Pinterest conversions don't match your Shopify orders

Why it happens

Pinterest counts a conversion only when it can tie it to an ad. Pinterest credits a conversion to a person who clicked, engaged with or viewed an ad inside the attribution window. In the reporting API the defaults are 30 days after a click and 1 day after a view, and Pinterest's help recommends 30 days for both clicks and views. A buyer who saw a Pin weeks ago can count. A buyer who came from search does not.

The date is the day of the ad action by default. Pinterest stores two dates for each conversion: the day the person interacted with the ad and the day they checked out. Pinterest's reporting API uses the first one unless you choose the other; in Ads Manager, check which date the report is set to. A checkout today can show up on last week's date, so single days rarely match Shopify.

Some conversions are modeled. Pinterest says it uses modeled conversions to fill gaps from data loss, in Ads Manager and its other reports. Hover over a column header in Ads Manager to see whether it may include them. A modeled conversion has no Shopify order you can point to.

Purchases are lost in the browser, or counted twice. The Pinterest tag runs in the shopper's browser and sends a checkout event. When a browser blocks it, the checkout never reaches Pinterest. The Conversions API sends it from a server instead. When both send the same checkout, Pinterest keeps the first and removes the copy within 48 hours, but only when the tag's eventID matches the server's event_id. Without a shared ID, Pinterest says the data is likely double counted.

Two tags send. The Pinterest app for Shopify installs the tag and the Conversions API. Pinterest asks you to remove a tag you added by hand before you use the app. A tag left in the theme or a tag manager sends a second checkout.

Check it yourself

1. 1In Shopify admin > Orders, filter by sales channel and keep the online store. Count paid orders for the last 7 full days, without point of sale sales, draft orders and subscription renewals.
2. 2In Pinterest Ads Manager, open Conversions and the Events Overview page. Pinterest says this page shows conversions after deduplication. Read the checkout events for the same days.
3. 3Compare that number with your orders first. Events Overview shows what Pinterest received. Ads reports show only what it credits to ads, so they are usually lower.
4. 4Open the Event Quality tab. Pinterest rates your setup Good, Fair or Needs Improvement, and one part of the score is the overlap between tag and server events.
5. 5Open Test Events and place a test order. Check that one checkout arrives and carries a value and an order ID.
6. 6Check your theme code, your tag manager and your custom pixels in Shopify admin > Settings > Customer events for a second Pinterest tag. Keep one source for each checkout.
7. 7If a server sends checkouts too, check that the tag's eventID and the server's event_id are the same for each order, for example the order number.
8. 8In your ad reports, compare whole weeks, and note which attribution window the report uses.

For how a purchase reaches each platform, see Shopify conversion tracking.

Run the free diagnosis

FAQ

Why does Pinterest show more checkouts than I have orders?

Usually two senders without a shared event ID, a second tag, or modeled conversions. Check the overlap in Event Quality and look for a second tag.

Why does Pinterest show fewer?

Blocked browsers, buyers who never saw a Pinterest ad, and purchases outside the attribution window. A server connection helps with the first one only.

What is the epik value?

Pinterest adds epik to the landing page address when someone clicks an ad, and the tag keeps it in the _epik cookie. Pinterest recommends sending it with checkout events so it can match the buyer.

Does Google Analytics see Pinterest conversions?

Pinterest notes that Google Analytics cannot see activity on Pinterest, so a view of a Pin before a purchase is not visible there.