Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out. I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on getting your purchase conversion event tracked properly in Facebook Ads Manager when you're using Shopify. It can be a bit confusing when things don't show up as active straight away, even if the systems *say* they are.
From what you've described, where your purchase event shows as inactive in Ads Manager but Shopify indicates the setup is correct, this is a really common scenario. More often than not, it doesn't mean the setup is fundamentally broken, but rather that the event simply hasn't fired recently enough for Meta to flag it as 'Active'. Meta's system needs to see recent activity (usually within the last 24-48 hours) for an event to show up with that green 'Active' dot. Think of it like a status update; if it hasn't happened lately, its just 'Inactive'.
So, the first and most important step is to confirm if the event is *actually* firing when someone makes a purchase on your site. Since you haven't had a purchase since setting this up, the best way to test this is to simulate a purchase yourself. You'll want to go through your website like a typical customer would.
We'll need to look at traffic quality and your website... well, how to test the pixel first
The easiest way to see what pixel events are firing as you navigate your site is by using a browser extension called the Meta Pixel Helper. If you don't have it installed, you can usually find it by searching for "Meta Pixel Helper Chrome extension" (or whatever browser you use) and adding it from the browser's web store. Once installed, you'll see a little icon (often a < / > or a pixel graphic) appear next to your address bar when you visit a website.
With the Pixel Helper installed and active, go to your Shopify store's homepage. Click on the Pixel Helper icon. It should show you if your main pixel is found on the page and perhaps some initial events like 'Page View' or 'View Content' if you have those set up. Now, start the purchase process. Find a product, click to view it, add it to your cart. As you click through each page – product page, cart page, checkout pages – keep clicking the Pixel Helper icon. You should see different events fire at each step, like 'View Content' on the product page and 'Add to Cart' on... well, the cart page.
The critical part is the 'Purchase' event. This should only fire on the order confirmation or 'Thank You' page that appears immediately after a customer completes a purchase. So, you'll need to go through the checkout flow as if you were buying something. You can often use a discount code for 100% off if you don't want to actually pay, or just enter your details and stop just before finalising payment if you're not comfortable. However, to *definitely* test the purchase event, you really need to reach that final confirmation page. If you can use a test payment method or a full discount, that's ideal.
Here’s a quick overview of the testing process:
| Action | Tool | Expected Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Visit Website Homepage | Meta Pixel Helper | Pixel loads, 'Page View' event fires |
| View Product Page | Meta Pixel Helper | 'View Content' event fires |
| Add to Cart | Meta Pixel Helper | 'Add to Cart' event fires |
| Proceed Through Checkout | Meta Pixel Helper | Other events might fire (e.g., 'Initiate Checkout') |
| Reach Order Confirmation Page (after purchase) | Meta Pixel Helper | 'Purchase' event MUST fire here |
If you complete the purchase (or simulate it completely to the final page) and the Meta Pixel Helper shows that the 'Purchase' event successfully fired on that final page, then the good news is your pixel setup is likely correct. The reason it shows as inactive in Ads Manager is just the lack of recent purchase activity. As soon as a real customer makes a purchase, Meta's system will record that event, and within usually an hour or two, the status in Ads Manager should change to 'Active'. So, you can launch your campaign knowing the tracking *should* work once sales come in.
However, if you go through the full test purchase process and the Meta Pixel Helper *does not* show the 'Purchase' event firing on the order confirmation page, then there is definitely an issue with the setup. This is where you'd need to dig into the Shopify-Facebook integration.
I'd say you need to give it more time... or maybe troubleshoot teh Shopify link
Since you're using Shopify, the integration usually happens through the Facebook & Instagram sales channel app. You'll need to go back into that app within your Shopify admin area and double-check everything. Make sure your Facebook account, your Business Manager, and your Ad Account are all correctly connected. Crucially, verify that the correct Meta Pixel is selected and connected within the Shopify Facebook & Instagram app settings. Sometimes there might be multiple pixels floating around, or a simple disconnection can occur.
Shopify's default integration *should* automatically set up standard events like View Content, Add to Cart, Initiate Checkout, and Purchase. If the Pixel Helper isn't showing the Purchase event on the confirmation page, it suggests either the pixel ID is wrong in Shopify, the connection between Shopify and Meta is broken, or perhaps there's some other app or custom code on your store interfering (though this is less common with the standard integration).
Make sure there are no errors reported within the Shopify Facebook sales channel settings itself. Sometimes it will flag issues there. If you can't find an obvious error, you might try disconnecting and reconnecting the Facebook sales channel entirely, making sure to select the correct pixel during the setup process again. After doing this, perform another test purchase to see if the Purchase event now fires with the Pixel Helper.
Getting the conversion tracking right is absolutely fundamental to running successful purchase-optimised campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. Without it, Meta has no way of knowing who converted or which ads led to sales, making optimisation impossible. It's worth taking the time to get this sorted before investing heavily in ads.
Sometimes these integration issues can be a bit fiddly to diagnose and fix, especially if you're new to paid advertising and pixel setup. It requires a bit of technical digging and understanding how the data flows between Shopify and Meta. If you find yourself spending hours trying to troubleshoot this without success, it might be beneficial to get some expert help. Someone experienced with both Shopify and Meta Ads pixels can often spot the issue quickly and ensure your tracking is robust for future campaigns.
If you'd like to discuss this further or need more hands-on help getting this pixel setup sorted, feel free to book in a free consultation. We can take a closer look together.
Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh
