The Facebook Pixel lets Meta (Facebook + Instagram) see who visits your shop. This makes ads dramatically more effective — you can retarget people who looked at a product but didn't buy, or build "lookalike audiences" of people similar to your existing customers.
Before you start
- A custom domain connected to your shop
- A Meta Business account at business.facebook.com
Step 1 — Create a Pixel
- Go to business.facebook.com and open Events Manager
- Click Connect data sources → Web
- Choose Facebook Pixel and click Connect
- Give your Pixel a name (e.g. your shop name) and enter your shop's URL
Meta gives you a Pixel ID — a long number like 123456789012345. Copy it.
Step 2 — Add it to your shop
- Go to Dashboard → Shop and scroll to the Search Engines section
- Tap Analytics & Tracking
- Paste your Pixel ID into the Facebook Pixel ID field
- Save
What gets tracked
The Pixel automatically tracks:
- PageView — every visit to any page on your shop
- ViewContent — when someone views a product
- AddToCart — when someone adds a product to cart
- InitiateCheckout — when someone reaches the checkout page
- Purchase — when someone completes an order (with the order value)
This rich event data is what makes Facebook ads so powerful — you can target ads at people who reached checkout but didn't buy, for example.
Verifying it works
Install the Meta Pixel Helper Chrome extension. Visit your shop. The extension icon will turn blue and show all the Pixel events firing — that confirms tracking works.
Privacy note
Adding the Pixel means Facebook gets data about everyone who visits your shop. In some countries (especially in the EU), you may need to add a cookie consent banner and give visitors an option to opt out. Check your local privacy laws.