How to Set Up the new Shopify Checkout expereince with Google Tag Manager (GTM)

This past year Shopify launched a new checkout experience with a rolling depreciation of the old checkout and “additional scripts” section that housed a lot of conversion tracking for digital marketing initiatives. What does this mean? This means potentially your Google Ads, Reddit, and other platforms will loose conversion tracking unless you set them up again using Shopify Customer Events. 

We find Google’s Customer Events section to be complicated for most marketers. This is why we are advising clients to use Google Tag Manager (GTM) instead. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of setting up GTM with Shopify using Shopify’s Customer Events and a custom pixel to ensure accurate tracking and streamlined tag management.

Step 1: Set Up Shopify Customer Events and a Custom Pixel for GTM

Shopify Customer Events feature allows you to track key actions on your store, such as product views, cart additions, and purchases. To integrate Google Tag Manager, you’ll need to create a custom pixel.

How to Set Up a Custom Pixel for GTM

  1. Go to your Shopify Admin Panel > Settings > Customer Events.
  2. Click Add custom pixel and name it something recognizable, like “Google Tag Manager.”
  3. Shopify provides a GTM setup guide with the required code. You’ll need to insert your GTM container ID into the script.
  4. Copy and paste the modified script into the Custom Pixel Editor in Shopify.
  5. Click Save and Enable the pixel.


📌 Reference: Shopify’s help guide on setting up GTM:

Shopify Custom Pixel for GTM

Step 2: Set Up GTM Variables and Triggers

Now that your Shopify store is linked to GTM, you need to set up variables and triggers to track key user interactions. We’ve created a pre-configured GTM container file that contains all the necessary triggers and variables.

Download the container file here.

How to Import a GTM Container File

  1. Download the pre-configured GTM container file (we’ll provide a link in the blog post).
  2. Log in to your Google Tag Manager account
  3. Select the GTM container for your Shopify store.
  4. Click Admin > Import Container.
  5. Upload the GTM container file.
  6. Choose Merge (to keep existing settings) or Overwrite (to replace existing settings).
  7. Click Confirm and Publish to apply the changes.

By importing this file, you’ll automatically set up the necessary triggers for events like:

✅ Page views

✅ Product views

✅ Add to cart

✅ Checkout started

✅ Purchase completed

Step 3: Add Tags in GTM

With your variables and triggers in place, it’s time to set up your tracking tags. GTM allows you to integrate with marketing platforms like Google Ads, Facebook (Meta) Ads, and Google Analytics.

Example: Setting Up a Google Ads Conversion Tag

  1. In Google Tag Manager, click Tags > New.
  2. Choose Google Ads Conversion Tracking as the tag type.
  3. Enter your Google Ads conversion ID and label.
  4. Select the “checkout_complete” trigger.
  5. Add the necessary variables:
    1. Value = {{order_value}}
    2. Currency = {{currency}}
    3. Order ID = {{order_id}}
  6. Click Save and Publish the tag.

Final Thoughts

By following these steps, you’ll have a fully functional GTM setup for your Shopify store, allowing you to track conversions, optimize marketing campaigns, and gain deeper insights into customer behavior.

💡 Pro Tip: Regularly test your tags using Google Tag Assistant or Preview Mode in GTM to ensure everything is firing correctly.

Need Help Setting Up GTM for Your Shopify Store?

At Akers Digital, we specialize in helping outdoor brands optimize their eCommerce tracking and digital advertising. If you need expert assistance with GTM, Google Ads, or Shopify analytics, get in touch with us today!

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