How server-side tracking works

Browser (client-side) tracking

During the automatic installation process, Littledata adds a data layer and a tracking script to every page of your store.

• A LittledataLayer JavaScript object is added to every page. You can also use it with Google Tag Manager (GTM).

• A small tracking script loads through Littledata's app embed in your Shopify theme.

• Each marketing platform's own tracking library then loads on the page.

• The script sends cookie identifiers to Littledata's servers, so the shopper's journey stays connected.

Server-side tracking

During setup, Littledata also adds a set of webhooks to your Shopify store. Each time a shopper takes an action, like updating a cart or placing an order, Shopify notifies Littledata. Littledata's servers then send that event to your marketing platforms.

This approach has several benefits:

• A smaller script in the browser, so pages load faster.

• Complete tracking of the checkout, including orders, post-purchase upsells, refunds and returns.

• No missed or double-counted orders from the order status page.

• More accurate marketing attribution, because sessions are stitched together across checkout types.

• A consistent identity for each shopper over time.

• Less spam, because only Littledata's servers send these events to your destinations.

Why use server-side tracking

• Ad blockers and browser limits: when ad blockers or iOS and Safari restrictions block a platform's own script, Littledata can still send events to that platform's servers.

• Richer data: Littledata adds extra product and customer data from Shopify to each event.

• Custom events: you can customize events before Littledata sends them.

Destinations that support server-side tracking

All our major destinations support server-side tracking, including:

• Google Analytics

• Google Ads

• Meta Ads

• TikTok Ads

• Pinterest

• Microsoft Ads

• Klaviyo

• Attentive

• Segment

Supported identifiers

Our advanced tracking script automatically fetches and passes to Littledata servers the following identifiers:

Identifier	Description
_ga	Google Analytics client ID
_ga_<Measurement ID>	Google Analytics session ID
_gcl_aw	Google Ads click identifier
_gcl_ag	Google Ads gbraid
_gcl_gb	Google Ads wbraid
_epik	Pinterest click ID
_ttp	Tiktok client ID
ttclid	TikTok click ID
fbp	Meta client ID
fbc	Meta click ID
ajs_anonymous_id	Segment anonymous ID

To see which customer details Littledata sends to each destination, see Shopify data security.

Need help? Email [e-mail].

Related articles

• Littledata's app embed

• Known limitations of Littledata's Shopify tracking

• Shopify data security