Snapchat Ads Event Tracking

Overview

Snapchat Ads uses the Snap Pixel for browser-based conversion tracking and the Snapchat Conversions API (CAPI) for server-side measurement. With a predominantly Gen Z and Millennial audience, Snapchat's tracking capabilities enable advertisers to measure app installs, website conversions, and offline events across the platform's AR lenses, Stories, and Discover content.

Standard Events

Snapchat provides predefined events for common conversion actions:

Ecommerce Events

PURCHASE - Completed transaction
ADD_CART - Product added to shopping cart
ADD_BILLING - Billing information added
START_CHECKOUT - Checkout process initiated
VIEW_CONTENT - Product or content page viewed
ADD_TO_WISHLIST - Product saved to wishlist

Lead Generation Events

SIGN_UP - Account registration or newsletter signup
SUBSCRIBE - Paid subscription started
COMPLETE_TUTORIAL - Tutorial or onboarding completed
LEVEL_COMPLETE - App level or milestone achieved

Engagement Events

PAGE_VIEW - Generic page view (automatically tracked)
SEARCH - Site search performed
SAVE - Content or product saved
LIST_VIEW - Product list or category viewed

App Events

APP_INSTALL - Mobile app installation
APP_OPEN - App opened
ACHIEVEMENT_UNLOCKED - In-app achievement

Custom Event

CUSTOM_EVENT_1 through CUSTOM_EVENT_5 - Custom business events

Custom Events

Creating Custom Events

Use predefined custom event slots:

// Custom event example
snaptr('track', 'CUSTOM_EVENT_1', {
  'description': 'Product Comparison',
  'number_items': '3',
  'user_type': 'premium'
});

Event Parameters

Add parameters to any event:

snaptr('track', 'SIGN_UP', {
  'price': '0',
  'currency': 'USD',
  'sign_up_method': 'email',
  'user_id': 'USER_12345'
});

Custom Parameters

Snapchat supports flexible custom parameters:

snaptr('track', 'PURCHASE', {
  'price': '99.99',
  'currency': 'USD',
  'transaction_id': 'ORDER_12345',
  'item_category': 'electronics',
  'number_items': '2',
  'customer_type': 'returning',
  'shipping_method': 'express'
});

Ecommerce Events

Purchase Tracking

Complete ecommerce implementation:

<!-- Snap Pixel Base Code (on all pages) -->
<script type='text/javascript'>
(function(e,t,n){if(e.snaptr)return;var a=e.snaptr=function()
{a.handleRequest?a.handleRequest.apply(a,arguments):a.queue.push(arguments)};
a.queue=[];var s='script';r=t.createElement(s);r.async=!0;
r.src=n;var u=t.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
u.parentNode.insertBefore(r,u);})(window,document,
'https://sc-static.net/scevent.min.js');

snaptr('init', 'YOUR_PIXEL_ID', {
  'user_email': 'user@example.com'  // Optional enhanced matching
});

snaptr('track', 'PAGE_VIEW');
</script>

<!-- Purchase Event (on confirmation page) -->
<script>
snaptr('track', 'PURCHASE', {
  'currency': 'USD',
  'price': '149.99',
  'transaction_id': 'ORDER_12345',
  'item_ids': ['SKU_123', 'SKU_456'],
  'item_category': 'Apparel',
  'number_items': '3',
  'payment_info_available': '1',
  'client_dedup_id': 'ORDER_12345'  // Deduplication ID
});
</script>

Shopping Cart Events

Track the full purchase funnel:

// View Content (Product Page)
snaptr('track', 'VIEW_CONTENT', {
  'item_ids': ['SKU_123'],
  'price': '99.99',
  'currency': 'USD',
  'item_category': 'Apparel'
});

// Add to Cart
snaptr('track', 'ADD_CART', {
  'item_ids': ['SKU_123'],
  'price': '99.99',
  'currency': 'USD',
  'number_items': '1'
});

// Start Checkout
snaptr('track', 'START_CHECKOUT', {
  'price': '149.99',
  'currency': 'USD',
  'number_items': '3'
});

// Add Billing
snaptr('track', 'ADD_BILLING', {
  'price': '149.99',
  'currency': 'USD'
});

// Purchase
snaptr('track', 'PURCHASE', {
  'price': '149.99',
  'currency': 'USD',
  'transaction_id': 'ORDER_12345',
  'number_items': '3'
});

Dynamic Product Data

Pass detailed product information:

snaptr('track', 'PURCHASE', {
  'currency': 'USD',
  'price': '249.98',
  'transaction_id': 'ORDER_12345',
  'item_ids': ['SKU_001', 'SKU_002'],
  'item_category': 'Electronics',
  'brands': ['BrandA', 'BrandB'],
  'number_items': '2',
  'description': 'Wireless Headphones and Smart Watch',
  'client_dedup_id': 'ORDER_12345_' + Date.now()
});

Conversion Tracking

Implementation Methods

1. Snap Pixel (Browser-Side)

Standard JavaScript implementation:

<!-- Base Pixel Code -->
<script type='text/javascript'>
(function(e,t,n){if(e.snaptr)return;var a=e.snaptr=function()
{a.handleRequest?a.handleRequest.apply(a,arguments):a.queue.push(arguments)};
a.queue=[];var s='script';r=t.createElement(s);r.async=!0;
r.src=n;var u=t.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
u.parentNode.insertBefore(r,u);})(window,document,
'https://sc-static.net/scevent.min.js');

snaptr('init', 'YOUR_PIXEL_ID', {
  'user_email': '__INSERT_USER_EMAIL__',
  'user_phone_number': '__INSERT_USER_PHONE__'
});

snaptr('track', 'PAGE_VIEW');
</script>

<!-- Event Tracking -->
<script>
snaptr('track', 'PURCHASE', {
  'currency': 'USD',
  'price': '99.99'
});
</script>

2. Google Tag Manager

Deploy Snap Pixel via GTM:

Base Code Template:

// GTM Custom HTML Tag - All Pages
<script type='text/javascript'>
(function(e,t,n){if(e.snaptr)return;var a=e.snaptr=function()
{a.handleRequest?a.handleRequest.apply(a,arguments):a.queue.push(arguments)};
a.queue=[];var s='script';r=t.createElement(s);r.async=!0;
r.src=n;var u=t.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
u.parentNode.insertBefore(r,u);})(window,document,
'https://sc-static.net/scevent.min.js');

snaptr('init', '{{Snapchat Pixel ID}}');
snaptr('track', 'PAGE_VIEW');
</script>

Event Tags:

// Purchase Event via GTM
<script>
snaptr('track', 'PURCHASE', {
  'currency': 'USD',
  'price': {{Transaction Value}},
  'transaction_id': {{Transaction ID}},
  'client_dedup_id': {{Dedup ID}}
});
</script>

3. Snapchat Conversions API

Server-side tracking for enhanced measurement:

// Node.js example
const axios = require('axios');
const crypto = require('crypto');

function hashData(data) {
  return crypto.createHash('sha256').update(data.toLowerCase().trim()).digest('hex');
}

const conversionEvent = {
  event_type: 'PURCHASE',
  event_conversion_type: 'WEB',
  event_tag: 'event_tag',
  timestamp: Date.now(),
  hashed_email: hashData('user@example.com'),
  hashed_phone_number: hashData('+15551234567'),
  hashed_ip_address: hashData('192.168.1.1'),
  user_agent: 'Mozilla/5.0...',
  price: '99.99',
  currency: 'USD',
  transaction_id: 'ORDER_12345',
  item_category: 'Apparel',
  item_ids: ['SKU_123', 'SKU_456'],
  number_items: 2,
  uuid_c1: 'unique_event_id_12345',  // Click ID from _scid cookie
  client_dedup_id: 'ORDER_12345'
};

const response = await axios.post(
  'https://tr.snapchat.com/v2/conversion',
  {
    pixel_id: 'YOUR_PIXEL_ID',
    event: [conversionEvent]
  },
  {
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    }
  }
);

4. App Event Tracking

For mobile app conversions via Snap SDK:

iOS (Swift):

import SCSDKCreativeKit

SCSDKSnapAPI.trackPurchase(
  price: 99.99,
  currency: "USD",
  transactionId: "ORDER_12345",
  success: { () in
    print("Purchase tracked")
  },
  failure: { (error) in
    print("Error: \(error)")
  }
)

Android (Java):

import com.snap.creativekit.api.SnapCreative;

SnapCreative.getSnapAPI(context).trackPurchase(
  99.99,
  "USD",
  "ORDER_12345"
);

Advanced Matching

Improve conversion matching with user data:

// Enhanced matching
snaptr('init', 'YOUR_PIXEL_ID', {
  'user_email': hashEmail('user@example.com'),  // SHA256 hash
  'user_phone_number': hashPhone('+15551234567'),
  'user_hashed_mobile_ad_id': hashMAID('advertising-id'),
  'user_ipaddress': '192.168.1.1',
  'user_agent': navigator.userAgent
});

function hashEmail(email) {
  // SHA256 hash implementation
  return CryptoJS.SHA256(email.toLowerCase().trim()).toString();
}

Event Deduplication

Prevent duplicate events when using Pixel + CAPI:

// Browser-side
const dedupId = 'ORDER_12345_' + Date.now();

snaptr('track', 'PURCHASE', {
  'price': '99.99',
  'currency': 'USD',
  'transaction_id': 'ORDER_12345',
  'client_dedup_id': dedupId
});

// Server-side CAPI with matching client_dedup_id

Offline Conversions

Conversions API for Offline Events

Upload offline conversions via CAPI:

import requests
import hashlib
import time

def hash_value(value):
    return hashlib.sha256(value.lower().strip().encode()).hexdigest()

# Offline conversion event
event_data = {
    "pixel_id": "YOUR_PIXEL_ID",
    "event": [{
        "event_type": "PURCHASE",
        "event_conversion_type": "OFFLINE",
        "timestamp": int(time.time() * 1000),
        "hashed_email": hash_value("customer@example.com"),
        "hashed_phone_number": hash_value("+15551234567"),
        "price": "149.99",
        "currency": "USD",
        "transaction_id": "STORE_ORDER_12345",
        "client_dedup_id": "STORE_ORDER_12345"
    }]
}

headers = {
    "Authorization": f"Bearer {access_token}",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

response = requests.post(
    "https://tr.snapchat.com/v2/conversion",
    json=event_data,
    headers=headers
)

Mobile Measurement Partners (MMPs)

Integrate with MMPs for app install and event tracking:

Supported MMPs:

AppsFlyer
Adjust
Kochava
Branch
Singular

Benefits:

Automatic app install attribution
In-app event tracking
Deep linking support
Fraud prevention
Cross-platform measurement

Attribution

Attribution Windows

Configure attribution settings per ad account:

Default Windows:

Click-through (Swipe Up): 28 days
View-through: 1 day

Customizable Options:

1-day, 7-day, or 28-day attribution windows
Separate windows for different conversion events

Configure in: Snapchat Ads Manager > Settings > Attribution

Attribution Models

Snapchat uses last-touch attribution:

Last swiped ad gets 100% credit
If no swipe, last viewed ad gets credit (within view-through window)

Snap Pixel Attribution

Pixel provides:

Swipe attribution - User swipes up on ad
View attribution - User views ad, converts later
Cross-device attribution - For logged-in Snapchat users

Conversion Lift Studies

Measure incremental impact via controlled testing:

Setup:

Create conversion lift study in Ads Manager
Define test and control groups
Run campaign for minimum 2 weeks
Measure incremental conversions

Best for:

Brand awareness campaigns
New product launches
Measuring true ad impact

Debugging & Validation

Snap Pixel Helper

Chrome extension for validating Snap Pixel:

Install Snap Pixel Helper extension
Visit page with Snap Pixel
Review:
- Pixel ID detected
- Events fired
- Parameters passed
- Errors or warnings

Test Events

Generate test events in Ads Manager:

Navigate to Events Manager
Select your pixel
Click Test Events
Enter test event code or use browser
Generate events on your site
View real-time event data

Events Manager

Monitor pixel health:

Ads Manager > Events Manager:

Pixel status (active/inactive)
Events received (last 24 hours, 7 days, 28 days)
Event breakdown by type
Top events by volume

Browser Console Debugging

Test Snap Pixel in console:

// Check if snaptr is loaded
if (typeof snaptr !== 'undefined') {
  console.log('Snap Pixel loaded');
} else {
  console.error('Snap Pixel not found');
}

// Check pixel queue
console.log(snaptr.queue);

// Fire test event
snaptr('track', 'PURCHASE', {
  'price': '1.00',
  'currency': 'USD',
  'transaction_id': 'TEST_' + Date.now()
});

Common Issues

Pixel not firing:

Verify Pixel ID is correct
Check script loads before events
Ensure no JavaScript errors
Test in incognito mode

Events not appearing:

Wait 15-30 minutes for processing
Verify event name is correct (uppercase)
Check required parameters included
Review Events Manager for errors

Low match rates:

Implement advanced matching with hashed data
Use Conversions API for server-side tracking
Include email and phone when available
Verify hashing is SHA256

Best Practices

Implementation

Install Snap Pixel on all pages for complete funnel tracking
Use both Pixel and CAPI for redundancy and improved accuracy
Implement advanced matching with user email and phone
Use GTM for easier pixel management
Include deduplication IDs for purchase events

Event Strategy

Track full funnel (VIEW_CONTENT, ADD_CART, PURCHASE)
Use standard event names (uppercase) for optimization
Create separate pixels for different business units if needed
Track micro-conversions for audience building
Implement app events for mobile app campaigns

Data Quality

Pass transaction_id for all purchase events
Include price and currency for value optimization
Use consistent item_ids format
Send client_dedup_id to prevent duplicates
Hash all PII using SHA256

Privacy & Compliance

Implement consent management for GDPR/CCPA
Hash PII before sending (email, phone)
Use Snapchat's CCPA compliance features
Update privacy policy to disclose Snapchat tracking
Honor user opt-outs via platform controls

Optimization

Use Goal-Based Bidding with pixel events
Optimize to purchases for ecommerce campaigns
Create lookalike audiences from converters
Exclude converted users from top-of-funnel campaigns
Test different attribution windows based on sales cycle

Creative Optimization

Use Snap AR lenses to drive engagement
Track video views as engagement events
Optimize for mobile (vertical video, fast loading)
Test different creative formats (Single Image, Story, Collection)
Use dynamic ads for catalog retargeting

Mobile App Campaigns

Integrate Snap SDK for app event tracking
Use MMP for attribution and fraud prevention
Track in-app events beyond install
Implement deep linking for better UX
Optimize to post-install events for quality users

Testing

Use Snap Pixel Helper to verify implementation
Generate test events before launch
Verify events in Events Manager within 30 minutes
Test deduplication with Pixel + CAPI
Monitor pixel health for first 48 hours

Reporting

Break down by placement (Snap feed vs Stories vs Discover)
Segment by device (iOS vs Android)
View swipe vs view conversions separately
Track event trends over time
Export data for external analysis

Gen Z Targeting

Optimize for mobile-first experience
Use vertical video creative (9:16 ratio)
Keep messaging authentic and casual
Track engagement events (shares, screenshot)
Test AR experiences for higher engagement