5 Tracking Mistakes DTC Brands Make (and How to Fix Them)
If you're running a DTC brand and spending money on ads, but your tracking isnโt set up correctly, you could be wasting a LOT of potential revenue. Here are five common tracking mistakes I see all the timeโalong with how to fix them: 1๏ธโฃ Relying Only on Basic Pixel Tracking Most brands just install the Meta Pixel or Google Tag and think theyโre set. But without Enhanced Conversions & Server-Side Tracking, you're missing key data. โ
Fix: Set up first-party tracking with GTM & server-side events to improve data accuracy. 2๏ธโฃ Not Tracking Key Customer Actions You might be tracking purchases, but what about add-to-carts, checkout steps, and button clicks? These are critical for retargeting & optimizing ad spend. โ
Fix: Implement custom event tracking for deeper insights into your funnel. 3๏ธโฃ Broken or Incomplete Attribution Ever noticed conversions being misattributed to Organic instead of Paid? Thatโs likely due to cookie restrictions or tracking delays. โ
Fix: Use first-party data + UTM parameters to ensure your conversions are properly assigned. 4๏ธโฃ No Offline Conversion Tracking If youโre generating leads (phone calls, form submissions, etc.), but only tracking online sales, youโre missing the full picture. โ
Fix: Set up offline conversion tracking in Google & Meta to measure true campaign impact. 5๏ธโฃ Not Testing Your Tracking Regularly Tracking setups can break due to site updates, new integrations, or even browser changes. If youโre not testing, you might not realize until itโs too late. โ
Fix: Regularly debug your tracking using tools like GA4 DebugView, Chrome Tag Assistant, and Metaโs Event Manager. ๐ก If youโre running a DTC brand, proper tracking is the foundation of profitable advertising. Whatโs the biggest tracking challenge youโve faced? Drop it in the comments!