Triple Whale provides accurate attribution and analytics for Shopify stores. This guide covers setup and optimization for data-driven marketing decisions.
integrates with
Why Triple Whale?
First-party attribution:
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| First-party data | Accurate post-iOS14 |
| Multi-channel | All ads in one place |
| Real-time P&L | Live profitability |
| Customer journeys | Full path to purchase |
| AI insights | Anomaly detection |
The attribution problem:
- Facebook over-reports by 30-50%
- Google also over-counts
- iOS14 broke platform tracking
- First-party data is accurate
Triple Whale Pricing
| Plan | Revenue Cap | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | $100K/mo | $79/mo |
| Pro | $500K/mo | $149/mo |
| Enterprise | Unlimited | Custom |
What’s included:
- All ad integrations
- Attribution dashboard
- Real-time P&L
- Customer analytics
- Summary dashboard
Getting Started
Step 1: Install Triple Whale
- Go to Shopify App Store
- Search “Triple Whale”
- Click Add app
- Authorize access
- Install tracking pixel
Step 2: Install Pixel
Add Triple Whale pixel:
Settings > Pixel Installation
↓
Copy pixel code
↓
Add to theme.liquid (before </head>)
↓
Or use automatic installation
Data Flow
%%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': { 'primaryColor': '#e0f2fe', 'primaryTextColor': '#0369a1', 'primaryBorderColor': '#0369a1', 'lineColor': '#64748b', 'secondaryColor': '#f0fdf4', 'tertiaryColor': '#fef3c7'}}}%%
graph LR
A[Store Store] -->|Events & Pageviews| B[Shopify]
A -->|Transactions| B
B -->|Attribution Data| C[Triple Whale]
C -->|Insights| D[Dashboard]
D -->|Optimization| A
Real-time sync
Scheduled sync
Step 3: Connect Ad Accounts
Link platforms:
- Facebook/Meta
- Google Ads
- TikTok
- Snapchat
- Microsoft Ads
Step 4: Configure Attribution
Settings:
- Attribution window (7, 14, 28 days)
- Click vs view attribution
- Multi-touch model
- Custom events
Attribution Models
Last Click
Simple attribution:
- Full credit to last touchpoint
- Clear, actionable
- May undervalue awareness
Multi-Touch
| Model | Description |
|---|---|
| Linear | Equal credit to all touchpoints |
| Time decay | Recent touchpoints weighted |
| Position-based | First and last get 40%, rest split |
| Data-driven | AI-optimized |
First-Party Advantage
Why Triple Whale is accurate:
- Uses Shopify order data
- Server-side tracking
- Not blocked by iOS14
- Deduplicated across channels
Dashboard Overview
Summary Dashboard
At-a-glance metrics:
- Total revenue
- Total ad spend
- ROAS (return on ad spend)
- New vs returning customers
- Profit
Real-Time P&L
| Metric | Source |
|---|---|
| Revenue | Shopify orders |
| COGS | Product costs |
| Ad spend | Connected platforms |
| Shipping | Shopify data |
| Transaction fees | Calculated |
| Profit | Revenue - all costs |
Channel Breakdown
Performance by channel:
- Spend
- Revenue attributed
- ROAS
- CPA
- Conversion rate
Attribution Dashboard
Ad Performance
| Metric | Definition |
|---|---|
| Attributed revenue | Sales from ads |
| ROAS | Revenue ÷ spend |
| CPA | Spend ÷ conversions |
| AOV | Revenue ÷ orders |
Campaign Analysis
Drill down to:
- Campaign performance
- Ad set performance
- Individual ad performance
- Creative analysis
Comparison Tools
Compare:
- Platform-reported vs Triple Whale
- Different time periods
- Different attribution windows
- Channel performance
Customer Analytics
Customer Journey
Visualize paths:
- First touch
- Middle touches
- Last touch
- Time to purchase
Cohort Analysis
| Cohort | Metrics |
|---|---|
| Acquisition source | Revenue by channel |
| First product | LTV by product |
| Time period | Month-over-month |
LTV Predictions
AI-powered predictions:
- Customer lifetime value
- Repeat purchase probability
- Churn risk
- Best customers
Creative Analysis
Ad Performance
Compare creatives:
- Images vs video
- Different angles
- Copy variations
- Format testing
Insights
Identify:
- Top performing creatives
- Fatigue signals
- Testing opportunities
- Scale candidates
Pixel Features
Triple Pixel
Advanced tracking:
- First-party cookies
- Server-side events
- Post-purchase surveys
- Customer identification
Post-Purchase Surveys
Ask customers: “How did you hear about us?”
- Validate attribution
- Capture dark social
- Improve accuracy
Survey Analysis
| Response | Weight |
|---|---|
| Matches Triple Whale | Validates data |
| Doesn’t match | Reveals blind spots |
| “Friend/family” | Dark social |
| “Podcast/influencer” | Non-tracked |
AI Features
Anomaly Detection
Automatic alerts for:
- Spend changes
- Revenue drops
- ROAS fluctuations
- Conversion issues
Recommendations
AI suggests:
- Budget reallocation
- Scaling opportunities
- Issues to address
- Optimization ideas
Forecasting
Predict:
- Future revenue
- Cash flow
- Inventory needs
- Seasonal patterns
Integrations
Ad Platforms
| Platform | Data Synced |
|---|---|
| Facebook/Meta | Spend, campaigns, attribution |
| Google Ads | Spend, campaigns, attribution |
| TikTok | Spend, campaigns, attribution |
| Spend, campaigns, attribution | |
| Snapchat | Spend, campaigns, attribution |
Email/SMS
| Platform | Integration |
|---|---|
| Klaviyo | Attribution |
| Postscript | Attribution |
| Attentive | Attribution |
| Omnisend | Attribution |
Other Tools
| Platform | Integration |
|---|---|
| Gorgias | Customer data |
| Recharge | Subscription data |
| Loop | Returns data |
Advanced Features
Custom Metrics
Create calculated metrics:
- Custom ROAS calculations
- Blended metrics
- Business-specific KPIs
API Access
For developers:
- Pull data via API
- Build custom dashboards
- Integrate with BI tools
Benchmarking
Compare to industry:
- ROAS benchmarks
- CPA by vertical
- Conversion rates
- Growth metrics
Best Practices
Attribution Setup
| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Window | 7-14 days for most |
| Model | Start with last click |
| Surveys | Enable post-purchase |
| Pixel | Install properly |
Using Data
| Goal | Action |
|---|---|
| Scale | Increase spend on high ROAS |
| Cut costs | Reduce low ROAS spend |
| Test | Allocate budget to tests |
| Optimize | Focus on best creatives |
Reporting Cadence
| Frequency | Focus |
|---|---|
| Daily | Check for anomalies |
| Weekly | Performance review |
| Monthly | Strategic analysis |
| Quarterly | Planning |
Troubleshooting
Data Discrepancies
Causes:
- Attribution window differences
- Delayed conversions
- Pixel issues
Solutions:
- Check pixel installation
- Verify attribution settings
- Allow time for data
- Compare windows
Missing Data
Causes:
- Account not connected
- Permissions issue
- API limits
Solutions:
- Reconnect accounts
- Check permissions
- Contact support
Triple Whale vs Alternatives
| Feature | Triple Whale | Northbeam | Rockerbox |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify focus | Yes | Yes | Enterprise |
| Pricing | $79+ | Custom | Custom |
| Real-time | Yes | Yes | Delayed |
| Ease of use | Easy | Medium | Complex |
| Best for | SMB DTC | Growing | Enterprise |
ROI from Triple Whale
Typical Improvements
| Metric | Improvement |
|---|---|
| ROAS visibility | Clear picture |
| Wasted spend | 15-25% reduction |
| Scaling decisions | More confident |
| Budget allocation | Optimized |
Example Impact
Before Triple Whale:
- Spending based on platform data
- Over-attributing to Facebook
- Missing true picture
After Triple Whale:
- Accurate attribution
- Reallocated 30% of budget
- Improved overall ROAS by 20%
Next Steps
After setup:
- Install pixel - On all pages
- Connect accounts - All ad platforms
- Enable surveys - Post-purchase
- Review data - Wait 7+ days
- Optimize - Use insights
Shopify + Triple Whale implementation checklist (2025)
This section adds practical “make it stable” steps you can use after you install the app/connector. It’s intentionally lightweight: the goal is fewer sync surprises, cleaner reporting, and easier troubleshooting.
1) Quick setup checklist
- Permissions first: grant only the scopes you need (orders/customers/products as required) and document who owns the admin credentials.
- Data mapping: confirm how email, phone, currency, and SKU are mapped between Shopify and Triple Whale.
- Historical import: decide how far back to import orders/customers (avoid importing years of data if you don’t need it).
- Deduplication rules: pick one unique identifier per object (usually email for customers, order ID for orders) to prevent doubles.
- Alerts: set a lightweight alert path (email/Slack) for failed syncs, auth expiry, and API rate limits.
2) Data you should verify after connecting
Most integration issues show up in the first hour if you test the right things. Use the table below as a QA checklist (create a test order if needed).
| Data object | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Customers | Email/phone format, marketing consent fields, duplicates | Prevents double messaging and broken segmentation |
| Orders | Order total, tax, discount, shipping, currency | Keeps revenue reporting and automation triggers accurate |
| Line items | SKU, variant ID, quantity, refunds/returns behavior | Avoids inventory and attribution mismatches |
| Fulfillment | Status changes + timestamps, tracking numbers, carrier fields | Drives customer notifications and post-purchase flows |
| Catalog | Product titles, handles, images, collections/tags | Ensures personalization and reporting match your storefront |
3) Automation ideas for Analytics
- UTM discipline: enforce UTM tagging so Triple Whale attribution remains comparable across channels.
- Server-side events: use webhooks (when available) to improve reliability vs. browser-only tracking.
- Consent handling: ensure analytics respects user consent (especially in EU/UK) to avoid data skew.
- Product-level analysis: standardize SKU/product IDs so Triple Whale reporting aligns with your catalog.
- QA dashboards: monitor conversion rate, AOV, and returning customer rate weekly for drift.
API sanity check (Shopify Admin API)
If your integration UI says “connected” but data isn’t flowing, a quick API call helps confirm whether the store is accessible and returning the objects you expect.
# List the 5 most recent orders (GraphQL)
curl -X POST "https://your-store.myshopify.com/admin/api/2025-01/graphql.json" \
-H "X-Shopify-Access-Token: $SHOPIFY_ADMIN_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d "{\"query\":\"{ orders(first: 5, sortKey: CREATED_AT, reverse: true) { edges { node { id name createdAt totalPriceSet { shopMoney { amount currencyCode } } customer { email } } } } }\"}"Tip: keep tokens/keys in environment variables, and test in a staging store/site before rolling changes to production.
4) KPIs to monitor (so you catch problems early)
- Sync freshness: how long it takes for a new order/customer event to appear in Triple Whale.
- Error rate: failed syncs per day (and which object types fail most).
- Duplicates: number of merged/duplicate contacts or orders created by mapping mistakes.
- Revenue parity: weekly spot-check that Shopify totals match downstream reporting (especially after refunds).
- Attribution sanity: confirm that key events (purchase, refund, subscription) are tracked consistently.
5) A simple 30-day optimization plan
- Week 1: connect + map fields, then validate with 5–10 real orders/customers.
- Week 2: enable 1–2 automations and measure baseline KPIs (conversion, AOV, repeat rate).
- Week 3: tighten segmentation/rules (exclude recent buyers, add VIP thresholds, handle edge cases).
- Week 4: document the setup, create an “owner” checklist, and set a recurring monthly audit.
For Google Analytics, see GA4 integration. For order tracking, check AfterShip integration.