Data is at the heart of modern business strategies – and in e-commerce, the quality of data is the deciding factor between success and failure. The classic Client-side tracking is increasingly reaching its limits: Ad blockers, strict data protection policies and restrictive browser settings are making data collection considerably more difficult. Server-side tracking offers a future-proof solution here. It gives you full control over your data and enables precise Conversion optimisation and sticks to it in compliance with data protection regulations. This is how you secure a decisive competitive edge and ensure your Shopware shop is more successful in the long term.
Data quality as the key to business success
1,800 European executives were surveyed in a recent Study were asked what they considered to be crucial in order to Sales opportunities to make better use of it. The result: more accurate (66 per cent) and more complete data (65 per cent). These decision-makers have realised that accurate and complete data are essential for well-informed decisions to make. Companies that improve their data strategy and focus on high-quality data can boost their efficiency and capitalise on competitive advantages. In e-commerce, server-side tracking enables precisely this high-quality data collection, thereby securing a decisive advantage.
What is server-side tracking?
With conventional Client-side tracking User data is collected directly in the customer’s browser. This method is increasingly vulnerable to data loss – for example, due to ad blockers or strict data protection regulations. Server-side tracking offers a robust alternative in which user data is processed centrally on your shop’s server. This ensures that data collection is not affected by browser settings or blocking mechanisms.
For you, this means a comprehensive, reliable insight into your customers’ behaviour. Server-side tracking enables you to gain deep insights – from your customers’ click paths right through to the specific products they were interested in. These insights are invaluable. You can improve your offering in a targeted way and tailor your marketing campaigns more precisely. With these data-driven insights, you can make informed decisions that will benefit your Shopware-Shop gain a genuine competitive advantage.
Imagine, for example, that you can track exactly which products your customers have added to their shopping baskets but ultimately did not purchase. With this data, you can take targeted action. Such precise insights help you to respond directly to your customers’ behaviour and thereby significantly increase your sales opportunities.
Technical process of server-side tracking
With server-side tracking, user data is not sent directly from the user’s browser to the tracking services, but is instead processed by the shop’s server and then forwarded to the relevant tracking platforms. This means that the collection and processing of the data takes place at server level.
The basic procedure can be described as follows:
1. User interaction on the website: A customer visits your online shop and interacts with the website – for example, by viewing product pages, adding a product to their basket or purchasing an item. These interactions are known as Conversions and are key indicators of your shop’s success.
2. Event logging in the browser: The website’s front end records these user actions and sends this information to the server. This can be done, for example, using JavaScript, which detects specific interactions and sends a request to the shop server.
3. Server-side processing and anonymisation of data:
· The shop server receives the information and processes it further. In doing so, the data is anonymised before being forwarded to tracking services such as Google Analytics. This Anonymisation is a key aspect in meeting the requirements of the GDPR to fulfil.
· The tracking services do not receive any personal data – such as the IP address or other identifying information about the user. Instead, only aggregated and anonymised data is transmitted, from which so-called ‘derived conversions’ are calculated. These are then integrated into the regular conversion data at a later date to ensure a comprehensive measurement of success.
· This process ensures that the collection and transmission of data GDPR-compliant takes place, whilst you, as the shop operator, still have the option to collect precise conversion data to optimise your marketing activities.
Advantages of server-side tracking
Server-side tracking offers several advantages over traditional tracking methods, which are crucial to your e-commerce success:
· Improved data quality: Processing takes place directly on your server, meaning that data collection is unaffected by Ad blockers and Cookie restrictions remains. This ensures more accurate and comprehensive information, even in an increasingly cookie-free online world.
· Tracking in compliance with data protection regulations: Data protection is essential in e-commerce. Server-side tracking enables the secure processing of customer data directly on your server. This means you retain control over the data, which ensures compliance with GDPR makes things easier and builds trust with your customers.
· Improved performance: Server-side tracking reduces the load on scripts that run on the client side. This results in faster loading times and a seamless user experience, which has a direct positive impact on the Conversion rate has an effect.
Why is server-side tracking ideal for Shopware?
The Compatibility on server-side tracking with Shopware 6 is ideal, as Shopware, thanks to its flexible API structure (Application Programming Interfaces or programming interfaces) enables seamless integration. Thanks to the customisable plugins, bespoke solutions can be developed that are precisely tailored to the requirements of your shop – without unnecessary features and without any loss of data.
This close integration ensures that your shop’s performance remains high, whilst at the same time valuable data is reliably collected. This enables you to carry out a precise analysis of the data, which will help your Shop Management and yours Marketing activities specifically improved. Server-side tracking ensures a a fast and smooth user experience, thereby strengthening customer loyalty and ensuring long-term success in e-commerce .
Our approach to your shop
You are now familiar with the benefits of the Server-side tracking, and the question is: How can you implement this effectively in your Shopware shop? This is where we at Two-point As an experienced e-commerce agency, we step in. Our bespoke solutions are perfectly tailored to your shop. We always keep your target customers in mind and customise the tracking solution to ensure the best possible conversion optimisation.
As a full-service agency, we handle the entire technical implementation – from setting up the necessary server infrastructure to configuring tracking tools such as Google Analytics or Facebook Pixel. This allows you to focus entirely on your core business.
By the way: In this Blog post You’ll find out why end-to-end solutions from full-service agencies are essential for your e-commerce business.
Our steps towards implementation:
- Analysis of your needs: Together, we’ll identify which key performance indicators are crucial to your success.
- Customised adjustments: Every solution is tailored precisely to your specific requirements, so that you can derive the maximum benefit from it.
- Technical Implementation: We take care of the full implementation of server-side tracking.
- Full service: We’ll take care of the technical set-up and ensure that everything runs smoothly, whilst you focus on your core business.
A real-life success story
A fashion company that we supported with a bespoke server-side tracking solution was able to Conversion rate by increasing sales by 20 per cent within six months. More accurate data enabled targeted marketing measures, which increased the company’s turnover by 15 per cent in a short space of time. This case study demonstrates just how valuable accurate data collection can be in e-commerce.
Take action now: Take your tracking to the next level
Server-side tracking is the future-proof solution for obtaining accurate and reliable data in e-commerce. Take this opportunity to optimise your tracking and ensure that you always know how your customers behave. This will not only provide you with an in-depth analysis, but also specific recommendations on how you can targetedly improve data quality in your shop. Together, we’ll find a way at Two-point a solution that’s perfect for your Shopware shop is the right fit – for better data, optimised performance and higher conversion rates.