:

• Less burden on your browser: Fewer scripts run in your potential customers’ browsers, making pages appear faster.
• Fewer HTTP requests: The number of requests the customer’s browser needs to handle decreases as data is processed directly on the web server.
• Better data transfer: Data is processed directly on servers close to the visitor, unlike client-side tracking where data often has to travel to foreign servers before being processed. This results in faster loading times and responsive websites.
• Reduced ‘flicker effect’: When many tags and scripts load in a browser, an annoying flickering can occur. This becomes less visible.

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The SEO impact of faster Shopify stores

For Google, page speed is an important factor in a website's SEO ranking. This means that a faster website directly contributes to better positions in search results. The reasons for this are:

• Better crawling: Search engines like Google use special software (crawlers) that search the internet and collect and index webpage content. With faster websites, these crawlers can visit and process more pages in the same amount of time, allowing a fast-loading Shopify webshop to be included in search results more quickly.
• Mobile ranking: Google uses a 'Mobile-first' principle during indexing due to the constantly growing share of mobile traffic to websites like Shopify webshops. This means Google rewards websites with fast loading times with higher positions in search results.
• Boost: If visitors stay longer on your faster site and click away less quickly, Google sees this as a good sign. These positive signals from your users help your site score higher in search results, without requiring extra SEO work.

For Shopify webshops and the agencies that manage them, this means that advanced tracking is not just a technical optimization, but also offers a major SEO advantage in a very competitive market. You have more control.

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The impact of server-side tracking on Google's Core Web Vitals

Google's Core Web Vitals are the key measures of how well your website works for visitors. These metrics count towards your ranking in Google.

By loading less code in the browser, server-side tracking makes your Shopify webshop faster, more responsive, and visually more stable.

Tests show that the Cumulative Layout Shift (how much your page jumps during loading) decreases from 0.635 to 0.154 and the Total Blocking Time (how long your browser is busy processing code) decreases from 3472 ms to 2101 ms. These improvements create a better experience for your visitors and higher conversion rates.

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Quick results for performance marketers and agencies

For performance marketers, a faster website means direct impact on campaign results: higher quality scores, lower bounce rates, and ultimately better conversion rates. Marketing agencies can demonstrate these improvements to clients as a clearly visible result of expertise.

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6: Easy to install and maintenance-free: The new standard for Shopify

The old & complex tracking standard

Server-side tracking is known to most people as a complex, technical, and lengthy project. Traditi onal solutions require extensive knowledge, specialized developers, constant updates, and a lot of maintenance. For many Shopify webshops and marketing agencies, this complexity (read: hassle) forms a major barrier. The benefits don't outweigh the technical challenges and associated costs. As a result: large companies with big IT teams benefit from server-side tracking, while small webshops and agencies are left behind with client-side solutions.

TrackBee makes accurate & high quality tracking for Shopify simple

Fortunately, those days are over. TrackBee makes server-side tracking accessible to every Shopify webshop or agency, regardless of technical knowledge or budget.

✅ Live in 5 minutes: Where most traditional tracking tools require weeks of implementation time, TrackBee is the only solution that's up and running after just a few minutes.

✅ No knowledge or expertise needed: Anyone can install TrackBee. You simply create an account and connect your Shopify webshop and advertising platforms. TrackBee fixes the rest.

✅ No maintenance: TrackBee keeps itself up-to-date without you having to think about it. You can always trust your data.

For marketing agencies managing multiple Shopify clients, TrackBee is a game-changer. The quick implementation means you can upgrade multiple clients to server-side tracking within one workday, without lengthy technical processes.

This leaves more time for what really matters: optimizing campaigns and improving results for your clients. With a tracking platform like TrackBee, you no longer need to waste time on complicated tracking issues, whether you do it yourself or have someone else do it. TrackBee does the unpleasant work, so you can focus on other important matters.

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TrackBee is the new standard for server-side tracking for Shopify webshops and agencies

Advanced tracking no longer needs to be complicated or time-consuming. TrackBee shows that even complex technology can be easy to use. By removing all technical and demotivating difficulties, every Shopify webshop can now benefit from all the advantages of server-side tracking.

7: Shopify-friendly: TrackBee works seamlessly alongside your existing apps

Traditional tracking options often require you to remove or replace existing tracking scripts. This can be problematic in the Shopify environment, where many apps install their own tracking codes. Conflicts arise when these solutions try to take over tracking, which can lead to apps no longer working properly or important data being lost.

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Enhance, don't replace, standard Shopify tracking scripts

TrackBee is specifically developed with the Shopify ecosystem in mind. Instead of replacing existing scripts, it works alongside them:

• TrackBee runs seamlessly alongside all Shopify apps
• No conflicts arise with existing tracking tools
• Server-side tracking is added without disrupting other tracking processes

TrackBee delivers all the benefits of accurate and high quality data tracking without the risks of disrupting your current Shopify setup. Your Shopify webshop continues to work as expected, while your data quality improves immediately.

For agencies, this means you can implement TrackBee as a tracking platform for clients without worrying about compatibility issues with specific Shopify apps. A worry-free upgrade that offers only advantages, without the disadvantages. That's another great selling point.

8: Direct impact: Immediately track more Shopify data after installing TrackBee

There's not only a perception that server-side tracking is difficult to set up, but also that it takes quite some time to see direct results. In many cases, this is true. Most traditional solutions require a long implementation time, which can make it take weeks before you see results. 

If you use TrackBee as your tracking solution, you'll see results after just 24-48 hours.

Track much more data from day one with TrackBee

As soon as you start using TrackBee, you'll see immediate improvements after 24-48 hours, such as:

• More registered conversions in your advertising platforms
• Improved Event Match Quality scores in Meta
• 100% Google Enhanced Conversion coverage
• More tracked abandonment events for your abandonment flows in Klaviyo
• And so on...

For marketing agencies, this offers the opportunity to immediately tell a convincing story to potential clients: "Implement TrackBee today, and you'll see improvement in your campaign results the day after tomorrow!"

In a competitive market where quick results count, this is how you win new clients.

Traditional solutions vs TrackBee

The direct and quick impact of TrackBee stands in sharp contrast to traditional server-side tracking tools:

When you choose most server-side tracking solutions, you not only have to wait weeks for implementation, but also need to account for a long optimization period before seeing real results. With manual implementation, there's a high risk of configuration errors, which can further delay the process.

With TrackBee, you avoid all risks and potential delays. The easy setup ensures error-free implementation, and the tracking technology specifically developed for Shopify delivers immediate positive results.

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9: Future-proof: Prepare your Shopify store for a Cookieless Future

The uncertain future of client side tracking & data collection for Shopify stores

Privacy regulations are becoming stricter, browsers increasingly restrict tracking, and third-party browser cookies will soon disappear, making it more challenging to collect data. This puts traditional methods of data tracking and measuring conversions under pressure. Real upcoming client side issues.

Google’s plan to remove third-party browser cookies from Chrome, Apple’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention, and stricter privacy legislation are just the beginning. For Shopify webshops that need good data, a robust high quality data tracking solution becomes crucial.

Ready for the Future with data management by TrackBee

Server-side tracking offers a solution to all these strict regulations. By leveraging data, like user ids, via the server instead of the browser, you’re much less dependent on browser cookies and browser scripts. Server side tags offer enhanced data control, compliance with privacy regulations, and improved site performance by reducing reliance on third-party scripts. TrackBee is designed to remain effective for the foreseeable future and has a dedicated server for Shopify.

• Bypasses ad-blockers and ITP: Server-side tracking avoids most browser restrictions that block conversions
• Collects 30-40% more data: Even with all strict privacy and data security rules, you still collect more data with TrackBee
• Cross-device tracking: Recognizes the same user across different devices, even without third-party browser cookies
• Constantly updated: TrackBee has a dedicated team of developers who are constantly working on improving TrackBee. This keeps us one step ahead of new developments.

In the long term, server-side tracking means your webshop builds an advantage compared to competitors who stick to old tracking methods. While their first party data becomes increasingly unreliable due to new restrictions, you continue to collect good, complete data.

This first party data becomes increasingly valuable as the market changes. For future campaigns, personalization, and customer insights, you have better information than competitors who switch later.

Why server-side tracking and data control is essential for every Shopify webshop in 2025

A good tracking solution is no longer a luxury for large e-commerce players. It's a must-have for every Shopify webshop that wants to improve advertising campaigns and make truly good data-driven choices.

The 9 benefits of modern server-side tracking tools that we've discussed are:

1. Collect complete data: Up to 40% more conversion data for better decisions
2. Data enrichment: Enrich your datasets with previously unknown first party data
3. The best targeting: By having complete and enriched data control at your disposal, TrackBee radically improves the targeting of your advertisements
4. Effective email marketing: Generate more Klaviyo revenue through TrackBee's Klaviyo integration
5. Improved website performance: Faster loading times and better SEO rankings
6. Easy to install: TrackBee is live in 5 minutes and you don't need technical expertise
7. Shopify-friendly: Works seamlessly alongside existing apps
8. Immediate impact: TrackBee offers visible results within 48 hours after implementation
9. Future-proof: Prepared for a world without third-party browser cookies

TrackBee offers all these benefits in a user-friendly and easy-to-install server-side tracking solution for Shopify stores. It's time to simplify server side tracking!

What are you waiting for? Start today and notice the difference within 48 hours!

Frequently Asked Questions about Server-Side tracking for Shopify

What is server-side tracking?

Server-side tracking is a method where first party data from your website is first sent to a server before being distributed to advertising platforms. TrackBee's tracking solution bypasses advertisement blockers, isn't affected by cookie restrictions, and provides more complete data for your marketing efforts, unlike client-side tracking which relies on browser-based scripts.

How long does it take to implement TrackBee server-side tracking?

TrackBee can be implemented in just 5 minutes, with no technical expertise required. The tracking setup is really easy. Simply create a TrackBee account and connect your Shopify store and advertising platforms. TrackBee users start seeing improved results within 24-48 hours, unlike traditional solutions that take weeks.‍

Will TrackBee conflict with my existing Shopify apps?

No, TrackBee is designed specifically for the Shopify ecosystem and works alongside all existing Shopify apps without conflicts. TrackBee enhances rather than replaces your existing tracking scripts, making it the most Shopify-friendly server-side tracking solution available.

How does server-side tracking improve my ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)?

TrackBee's server-side tracking improves ROAS by providing complete conversion data, which helps advertising platforms optimize your campaigns more effectively. For example, Petrol Industries saw a 100% increase in ROAS after implementing TrackBee, and TrackBee clients consistently report significant improvements in campaign performance.

Does TrackBee integrate with email marketing platforms?

Yes, TrackBee integrates seamlessly with email marketing platforms like Klaviyo. This TrackBee integration enables more effective abandonment flows by tracking more events and recognizing customers across devices. HoneyBalm achieved a 213% increase in abandonment revenue after connecting TrackBee with Klaviyo.

Do I need Google Tag Manager when using TrackBee?

No, you don't need Google Tag Manager when you use TrackBee.

How does server-side tracking prepare my Shopify store for the future?

TrackBee's server-side tracking reduces dependency on third-party cookies by collecting data via the server rather than the browser. TrackBee's approach includes cross-device tracking capabilities and is continuously updated by TrackBee's dedicated development team to stay ahead of new privacy developments.

Can marketing agencies use TrackBee for multiple clients?

Absolutely! TrackBee is ideal for agencies managing multiple Shopify clients. The quick TrackBee implementation means you can upgrade several clients to server-side tracking within one workday, without lengthy technical processes. TrackBee's agency-friendly approach lets you focus on optimizing campaigns rather than fixing tracking issues. You're in full control!

How do I get started with TrackBee?

Getting started with TrackBee is easy! Simply create an account on the TrackBee website, connect your Shopify store, and integrate your advertising platforms. The TrackBee system will guide you through the process, and you'll be up and running with TrackBee in minutes, not weeks.