Overview
Understanding which marketing efforts drive results is crucial. That’s why we launched Polar Pixel, a first-party tracking tool that gives you precise attribution insights into your marketing channels and campaign performance—all iOS 14+ compatible!
Installing the Polar Pixel is straightforward. Just select 'Install' from the Pixel Setup page in your Polar account and configure UTM tracking parameters on your ads. With Polar Pixel, you can identify underperforming campaigns, boost successful ones, and train algorithms for more effective sales generation. Follow our comprehensive setup guide to get started.
Polar Pixel offers a range of benefits to enhance your data-driven decisions:
Accurate Attribution: Leverage server-side, first-party tracking with customizable attribution windows.
Conversion Deduplication: Avoid double-counting conversions across ad platforms and measure CAC and ROAS by channel and campaign.
Customer Journey Insights: View detailed paths to purchase for a complete understanding of buyer behavior.
Enhanced Data Accuracy for Ad Platforms: Send precise data to platforms through the Conversion API Enhancer to train algorithms more effectively.
Flow Enricher for Missed Abandoners: Capture missed abandonment events, match them with email addresses, and enrich Klaviyo flows and audiences, boosting abandonment email outreach.
How-to: View Polar Pixel Data
Once Polar Pixel is installed, you can access its data in Polar’s Key Indicators, Acquisition, and Custom Reports. You have full control over data breakdowns, filters, and can set custom attribution models and windows within your reports.
Note: Polar Pixel requires a two-week period after installation (when both pixel placement and UTM tracking setup are complete) to start delivering accurate data. It does not track conversions retroactively; if installed on the 1st and tracking is set up, data analysis can begin from the 15th onward.
Take a look at the video below for a quick walkthrough of how to view this data.
Polar Attribution x Polar Pixel
Polar offers a range of attribution models that give you a clear picture of your customer’s journey and which parts of your marketing strategy are most effective.
Multi-Touch Attribution ModelsHere’s a breakdown of the available models:
First Click Attribution
Last Click Attribution
Linear Attribution
U-Shaped Attribution
Time Decay Attribution
Paid Linear
Full Paid Overlap
Full Paid Overlap + Facebook Views
Full Impact
For more information on these models and their unique advantages, check out our full guide here: Understanding Polar Analytics Attribution Models.
Optimizing Polar Attribution with Accurate Tracking
The comprehensiveness of the Polar Pixel attribution results are heavily dependent on the tracking configuration of your different ad platforms. To ensure the best results, we’ve set up this document to walk you through the ideal setup for tracking parameters and how to correctly configure each of the ad platforms we support.
To track your ads, you must follow the associated process for each platform. Please note that this is not a requirement, however the Polar attribution model will only be able to attribute the campaigns that have been configured.
What Polar Attribution Tracks
Below is the list of UTM parameters the Polar Attribution model requires to ensure effective tracking:
For Attribution:
campaign_id(ideal): Campaign identifierad_id: Ad identifier (specific to Facebook Ads)utm_source(required): Platform (e.g., Facebook Ads, Bing Ads)utm_campaign(required): Campaign name (e.g., pmax direct, search FR broad)utm_medium: Ad type (e.g., paid, PPC)utm_term: Search keywords (e.g., purple longboard, large plant, etc.)utm_content: A/B testing link differentiator
For Conversion Optimization:
gclid: Google Ads click IDfbclid: Facebook Ads click IDttclid: TikTok Ads click IDmsclkid: Bing Ads click IDScCid: Snapchat Ads click ID
Correctly configuring UTM parameters, particularly campaign and ad IDs, enables precise matching. We also support name-based matching for campaigns with string-based recognition across supported ad platforms.
Examples of string-matching configurations (ad campaign name -> utm campaign):
pmax direct -> PMax Direct ✅
pmax direct -> PM ❌
FR search Broad -> fr search ✅
FR search Broad -> fr | fb | search | product sep ❌
Why Polar Pixel Metrics May Differ from Ad Platforms
Differences between Polar Pixel metrics and those from ad platforms are normal. Ad platforms might miss conversions due to browser blockers, iOS restrictions, or count conversions that could be attributed to other sources. Polar Pixel accurately attributes each conversion based on the chosen attribution models, so conversions and metrics like ROAS will often vary between platforms and Polar.
For example, under first-click attribution, Polar Pixel attributes a conversion only if the first interaction was through that ad platform.
If 59 conversions are attributed to Facebook Ads by Polar Pixel, this reflects only conversions where Facebook was the first click.
In contrast, Facebook’s report might show 234 conversions, as it attributes conversions even if Facebook was not the initial touchpoint.
In Summary: Expect differences in conversion metrics across data sources. Polar Pixel’s data tends to offer more reliable insights, which can often be more dependable than the metrics reported by ad platforms that often under or over report.
Common Questions:
How long does it take the data to load after I've installed the Pixel?
How long does it take the data to load after I've installed the Pixel?
Your attribution data will only start to come through the day following installation, and will then refresh hourly or daily depending on your plan.
What is the First Click Attribution Window?
What is the First Click Attribution Window?
The First Click Attribution Window filter is the total window of time for attribution before the purchase time. The default window is all time, meaning that unless this is adjusted, the true first click will be counted as the attribution (even if it happened a year prior to the purchase). You can adjust this within the filter if you'd like to see a shorter attribution window.
Will I be able to know where the first touch came from for past sales?
Will I be able to know where the first touch came from for past sales?
No, the model is not retroactive. We can only tell where the first touch came from since the moment you installed the pixel, any event before that is unknown to us.
Why use Polar Pixel over Google Analytics?
Why use Polar Pixel over Google Analytics?
We pull first-party data with campaign, adset, and ad data from the most popular ad platform APIs. Further, we use server-side cookies and identity resolution to correctly attribute more conversions and unify users across websites and devices in a secure way. If a single user visits your site from Google search and then through a Facebook ad, we’ll track them in one cohesive customer journey.
How can I know the model is accurate?
How can I know the model is accurate?
You can set up the model and test the accuracy with a few test orders. If you'd like, we'd be happy to schedule a live session to review your model once you've set it up - feel free to reach out to us via the in-app live chat if this is something you're interested in.
Is the Polar Pixel available during the free trial?
Is the Polar Pixel available during the free trial?
The Polar Pixel is not available during the free trial. This is because it takes up to two weeks after installation to start providing accurate attribution data. This period begins once the pixel is added to your store and the tracking parameters are fully configured.
When will our Polar Pixel data become accurate?
When will our Polar Pixel data become accurate?
The Polar Pixel needs approximately 2 weeks of tracking to provide an accurate picture of your attribution, as it does not track data retroactively. Additionally, please note that the default lookback window is 10 days.
You can learn more about how to see and improve your Attribution rate here.