Meta ads for online stores: Meta's numbers next to real shop sales

Two numbers for the same sale

Meta counts a purchase when it falls inside the attribution setting of your ad set. With standard attribution, that can be a purchase within one or seven days after a click on the ad, or within one day after someone only saw it (Meta Business Help). Your shop counts the orders that actually came in, after refunds.

Both numbers follow their own rules, so they often differ. If you only look at Meta's figure, you scale on numbers your bank account may never see. If you only look at the shop, you can't tell which ad brought the order. Why the two differ is explained in the guide on conversions not matching your shop; how much it changes your return is shown in the ROAS guide.

Shop sales per campaign and ad

aurexus connects to Shopify or WooCommerce and fetches new orders every five minutes. aurexus matches orders to your Meta ads through their UTM parameters: first through the ad ID, then through the ad name, and if neither fits, to the campaign only. Orders from other sources, such as Google or a newsletter, don't count for Meta, even if their campaign name happens to look like one of yours.

Revenue is the order total in your shop's currency, with refunds deducted. A switch in aurexus flips purchases, revenue and ROAS between Meta's view and your shop's view, next to the spend you already see on the dashboard.

UTM parameters decide what can be matched

Without UTM parameters, aurexus cannot match an order to an ad. You add them in Ads Manager under Tracking, either as fixed values or as dynamic parameters that Meta fills in for each ad (Meta Business Help). Meta offers dynamic parameters for the source and for the IDs and names of campaign, ad set and ad (Meta Business Help). For aurexus, put them into the UTM fields, for example utm_source={{site_source_name}}, utm_campaign={{campaign.name}} and utm_content={{ad.id}}. The ad ID stays the same when you rename something later, which makes it the safer choice.

The Check UTM view in aurexus lists active ads that don't carry matching UTM parameters, so you can fix them before the next order comes in.

The rest of aurexus for your store

In Pro and Agency, the AI copilot reads campaigns, budgets and results live from Meta, explains what changed and prepares changes as drafts that you approve. Agents check a metric for you every day at a fixed hour and email you when it tips.

Plans and status

The shop comparison is a beta, included in the paid plans Pro and Agency. The Start plan doesn't include it.

Frequently asked questions

Do Meta ads work for online stores?

They can, if the revenue from the ads covers the ad spend and your margin. Compare the revenue that reached your shop with the purchases Meta reports, campaign by campaign. That comparison is what aurexus is built for.

Do I need extra tracking software for Meta ads?

Meta measures with its own tools, such as the Meta Pixel on your website (Meta Business Help). To see your shop's view of the same sales, you need UTM parameters on your ads and something that reads them: Meta notes that you need a website analytics tool to track the results of URL parameters (Meta Business Help). aurexus reads the UTM parameters of your Shopify or WooCommerce orders; it doesn't add its own pixel.

What are UTM parameters in Meta ads?

Short additions to the link of your ad, such as utm_campaign or utm_content, that tell your shop which campaign and ad a visitor came from. In Ads Manager you set them under Tracking, as fixed values or as dynamic parameters such as utm_content={{ad.id}} (Meta Business Help).

Can I see Meta numbers and shop sales side by side?

Yes. Once your shop is connected, a switch in aurexus shows purchases, revenue and ROAS by Meta or by your shop, with orders matched to campaign, ad set and ad. Orders without matching UTM parameters can't be matched to an ad.