Why did Meta purchases go up after the Shopify Thank you page upgrade?
Short answer
If Meta purchases rose after the upgrade while Shopify orders didn't, the fix usually created a second Purchase source: the Facebook & Instagram app plus a custom pixel or another tracking app, both sending the same order. Without a shared event ID, Meta can't remove the duplicate and counts it twice.
Why it happens
- Two pixels in Customer events. The Facebook & Instagram app and a custom pixel (or a second tracking app) each send Purchase from the new Thank you page.
- Browser and server events without a matching ID. An app sending server events and another sending browser events for the same order need the same event_id. If they don't match, Meta keeps both.
- A Google Tag Manager container added back. Re-adding GTM as a custom pixel can bring back an old Meta Purchase tag that the app already covers.
- Test orders. Test purchases placed to check the new setup are counted as real purchases unless you sent them as test events.
How to fix it
- Find the dateIn Events Manager, chart Purchase by day next to Shopify orders. Note the day the ratio jumped; it should match when you changed tracking.
- List every sourceIn Shopify Settings › Customer events, list each app pixel and custom pixel. Note which ones send Meta Purchase.
- Keep one browser sourceKeep the Facebook & Instagram app (or one tracking app) and remove Meta Purchase from every other pixel and from GTM.
- Check deduplicationIn Events Manager › Purchase › Event deduplication, browser and server events should show as deduplicated. If they don't, both sources must send the same event_id.
Check it worked
Place one test order and watch Test events in Events Manager. You should see one Purchase (browser and server may both appear, marked as deduplicated), with the order's value.
Common questions
Is it good that Meta shows more purchases now?
No. Ads Manager will report better results than your store is getting, and Meta's bidding will optimise towards counts that aren't real orders.
Will removing the duplicate lower my results?
Reported purchases will fall back to the real number. That's the point: your ROAS becomes something you can trust.
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