Custom Meta events

Build the events your campaigns actually need

Your pixel sends "purchase." That's one signal. Metaply sends new customer, subscription, repeat buyer, loyalty, and category-specific events — server-side, on top of your existing setup — so Meta, Google, TikTok etc. know exactly who bought and can find more of them.

Get the app See how it works

The problem

Your ad platforms are optimizing blind

Every Shopify store running Meta or Google ads is sending the same signal: "Purchase." That's it. No context about who bought. No difference between a first-time customer and someone on their fifth order. No signal for a subscription start. No way to know which product category triggered the conversion.

When all your ad platform sees is "purchase," it treats every buyer the same. Your prospecting campaigns retarget existing customers. Your retention campaigns waste spend on people who just bought. And your subscription ads optimize on one-time buyers.

Metaply fixes this by sending the signals that were always in your Shopify store — just never passed along.

Subscription EventTrain ad platforms on subscription starts and renewals, not just any purchaseMetaGoogleKlaviyo

Fires on: Subscription starts and renewals (integrates with Shopify subscription apps).
Why it matters: A subscription buyer is worth 3–5x a one-time buyer in LTV. But your pixel has no idea who subscribed and who didn't — it just sees "purchase" for both. The Subscription event trains your ad platforms specifically on customers who convert to recurring revenue. Meta can then build lookalike audiences of subscription buyers, and your campaigns stop optimizing on one-time purchasers as if they were equivalent.

Real use case

A coffee brand wants to grow its subscription base. By firing a Subscription event on subscribe (not just on purchase), Meta builds a lookalike of actual subscribers — not just one-time buyers — and subscription acquisition cost drops because the algorithm learns the right pattern.

New Customer PurchaseTrack first-time buyers so Meta finds more net-new customersMetaGoogle

Fires on: Any purchase from a customer with zero prior orders in Shopify.
Why it matters: When you run prospecting campaigns, you want Meta's algorithm to optimize on first-time buyers — not returning customers who already know you. Without this event, your prospecting ad set trains on every purchase, which includes repeat buyers and inflates your apparent acquisition efficiency. NewCustomer gives Meta a clean signal: this is what a net-new customer looks like — go find more of these people.

Real use case

A skincare brand runs a prospecting campaign targeting cold audiences. By optimizing on NewCustomer instead of Purchase, Meta stops showing ads to existing customers and CAC drops because the algorithm learns from actual first-time buyers only.

Returning Customer PurchaseSeparate repeat buyers from first-timers for dedicated retention campaignsMetaGoogleKlaviyo

Fires on: Any purchase from a customer with 1+ prior orders in Shopify.
Why it matters: Your highest-LTV customers are repeat buyers. But if your retention campaigns optimize on the generic Purchase event, they're competing with your prospecting campaigns for the same signal. ReturningCustomer lets you build a dedicated retention audience — people who came back and bought again — and create lookalikes from your most loyal buyers specifically.

Real use case

A supplement brand separates its campaigns. Prospecting optimizes on NewCustomer. Retention optimizes on ReturningCustomer. Each campaign trains on its own buyer type, stops cannibalizing each other, and Meta's algorithm gets a cleaner signal for each objective.

Enriched PurchaseEvery purchase, with full order context and identity data added server-sideMetaGoogle

Fires on: Every purchase, with full order context added.
Why it matters: Shopify's default purchase event sends basic order data. PurchaseEnriched adds SKUs, product categories, discount codes, item prices, shipping info, and full customer identity data — hashed and sent server-side. This improves Event Match Quality in Meta, which directly affects how well Meta can attribute conversions and how efficiently the algorithm can optimize. Higher EMQ = cheaper clicks.

Real use case

A glass brand switched from the default Shopify pixel to PurchaseEnriched via Metaply. Event Match Quality improved by 52.5%, CPM dropped from $25 to $15, and ROAS lifted 22% — without changing a single ad or creative.

Loyalty Customer PurchaseBuild lookalike audiences from your absolute best customersMetaGoogle

Fires on: Configurable — e.g. customers with 3+ orders, or orders over a lifetime value threshold.
Why it matters: Your loyalty customers are your best customers. LoyaltyCustomer lets you define what "loyal" means for your store — number of orders, total spend, or both — and fire a dedicated event when those buyers convert again. This creates a high-quality signal for building lookalike audiences from your absolute best customers, not just any repeat buyer.

Real use case

A health brand defines loyal as "4+ orders." Meta builds a lookalike from LoyaltyCustomer events and finds high-intent buyers who match the pattern of their best customers. CAC for this audience is significantly lower than cold prospecting.

Custom EventSame flow as Event Builder in the app: name, description, trigger, and optional product filterMetaGoogleKlaviyo

Event Builder in Metaply helps you define custom events to track specific actions and behaviors. Here's what you configure — the same fields you see before you save.

1. Event name & description

Give your event a name and optional description. Both are sent with the event to the Meta Pixel and Conversions API (and your other connected platforms) so reporting stays clear in Ads Manager and downstream tools.

2. When does this event fire?

Pick which standard behavior triggers your custom event: Purchase, Product Viewed, or Add to Cart. The app shows which base event you're attaching to — e.g. "This event will fire when a Purchase event occurs."

3. Filter by products (optional)

Narrow the event so it only fires when specific products are involved — use Add products to pick SKUs or line items. Leave the list empty and the event applies to all products for that trigger.

No products selected → fires for every matching checkout or view, depending on your trigger.

Why it matters

That combination — custom naming, the right trigger, and product-level filtering — is how you teach Meta (and Google, Klaviyo) that different purchases mean different buyer types, without writing code.

Open Event Builder in the app

Pixel vs. Metaply

Without Metaply — what your pixel sends

Purchase
New vs. returning buyerMissing
Subscription startedMissing
Category or SKU contextMissing
Loyalty / LTV contextMissing

~20–30% of events lost to ad blockers & iOS

With Metaply — what your platform gets

Purchase (enriched)Richer
New customer purchaseCustom
Subscription started / renewedCustom
Category buyer eventsCustom
Loyalty customer eventsCustom

Server-side via CAPI — bypasses ad blockers & iOS

Custom event builder

Build events that match how your store actually sells

Beyond the default events, Metaply lets you create your own conversion events tied to specific product categories, collections, or SKUs. This means your ad platforms get a signal not just that a purchase happened — but what kind of purchase, and at what stage of the customer journey.

Every product category has different buyer stages. A purchase in category A means something completely different to your ad platform than a purchase in category B — and treating them as the same signal means your campaigns can't learn the difference. Category events let you teach your ad platforms exactly who each buyer is.

Baby brand

A baby brand sells strollers and stroller accessories. These are two completely different buyer signals:

StrollerPurchase — fires when a new parent buys a stroller. High-intent acquisition signal. Meta uses this to find more new parents ready for a big first purchase.
AccessoryPurchase — fires when an existing stroller owner buys an add-on. LTV/upsell signal. Meta uses this to find more existing owners likely to buy accessories.

Without category events, both fire as "Purchase" and Meta can't tell a new parent from an existing one. With category events, each campaign trains on the right buyer type.

Supplement brand

A supplement brand sells protein powders and vitamins. These buyers have different intent profiles:

ProteinPurchase — high-repeat, gym-focused buyer. Great for lookalike prospecting toward fitness audiences.
VitaminPurchase — broader health-conscious buyer. Different demographic, different messaging, different creative.

Splitting the signal lets each product line's campaigns optimize independently instead of sharing a blended "purchase" signal that confuses the algorithm.

Apparel brand

A hat brand separates new collection buyers from loyal reorders:

NewStylePurchase — first-time buyer of a new collection. Meta builds a lookalike of style explorers.
ReorderPurchase — repeat buyer of the same style. Meta builds a lookalike of loyal reorders.

Independent campaigns optimized for each behavior — new style explorers vs. loyal reorders — instead of one blended signal.

How category events work in the app

Select a base event (Purchase, Add to Cart, etc.), then set conditions — product collection, tag, SKU, price range, or any combination. When those conditions match at checkout, Metaply fires your custom event name server-side to your connected platforms. No code required.

Build your first category event

One toggle. No developer needed.

Every event in Metaply is enabled with a single toggle. Once on, Metaply captures the signal from Shopify's order data server-side and sends it to your connected platforms via CAPI — bypassing iOS restrictions and ad blockers that cause your pixel to drop 20–30% of events. Your existing pixel keeps running exactly as it is. Metaply layers on top.

Install from the Shopify App Store

Toggle on the events you want

Your ad platforms get richer signals immediately

What happens when your platforms get smarter signals

Real results from Shopify stores using Metaply's custom conversion events.

Glass brand

+22%

ROAS lift

-18%

CAC reduction

$15

CPM (was $25)

+52.5%

Event Match Quality

Hat brand

+30%

ROAS lift

-44%

CPA reduction

-43%

Cost per ATC

+10%

Event Match Quality

Results vary by store. These are real customer outcomes, not guarantees. Read the full case studies.

Start sending the signals your pixel never could

Install from the Shopify App Store in minutes. Works alongside your existing pixel — no ripping anything out.

Get the app Book a demo

Frequently asked questions

What are custom conversion events?

Custom conversion events are signals you send to ad platforms (Meta, Google, Klaviyo) that go beyond the default "purchase" event. They tell the platform who bought — a new customer, repeat buyer, subscriber, or loyalty customer — so the algorithm can optimize for the type of buyer you actually want.

Does Metaply replace my Meta pixel?

No. Metaply layers on top of your existing pixel. Your pixel keeps running exactly as it is. Metaply adds server-side events through the Conversions API that your pixel can't send — richer data, custom events, and signals that bypass ad blockers and iOS restrictions.

What is Event Match Quality?

Event Match Quality (EMQ) is Meta's score for how well it can match an event you sent to a real user on Facebook or Instagram. Higher EMQ means better attribution, more efficient optimization, and cheaper ad costs. Metaply improves EMQ by adding hashed customer identity data — email, phone, name, address — to every event sent through CAPI.

How do category events work?

In the Metaply app, you pick a base event (like Purchase), then set conditions — product collection, tag, SKU, price range, or any combination. When a checkout matches those conditions, Metaply fires your custom event name server-side. For example, you could fire "ProteinPurchase" whenever a customer buys a product tagged "protein." No code required.