FAQ About the Transaction Tag

This article helps you to answer the frequently asked questions about the transaction tag.

To learn more about other transaction metrics, read Metrics based on transactions article.

To learn about the best practices to implement Transaction tag, read the dedicated article.

Generic Questions

How does the transaction tag work?

Transaction Hit

A transaction hit captures the overall details of a completed purchase. Think of it like a digital receipt. It includes three key pieces of information:

• transactionID – A unique identifier for the purchase (like an order number).

• transactionRevenue – The total amount spent in the transaction.

• transactionAffiliation – A label or name for where the purchase happened (e.g., "Online Store" or "Spring Sale").

These data points help you know not just that a sale happened, but which sale, how much was spent, and where it originated.

Item Hit

While the transaction hit tells you that a purchase occurred, item hits provide the details of what was purchased. Each item hit is linked to a specific transaction using the same transactionID, and it lists the individual products bought in that order.

For example, if someone buys 1 pair of trousers, 1 pair of shoes, and 2 T-shirts in one checkout session, the transaction includes three item hits—one for each type of product. Each item must include:

• transactionID – Must exactly match the ID of the parent transaction to link it correctly.

• itemName – The name of the product (e.g., "Running Shoes").

• itemCode – A product identifier like a SKU (Stock Keeping Unit).

By using transaction and item hits together, you gain a complete picture of every purchase—from the total amount down to the individual items—helping you make smarter business decisions based on real customer behavior.

Is the Transaction Tag a Tag?

Not exactly. The transaction tag should be considered a “revenue tracker” because it is a code that needs to be implemented on your confirmation page instead of a basic script such as the generic tag.

What Page Should I Implement the Transaction Tag On?

The transaction tag must be implemented on the order confirmation page, as for the generic tag. There can be as many transaction tags as you want on your website. You need to make sure each of them has a different transaction ID and affiliation (tracker name)

Do I Also Need the Generic Tag to Be Implemented to Make the Transaction Work?

Yes. The generic tag must be implemented on the order confirmation page and it must be loaded before implementing the transaction tag.

If you have set up the transaction tag without using the Transaction Tag Generator, we advocate the use of our events to avoid any error: abtasty_trackingInitialized event.

Will the Transaction Tag Only Work for E-commerce Websites?

No. It can also be adapted to lead generation websites or to any website that does not have transaction revenue. You just need to attach a monetary value to the lead. This value is customizable, depending on the estimated value of several parameters (your different types of leads, the cost of acquisition, the lifetime of the lead…) or with a default value.

Implementation

What Is the Difference Between the Transaction Tag Generator and the Custom Code I Can Add to My Confirmation Page’s Source Code?

There is no difference, the data will be sent the same way to AB Tasty. The Transaction Tag Generator allows you to collect transaction data directly from AB Tasty with no need to access your source code or any other third-party tool.

Can I Implement It via GTM, Tealium, Signal, Tag Commander, or Any Other TMS? How Does the Implementation Change Between These?

Yes, the transaction tag can be implemented via any TMS.

Which Parameters Are Mandatory? Which Are Optional?

The Transaction Tag Generator will let you know which parts are optional or mandatory. If you want to implement it without using this feature, the full documentation is available using this link: Hits list | AB Tasty Developer Portal

Items documentation is available using this link: Hits List

What Happens if I Create Two Transaction Tags With the Same Affiliation?

The Transaction Tag Generator will not allow you to create two tags with the same affiliation. In the case you have implemented some tags without using the Transaction Tag Generator, AB Tasty will remove duplicate hits containing the same affiliation and the same transaction ID.

What Is the Difference Between Default, Sum, and Count in the Number of Items?

The default option points to a value in your data layer containing the total number of items in the transaction.

In case you do not have a total quantity variable, we suggest using the sum value. If you specify the path to the quantity linked to an item, we will then look for all the quantities and then, sum them together.

Finally, if this cannot be done, the count option will count the number of items in your array of items.

Where Can I Find the Technical Documentation to Manually Implement the Transaction Script?

For further information about implementing the transaction script, please refer to Hits list | AB Tasty Developer Portal and to Hits list | AB Tasty Developer Portal for the items.

QA & Data

How Can I Check if the Data Is Properly Sent to AB Tasty?

You need to make a test purchase on your website to simulate a transaction.

You can verify that the data is properly sent to AB Tasty via four methods:

• The QA Assistant
• The console’s Network tab
• An A/A test where you can check if the data is pulling through the report

• If implemented through the Transaction Tag Generator, you can click your affiliation and then show Preview.

How Long Does It Take to Get the Transaction Data Displayed in My Reporting?

If the transaction tag has been implemented properly, the data should be displayed after a few hours in the report. Otherwise, it means that it has not been installed the right way and you need to review the code using this article.

Is the Transaction Data Retroactive?

No. The transaction data is available only when the transaction tag has been implemented.

What happens if there is a discrepancy between item and Transaction revenue?

It may happen that itemRevenue (price of item x item quantity) does not equal the transactionRevenue (total amount spent in the transaction) value for a single transaction. It might be due to transaction criteria (like discounts or delivery cost for example) not properly implemented.

ABtasty relies on the accuracy of the data you provide. We strongly recommend reviewing your variable setup to ensure it aligns with ABtasty's best practices. You can find our technical best practices in our article How to implement the Transaction tag.

In this scenario, ABtasty data pipeline always record the transactionRevenue value, regardless of the values provided in other parameters.

This rule prioritizes the transactionRevenue value as the most comprehensive representation of the transaction, ensuring greater data integrity for your reporting.

Transaction ID	Item Name	Item Price	Item Quantity	Sum of Items	Transaction Revenue	Condition	Reported Total Amount
TX001	Book	5.00	3	15.00	15.00	Sum of items equals transaction	15.00
TX002	Pen	2.00	5	10.00	15.00	Sum of items inferior to transaction	15.00
TX003	Notebook	7.00	3	21.00	15.00	Sum of items superior to transaction	15.00

Optional Parameters: Coupon, Shipping, and Tax If you manage discounts on your website, you can share the coupon code using the tcc parameter. However, this is just for reference—it doesn’t affect the transaction data or reporting in any way. You decide what value to send based on what you want to track. You can also include shipping costs and taxes as optional parameters. These are useful for filtering data in reports, but they do not impact the final revenue shown for the transaction. Only the value in the transactionRevenue parameter matters for reporting. You choose whether or not to include taxes and shipping in that total—whatever you decide will directly affect how revenue appears in your analytics.

Troubleshooting

Goals Step - Why can't I see my transaction goal even if I Have implemented the transaction tag?

If you cannot see the transaction tag after a full day, first, we advise you to use the “Show Logs” in the preview step of your transaction tag (using the Transaction Tag Generator) and add the debug logs from the generic tag. For further information, please refer to Debug Module. Then, open the console on your website and place an order. Logs should appear in the console to indicate what might be wrong.

If you still cannot find the issue. We then advise you to take a look at more generic errors in the console (showing in red), some might be linked to your issue. Finally, we advise you to contact the AB Tasty Support Team if the problem persists.

Reporting - I Have No Data in My Transaction Goal, Why?

After implementing the transaction tag, data can take a few hours before showing up in the preview or any report. If you cannot see any data in the transaction goal, it probably means that the code you added to your confirmation page is incorrect and has to be reviewed. Please refer to QA the transaction tag to verify that the transaction hit is sent. If it is not sent, refer to this article about the installation of the transaction tag.

I Can See the Error Message window.abtasty.send is not a function in The Console, Why?

This error generally means that the transaction tag is called before the generic tag. Therefore, the window.abtasty.send function is not declared. To solve this issue, you need to wait for the AB Tasty tag to be loaded before the transaction tag using either an interval at the beginning of the transaction code or our JavaScript Events.