The Golden Rule of E-commerce Website Development says: If you want your online business to be successful, you need to track conversions in the shopping carts.
Conversion tracking refers to the process of integration of little “bugs” within the checkout system. This in turn generates a report that is sent to a centralised third party server when products are being purchased.
Inviting visitors through an e-commerce website to add an item against their shopping cart in just half the road travelled. Reports have revealed that on an average, around 67% of visitors ultimately abandon the shopping cart. This abandonment comes at someplace between incorporating an item within the cart and checking out of the cart. Given this, it is very important to track conversions when you launch an e-commerce website.
For some e-commerce websites, external parties or sites are roped in to manage and monitor the order placement process. Again, in certain cases, the problem is that conversion setup cannot be done because of the inability to access code or the presence of an obsolete code. If you are unable to track conversions that are happening within your e-commerce website’s cart, you would not be able to trace the referral sources or keywords that are generating sales.
Using the Conversion Pixel when shopping cart is attached to Facebook Ads
Conversion tracking enables you to measure the return on investment, so that you can optimize your e-commerce website to ensure success. You may place the conversion pixel on the major pages of the e-commerce website, such as the registrations page, add to cart page, the checkouts page. In this way, you will be able to understand the number of people who convert on your advertising message or on direct visit to your e-commerce website.
Installing the conversion pixel
It is in fact a tiny piece of Javascript code which you need to copy and paste within main pages along the conversion funnel. The first step is to install this code in the website andverify the same. To follow the guidelines of installation and use, you are required to access the source code of the web page. Also, you must be familiar with the methods to make alterations in this source code. If you are uncomfortable with the access it is best to ask for the assistance of your webmaster.
1st Step: Finding the conversion pixel
Here are the steps for creating anew pixel:
- Click on Conversion Tracking after visiting Facebook Ads Manager.
- Click on ‘Create Pixel’.
After giving a name to your conversion, go for the selection of a conversion type. A different marketing objective is represented by each conversion type. For instance, you need to choose ‘Adds to Cart’ if you want to report for conversion as soon as someone adds an item to the website in the shopping cart.
In order to make use of an already existent conversion pixel, you need to identify it from a list after clicking on conversion tracking. Hover across the name to choose ‘View Code” which shows you the code. You may as well use the ‘Email’ option for sending across the code to the webmaster.
2nd Step: Selection and copy of the conversion pixel
You need to select and then copy the pixel.
The entire code should be placed in the website and there is no need for any kind of modification.
3rd step: Involves placing the conversion pixel
This step involves placing the conversion pixel within the webpage. Once the conversion pixel is placed, add a value to the same and verify it. In order to add the conversion pixel to the Facebook ad, you need to make use of the ‘Website conversions’ facility in the ‘Ads Create’ tool.
Conversion tracking in shopping carts like Shopify
Tracking pixels or various other conversion tracking codes can be incorporated within the Shopify conversion page (the Thank You page as per Shopify jargon) by going to Settings and clicking on Checkout in the shop admin. Following this, you need to add the pixel or code in question in the text box named ‘Additional Contents & Scripts’.
The tracking system would ask you for the integration of a tracking pixel. When the customer, during his online shopping, reaches the final page in the checkout process, a code would be delivered to his or her browser.
You can also go for conditional integration. There are certain providers who need their tracking pixels only when the customer falls within a particular reference parameter. In case of Shopify, such values are stored with the orders and are made available using landing site reference. Specifically designed tracking pixels also describe the cart’s content for different customers.
Conversion tracking using Google Analytics
The Google Analytics account offers means to track the different steps which are taken by visitors on the e-commerce website, which are specifically meaningful to you. For instance, if you have the provision of a form through which people enquire more regarding your products, you can build up a ‘goal’ for tracking the ‘conversion’ rate between prospects and visitors. Google Analytics will help you to determine the number of visitors who become prospects and where they come from.
Moreover, using a goal will help you understand when visitors abandon the online outlet after addition of products to your website’s shopping cart. This in turn provides information regarding where customers are dropping off.
E-commerce website tracking can be enabled through Google analytics in the following way:
- Go to any screen in Analytics and from the top of the screen, in the menu bar, click on ‘Admin’.
- Select View, Property and Account with the help of the drop down menu.
- Then click on View Settings.
- Go for the section named E-commerce Settings, click the toggle, opting for ON.
- At the bottom of the page, click on the Save button.
For setting Ecommerce Tracking with respect to a web property, first it has to be determined whether you are in need of cross-domain tracking.
In case you are leveraging a third part shopping cart or are tracking transaction among distinct domains, you need to opt for cross-domain tracking prior to modification of the tracking code for establishing E-commerce transactions. Cross-domain tracking is not required if your e-commerce website and shopping cart software belong to the same domain.
Once you are able to track the conversions in shopping carts, you will also be able to understand what is resulting in more conversions from your e-commerce website and what is leading to abandonment. This will help you considerably in boosting your sales.
We strongly suggested hiring a professional web design company to build your e-commerce website. They will ensure the above has been taken care of.
