How to Set Up Google Ads Dynamic Remarketing in Shopify
Introduction
In this article, we’re going to explore an advanced type of remarketing — dynamic remarketing — and how to set up Google Ads dynamic remarketing in Shopify.
In general, remarketing is a type of ad technology that allows advertisers to “follow” visitors on other websites. For example, you’re selling ebook readers on your website. Once a visitor goes to your website and browses your product selection, you can transfer the data to Google Ads, and the system will generate automatic ads with your products to show them on other websites to your visitors. So once your visitor goes to another website that runs ads from Google Network to read an article about ebook readers, Google Ads will show them an ad with your products, and if they click on it, they will be taken back to your website.
So let’s find out what dynamic remarketing is, how to set it up and how it can help you increase conversions and drive sales.
What Is Dynamic Remarketing
Dynamic remarketing is a more advanced type of advertising technology that allows an advertiser to show not just a selection of products or random products, but the exact ones the user viewed or added to the shopping cart. This greatly increases their chances to convert.
Dynamic remarketing also allows automatic ad creation instead of manually creating ads for all the products a user might visit, thus saving a lot of time.
We’ll run ads for your store, and you’ll be profitable in 60 days.
If you aren’t, then you’ll get the next month for free.
Why You Need Dynamic Remarketing
It’s a great technology that increases the chance of a sale by constantly reminding the visitor about yourself with the exact products they viewed. Multiple tests and cases show that dynamic remarketing is profitable.
If you have an eCommerce store on Shopify, dynamic remarketing is your choice to target past visitors and abandoned shopping carts. Setting up dynamic remarketing requires a little patience and knowledge, and the latter we’re going to provide you with now. We have extensive experience in running PPC for eCommerce businesses and are happy to share our expertise with you.
How to Set Up Dynamic Remarketing in Shopify
Before setting up dynamic remarketing, make sure you have the following settings ready:
- Your Google Merchant Center account is linked to your Google Ads account.
- Google Analytics account is set up in Shopify. eCommerce is enabled in Shopify and in your Google Analytics account.
- Your Google Analytics account has the following parameters: ecomm_prodid, ecomm_pagetype, ecomm_totalvalue.
Google Ads dynamic remarketing in Shopify requires additional settings: product IDs, page type, product cost.
All data can be transferred using two methods: to Google Analytics directly or through Google Ads using a remarketing tag. You can use them both at once or separately, depending on your goals.
To learn how to add GTM to Shopify, check out our article How to Install Google Tag Manager on Shopify where you will find 2 ways to do it.
Warning! The following instruction requires code editing skills. If you don’t have any or don’t have much time to learn, our team is happy to help with setting up dynamic remarketing for your Shopify store.
Setting Up Data Transfer to Google Analytics
You’ll need an additional remarketing tag in your Shopify account to transfer data correctly. Here’s how to place it in your Shopify account.
- Select the section “Online Store” in the left menu.
- Go to “Themes” section (1). In the “Actions” drop-down menu (2), select code editing (3).
In the “Snippets” folder, create a new snippet, and name it dynamic-remarketing.liquid. Then add the following code:
<!-- START Google Ads dynamic remarketing by DigitalDarts.com.au v1.3 -->
{%- assign product-id = "variant-id" -%}{%- comment -%}The format of the product IDs in the feed. 3 accepted values "sku" (SKU of the variant e.g. aga-012), "variant-id" (variant ID e.g. 21283160948841), or "product-id_variant-id" (product ID underscore then variant ID e.g. 28541777444969_21283160948841).{%- endcomment -%}
{%- assign product-id-prefix = "" -%}{%- comment -%}Prefix to product-id. Leave blank if there's no prefix. This is likely needed if product-id_variant-id is selected so 123456_789012 becomes shopify_AU_28541777444969_21283160948841.{%- endcomment -%}
{%- assign price-decimal-fs = false -%}{%- comment -%}If the decimal separator is a full stop like in USD and AUD currencies, set to true. If it is a comma like in some European countries, set to false.{%- endcomment -%}
{%- comment -%}Change dimension1, dimension2, and dimension3 on line 16 to match your custom dimension number in Google Analytics.{%- endcomment -%}
{%- if template contains 'collection' or template contains 'search' or template contains 'product' or template contains 'cart' -%}
<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=UA-PROPERTY_ID"></script>
<script>
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'UA-PROPERTY_ID', { 'send_page_view': false, 'custom_map': {'dimension1': 'ecomm_prodid', 'dimension2': 'ecomm_pagetype', 'dimension3': 'ecomm_totalvalue'} });
</script>
<script>
gtag('event', 'Dynamic Remarketing', {
'ecomm_pagetype': '{% if template contains 'collection' %}category{% elsif template contains 'search' %}searchresults{% elsif template contains 'product' %}product{% elsif template contains 'cart' %}cart{% endif %}'
{%- if product-id == "product-id_variant-id" -%}
, 'ecomm_prodid': {% if template contains 'product' -%}
'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ product.id }}_{{ product.selected_or_first_available_variant.id }}'
{%- elsif template contains 'collection' -%}
[{% for item in collection.products limit:4 %}'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ item.id }}_{{ item.selected_or_first_available_variant.id }}'{% unless forloop.last %}, {% endunless %}{% endfor %}]
{%- elsif template contains 'search' -%}
[{% for item in search.results limit:4 %}'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ item.id }}_{{ item.selected_or_first_available_variant.id }}'{% unless forloop.last %}, {% endunless %}{% endfor %}]
{%- elsif template contains 'cart' -%}
[{%- for item in cart.items -%}'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ item.product_id }}_{{ item.variant_id }}'
{%- unless forloop.last -%}, {%- endunless -%}
{%- endfor -%}]
{%- endif -%}
{%- elsif product-id == 'variant-id' -%}
, 'ecomm_prodid': {% if template contains 'product' -%}
'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ product.selected_or_first_available_variant.id }}'
{%- elsif template contains 'collection' -%}
[{% for item in collection.products limit: 4 %}'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ item.variants.first.id }}'{% unless forloop.last %}, {% endunless %}{% endfor %}]
{%- elsif template contains 'search' -%}
[{% for item in search.results limit: 4 %}'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ item.variants.first.id }}'{% unless forloop.last %}, {% endunless %}{% endfor %}]
{%- elsif template contains 'cart' -%}
[{%- for item in cart.items -%}'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ item.variant_id }}'
{%- unless forloop.last -%}, {%- endunless -%}
{%- endfor -%}]
{%- endif -%}
{%- elsif product-id == 'sku' -%}
, 'ecomm_prodid': {% if template contains 'product' -%}
'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ product.selected_or_first_available_variant.sku }}'
{%- elsif template contains 'collection' -%}
[{% for item in collection.products limit: 4 %}'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ item.selected_or_first_available_variant.sku }}'{% unless forloop.last %}, {% endunless %}{% endfor %}]
{%- elsif template contains 'search' -%}
[{% for item in search.results limit: 4 %}'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ item.selected_or_first_available_variant.sku }}'{% unless forloop.last %}, {% endunless %}{% endfor %}]
{%- elsif template contains 'cart' -%}
[{%- for item in cart.items -%}'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ item.sku }}'
{%- unless forloop.last -%}, {%- endunless -%}
{%- endfor -%}]
{%- endif -%}
{%- endif -%}
{%- if price-decimal-fs == true -%}
{%- if template contains 'product' -%}
{%- assign product-price = product.price_min | money_without_currency | remove: ',' -%}
{%- elsif template contains 'cart' -%}
{%- assign product-price = cart.total_price | money_without_currency | remove: ',' -%}
{%- endif -%}
{%- else -%}
{%- if template contains 'product' -%}
{%- assign product-price = product.price_min | money_without_currency | remove: '.' | replace: ',', '.' -%}
{%- elsif template contains 'cart' -%}
{%- assign product-price = cart.total_price | money_without_currency | remove: '.' | replace: ',', '.' -%}
{%- endif -%}
{%- endif -%}
{%- if template contains 'product' or template contains 'cart' -%}
, 'ecomm_totalvalue': {% if template contains 'product' -%}
{{ product-price -}}
{%- elsif template contains 'cart' -%}
{{ product-price -}}
{%- endif -%}
{%- endif -%}, 'non_interaction': true });
</script>
{%- endif %}
<!-- END Google Ads dynamic remarketing by DigitalDarts.com.au →
Adjust the code to match your project:
- Replace UA-PROPERTY_ID with the Google Analytics counter ID.
- If the custom parameters in Google Analytics are in a different order, match the parameter number and its value for dimension1, dimension2, and dimension3.
- In the code above, the product ID type matches the type passed to Google Merchant Center using the DataFeedWatch app (more on matching IDs in Setting Up Data Transfer to Google Merchant Center section). If it doesn’t match in your case, set the appropriate value in line 2 of the code: {%- assign product-id = “product-id_variant-id” -%}
The code above has the comment section about the product ID types.
If you don’t know what type of product ID you need, check out the last section of this guide: Setting Up Data Transfer to Google Merchant Center.
- If you need to add a prefix before the product ID, specify it in the line {%- assign product-id-prefix = “” -%} (IE, US, AU, …). In this version of the code, the prefix is not used and the variable is empty.
- Save your changes.
Next step, in the Themes section, find theme.liquid, open it and place the line {% include ‘dynamic-remarketing’ %} immediately after the opening <head> tag.
Save changes.
Next, place an alternative version of the code in the Shopping Cart.
Go to Settings (1) and select Checkout (2).
Place the following alternative code in the Additional scripts:
<!-- START Google Ads dynamic remarketing by DigitalDarts.com.au v1.3 -->
{%- assign product-id = "variant-id" -%}{%- comment -%}The format of the product IDs in the feed. 3 accepted values "sku" (SKU of the variant e.g. aga-012), "variant-id" (variant ID e.g. 21283160948841), or "product-id_variant-id" (product ID underscore then variant ID e.g. 28541777444969_21283160948841).{%- endcomment -%}
{%- assign product-id-prefix = "" -%}{%- comment -%}Prefix to product-id. Leave blank if there's no prefix. This is likely needed if product-id_variant-id is selected so 123456_789012 becomes shopify_AU_28541777444969_21283160948841.{%- endcomment -%}
{%- assign price-decimal-fs = false -%}{%- comment -%}If the decimal separator is a full stop like in USD and AUD currencies, set to true. If it is a comma like in some European countries, set to false.{%- endcomment -%}
{%- comment -%}Change dimension1, dimension2, and dimension3 on line 15 to match your custom dimension number in Google Analytics.{%- endcomment -%}
<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=UA-PROPERTY_ID"></script>
<script>
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'UA-PROPERTY_ID', { 'send_page_view': false, 'custom_map': {'dimension1': 'ecomm_prodid', 'dimension2': 'ecomm_pagetype', 'dimension3': 'ecomm_totalvalue'} });
</script>
<script>
gtag('event', 'Dynamic Remarketing', { 'ecomm_pagetype': 'purchase'
{%- if product-id == "product-id_variant-id" -%}
, 'ecomm_prodid': [{% for item in checkout.line_items %}'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ item.product_id }}_{{ item.variant_id }}'{% unless forloop.last %}, {% endunless %}{% endfor %}]
{%- elsif product-id == 'variant-id' -%}
, 'ecomm_prodid': [{% for item in checkout.line_items %}'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ item.variant_id }}'{% unless forloop.last %}, {% endunless %}{% endfor %}]
{%- elsif product-id == 'sku' -%}
, 'ecomm_prodid': [{% for item in checkout.line_items %}'{{ product-id-prefix }}{{ item.sku }}'{% unless forloop.last %}, {% endunless %}{% endfor %}]
{%- endif -%}
, 'ecomm_totalvalue': {% if price-decimal-fs == true -%}{{ checkout.total_price | money_without_currency | remove: ',' }}{% else %}{{ checkout.total_price | money_without_currency | remove: '.' | replace: ',', '.' }}{%- endif -%}
, 'non_interaction': true });
</script>
<!-- END Google Ads dynamic remarketing by DigitalDarts.com.au -->
Repeat the steps for the code in Themes: replace the UA-PROPERTY_ID, arrange the user parameters in the correct order, select the desired value for the product-id.
You can check if the parameters are transferred correctly using the Tag Assistant extension. If everything is fine, the custom values will be transferred to the Google Analytics tag:
Setting Up Data Transfer Using Google Ads Tag
Another way to set up data transfer for dynamic remarketing is to use a Google Ads tag.
Place the following code in theme.liquid:
<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-XXXXXXXXX"></script>
<script>
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'AW-XXXXXXXXX');
</script>
<script>
var _data = {'send_to': 'AW-XXXXXXXXX', 'ecomm_pagetype':'other'};
{% if template contains 'cart' %}
_data["ecomm_pagetype"] = 'cart';
_data["ecomm_prodid"] = [{% for item in cart.items %}'shopify_{{ shopify_store_country }}_{{ item.product.id }}_{{ item.variant.id }}'{% unless forloop.last %}, {% endunless %}{% endfor %}];
_data["ecomm_totalvalue"] = '{{ cart.total_price | money_without_currency | remove: ',' }}';
{% elsif template contains 'collection' %}
var _prodid = [{% for item in collection.products limit:5 %}'shopify_{{ shopify_store_country }}_{{ item.id }}_{{ item.variants.first.id }}'{% unless forloop.last %}, {% endunless %}{% endfor %}];
_data["ecomm_pagetype"] = 'category';
_data["ecomm_category"] = '{{ collection.handle }}';
{% elsif template contains 'index' %}
_data["ecomm_pagetype"] = 'home';
{% elsif template contains 'product' %}
_data["ecomm_prodid"] = 'shopify_{{ shopify_store_country }}_{{ product.id }}_{{ product.selected_or_first_available_variant.id }}';
_data["ecomm_pagetype"] = 'product';
_data["ecomm_totalvalue"] = '{{ product.selected_or_first_available_variant.price | money_without_currency | remove: ',' }}';
{% elsif template contains 'search' %}
_data["ecomm_prodid"] = [{% for item in search.results limit:5 %}'shopify_{{ shopify_store_country }}_{{ item.id }}_{{ item.variants.first.id }}'{% unless forloop.last %}, {% endunless %}{% endfor %}];
_data["ecomm_pagetype"] = 'searchresults';
{% endif %}
gtag('event', 'page_view', _data);
</script>
Adjust the code:
- Replace ‘AW-XXXXXXXXX’ with Google Ads tag ID.
- According to the type of Product ID you need, set the desired value for the ecomm_prodid variable, and remove the rest. At the moment the value of ecomm_prodid is set to shopify_US_81191654332_1055121650148.
- If you need the whole value, don’t change anything, just enter the country code instead of {{ shopify_store_country }}.
- If you only need the numeric value 81191654332, leave the brackets between the second and third underscores of each selected code fragment and remove the rest.
- If you only need the numeric value 1055121650148, then leave only the brackets after the third underscore of each code fragment.
Next, place the code for Google Ads in the Shopping cart:
<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-XXXXXXXXX"></script>
<script>
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'AW-XXXXXXXXX');
</script>
<!-- Event snippet for Web Order conversion page -->
<script>
// Conversion
gtag('event', 'conversion', {
'send_to': 'AW-XXXXXXXXX/{{ google_conversion_label }}',
'value': {{ checkout.subtotal_price | money_without_currency | remove: ',' }},
'currency': '{{ shop.currency }}',
'transaction_id': '{{ order.order_number }}'
});
// Remarketing
gtag('event', 'page_view', {
'send_to': 'AW-XXXXXXXXX',
'ecomm_pagetype': 'purchase',
'ecomm_prodid' : [{% for item in order.line_items %}'shopify_{{ shopify_store_country }}_{{ item.product.id }}_{{ item.variant.id }}'{% unless forloop.last %}, {% endunless %}{% endfor %}],
'ecomm_totalvalue' : '{{ total_price | money_without_currency | remove: ',' }}'
});
</script>
{% endif %}
Adjust the code:
- Replace the value AW-XXXXXXXXX with the value of the Google Ads code.
- Replace the {{ google_conversion_label }} value with the Google Ads conversion value.
- According to the type of Product ID, set the value for the ecomm_prodid variable, and remove the rest. Now the ecomm_prodid value is shopify_US_81191654332_1055121650148.
- If you need the whole value, don’t change anything.
- If you only need the numeric value 81191654332, then leave the brackets between the second and third underscores of each selected code fragment and remove the rest.
- If you only need the numeric value 1055121650148, then leave only the brackets after the third underscore of each code fragment.
Setting Up Data Transfer to Google Merchant Center
When setting up Google Ads dynamic remarketing in Shopify, you can submit your data feed using several apps from Shopify App Store. If you need one feed for a small number of products targeting one country, then a free app should be enough. If you need different feeds for different countries, it’s better to use a paid DataFeedWatch app.
The feed can be created in different ways, depending on the method of transferring the feed from Shopify to Merchant Center. If it’s a free Google Shopping app, the data is loaded via the API. If it is a DataFeedWatch feed, then the feed is loaded through the specified feed URL.
How to Determine the Product ID Type in Google Merchant Center
The type of the transferred Product ID will be different, depending on the app used. It’s important that the Product ID type stays the same for all systems.
You can find out which type of Product ID is passed to Merchant Center. Go to All Products and look at the values in the Identifier column.
How to find out what type of product ID this value corresponds to? The easiest way is to adjust the code for passing the product ID to Google Analytics or Google Ads.
- In Google Ads, you need to pass the value for the ecomm_prodid variable, specified in the default code. It looks like this: shopify_US_81191654332_1055121650148.
- In Google Analytics, you need to follow the instructions at the beginning of the code and set the product-id variable to “product-id_variant-id”.
- Go to your website and use Tag Assistant to check which IDs match the product ID in the Merchant Center.
- Adjust your Google Analytics or Google Ads code to match the type of product ID that’s being passed to your feed.
Now that the data feeds are set up correctly, you’re ready to start creating dynamic remarketing campaigns.
Notes
The script for Google Ads dynamic remarketing in Shopify was obtained through www.digitaldarts.com.au. We’ve used it extensively in our work and it has proven to be very useful.
The author has published a single script for dynamic ads remarketing for both Google Analytics and Google Ads. You are welcome to test it yourself: https://www.digitaldarts.com.au/google-shopping/merchant-center-programs
Let us know in the comments which script you’ve used and how it worked for you.
FAQ
How to use Google Ads for Shopify?
To start advertising your online store on Shopify, you need to set up a Google Merchant Center account and the correct product feed. Then you need to link your Merchant Center with your Google Ads account. After that, you can start creating ad campaigns.
What is the difference between remarketing and dynamic remarketing?
Dynamic remarketing is more personalized. It allows you to show the products and services that people have already viewed on the site. There is also an option to show discounts or special offers that increase the chances of converting leads into customers.
How do you check if dynamic remarketing is working?
Dynamic remarketing settings are correct if you have the dynamic product parameters tracking (product id, page type, total value). You can use Google Tag Assistant to check it.
Also, these parameters should be successfully tracked in your Google Ads account.
You can check if dynamic parameter values are being tracked in your Google Ads account here: Tools & Settings => Shared Library => Audience Manager => Your Data Sources.
There you will be able to see statistics for eCommerce dynamic parameters.
Can you add GTM to Shopify?
Yes, there are 2 ways to add Google Tag Manager to an online store on Shopify — you can add GTM to a Shopify theme or use one of 3 apps (Easy Tag — GTM & Data Layer, Elevar Conversion Tracking, Analyzify). Read the detailed instructions on how to do it in our article How to Install Google Tag Manager on Shopify.
Can you integrate Google reviews with Shopify?
Reviews play a decisive role for buyers during online shopping. There are 2 ways to add Google reviews to your Shopify store. You can either use Tagembed Shopify App or integrate reviews without this tool. Check out our article How to Set Up Product Ratings Display on Google Ads or contact our team for help.
What is UTM Shopify?
UTM allows us to track the performance of marketing campaigns. The obtained data can be used later to optimize other campaigns. If you want to create a UTM link, you should use Google Analytics URL Builder. Contact our team for a consultation.
Xenia Volokitina
Performance Marketing Specialist working with PPC since 2016. Specializes in Google & Microsoft paid traffic for eCommerce & B2B projects. In love with analysis. When not launching effective PPC campaigns, she is reading about the latest eCommerce and data tracking trends.
