Before you begin leveraging the Polar Pixel data to make marketing decisions, we recommend first understanding your current Polar Pixel attribution rate.
What is attribution rate?
Attribution rate refers to the percentage of orders that are successfully attributed to an acquisition source (either a channel or a campaign) by the Polar Pixel. A high attribution rate allows for the most accurate data analysis and decision-making. A low attribution rate (and thus a high number of orders with a missing channel or campaign), indicates that your Polar Pixel setup may require additional configuration.
Note: Attribution rate is not calculated against all orders, but only against the orders that are compatible with the Polar Pixel. This is to avoid deflating your attribution rate with orders from untrackable checkouts like Point of Sale, Facebook Checkout, and so on. With that said, your attribution rate is a useful indicator in understanding if the pixel has been optimally configured.
How can I see my attribution rate?
In order to see your attribution rate, navigate to Connectors > Polar Pixel, and open the Pixel Setup tab.
Step 1: First check the status of each of your stores to ensure that the pixel is installed. If not, this guide details how to install the Polar Pixel.
Step 2: Assuming the Polar Pixel is installed, each store shows the attribution rate next to the store’s name. If you have an attribution rate below 90%, it will be marked in orange and it’s worth expanding the panel to investigate further.
Step 3: Check to ensure we’re receiving data. Expand the store and look at:
Data flow: This shows how many pixel events (e.g. page views and orders) we received for this store for each of the last 7 days.
👉 Check there’s no sudden drop-off that could indicate the Pixel was uninstalled somewhere.
Step 4: Investigate the attribution rate. In the attribution section, you’ll see:
Compatible orders count: This shows how many orders should ideally have been attributed (see full definition here). This becomes the denominator of your attribution rate.
Attribution breakdown bar chart: This shows the ratio of fully, partially, or not attributed orders from the compatible orders set for each of the last 7 days.
👉 Check if your attribution is improving over time, or if there have been any sudden changes. It’s especially useful in the first few weeks after installing the pixel to check that attribution is ramping up as expected day over day.
Attribution breakdown table: This shows how many orders from each compatible sales channel we were able to fully or partially attribute.
👉 Check if any sales channel has a high number of not attributed orders. This most likely indicates something wrong with the pixel installation on that channel. This guide details how you can install the Polar Pixel on 3rd party checkout sites.
👉 Check if any sales channel has a high number of partially attributed orders. This means the conversions came from an ad channel, but we couldn’t match the campaign. This most likely indicates incomplete UTM parameters on ads driving traffic to that channel. You can verify your UTM configuration for each of your channels using these guides.
What is a compatible order?
An order is deemed compatible if it is made through the Shopify Web or Recharge sales channels. We exclude sales from other sales channels (such as POS and third parties like Facebook Checkout) from your attribution rate, as these platforms do not support pixel tracking, making it challenging to trace orders back to their marketing origins.
What is full vs partial attribution?
Full attribution means that we know the source of this order (for example: Direct, Organic, or an advertising platform with a precise campaign).
Partial attribution means we know this conversion came from an ad platform, but couldn’t match a campaign. This typically indicates an incomplete UTM setup.You can verify your UTM configuration for each of your channels using these guides.
Why is my attribution rate not 100%?
If your attribution rate is less than 100%, this can be due to multiple factors:
Incomplete Polar Pixel installation
The Polar Pixel is still in the first few weeks of installation (and some customers placing orders now were acquired before the pixel was installed)
Incomplete UTM setup
The quality of the network of the final customers (meaning some events didn’t make it to our server)
The browser versions they are using
The browser batching events before sending them, and if the customer stops the session right after buying, the batched data can remain unsent
The reliability of Shopify Metadata being sent every time
How can I improve my attribution rate?
If you notice that your order attribution rate is low, the most important things to do are:
Confirm Polar Pixel Installation - As a first step, confirm that the Polar Pixel has been successfully installed on your Shopify theme(s). This guide details how to install the Polar Pixel. If you are a Shopify 2.0 user and aren’t able to install custom scripts within your theme.liquid, we're happy to configure the Polar Pixel extension for you - please reach out to our Support Team via the in-app live chat for assistance.
Check the sales channel that’s causing unattributed orders in the attribution breakdown table. If customers at your store are able to purchase on a 3rd party website outside of Shopify (such as Recharge), you'll need to ensure that the Polar Pixel is also installed on those sites to ensure those conversions are tracked. This guide details how you can install the Polar Pixel on 3rd party checkout sites.
Go to the UTM Setup tab and check for any undetected campaigns, which indicates missing or incomplete UTM parameters on the ads. You can verify your UTM configuration for each of your channels using these guides.