How do I compare Meta Ads purchases with Shopify orders?
Short answer
Export Meta purchases by day and Shopify orders by day for the same 30 days and time zone, using 7-day click in Meta and only Online Store orders in Shopify. Then compare them side by side: a steady gap is attribution; a gap that changes on one date is a tracking change.
Why it happens
- Why a straight comparison misleads. Totals hide the date the problem started. Day by day shows it.
How to fix it
- Export from MetaAds Manager › Reports: breakdown by day, with Purchases and Purchase conversion value, on 7-day click. Export as CSV.
- Export from ShopifyOrders › Export for the same dates, or Analytics › Reports › sales over time by day. Leave out test, cancelled and POS orders.
- Line up the time zonesIf the ad account and the store use different time zones, compare by week instead.
- Read the patternMeta slightly higher every day: attribution, which is normal. Meta jumps from one date: a duplicate event. Meta drops from one date: lost events. Meta reports sales on days with no orders: a Purchase firing outside checkout.
Check it worked
Once fixed, the daily gap should be steady again for at least two weeks.
Common questions
Is there a tool that does this comparison for me?
Veracend reads the same two CSV exports, with no store login, and shows where the ad platform’s purchases and your real orders part ways. The free report shows the first findings; the full report is paid.
How many days should I compare?
At least 30, so one unusual day doesn’t mislead you.
See what your own store is losing.
Paste your store address for a free check in under a minute. No login and no app to install.