How to configure Matomo integration

Connect Matomo Analytics with AB Tasty Recommendations & Merchandising (R&M) to track recommendation performance while maintaining full data ownership and privacy control. Matomo integration enables comprehensive analytics with enhanced privacy protection — without adding any new tracker to your website.

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Prerequisites

Before configuring Matomo integration, make sure you have:

• An active AB Tasty Recommendations & Merchandising account with at least one active recommendation strategy

• A Matomo Analytics installation (Cloud or On-Premise) with administrative access

• Knowledge of your Matomo site configuration and tracking requirements

• A Matomo user with API permissions (token_auth)

• Your Matomo endpoint URL, e.g. https://your-domain.com/matomo.php

• Understanding of your privacy and data protection requirements

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Access the Matomo integration

1. Log into your AB Tasty Recommendations & Merchandising.

2. Click Settings in the left-hand navigation.

3. Select the Integrations tab.

4. In the Analytics section, locate Matomo.

5. Click Connect to start the configuration.

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Configure Matomo connection

1. Provide Matomo credentials

• Enter your Matomo installation URL (e.g. https://your-domain.com/matomo/).

• Provide your Matomo authentication token (token_auth) or API credentials.

• Select the Matomo site ID corresponding to your website.

• Configure synchronization preferences for recommendation tracking.

• Click Test connection to ensure AB Tasty can communicate with Matomo successfully.

2. Configure data synchronization

• Choose the frequency of data import (default: daily).

• Select which events to synchronize (page views, product views, add-to-cart, purchases).

• Confirm and save your configuration.

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Configure tracking parameters

1. Set up custom event tracking

In Matomo, create custom events to monitor different aspects of recommendation performance:

Event Type	Category	Action	Name	Value
Display	AB Tasty Recommendations	Impression	Algorithm / Placement	Number of products displayed
Interaction	AB Tasty Recommendations	Click	Product ID + Position	Product price or score
Conversion	AB Tasty Recommendations	Purchase	Recommendation ID + Product	Revenue amount

2. Configure custom dimensions

Create custom dimensions in Matomo to capture recommendation-specific metadata:

• Recommendation Algorithm – identifies which algorithm generated the recommendation.

• Recommendation Position – tracks the position of clicked products within the widget.

• User Segment – captures user segmentation for personalization analysis.

• Device Type – monitors recommendation performance across devices.

3. Configure goals and conversions

Use Matomo Goals to measure recommendation-driven conversions:

1. Navigate to Goals in Matomo admin.

2. Create a new goal (e.g. Recommendation Conversion).

3. Define conditions based on AB Tasty recommendation events (click, add-to-cart, purchase).

4. Enable ecommerce tracking for revenue attribution.

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Set up ecommerce tracking

1. Enable Ecommerce Tracking in your Matomo site settings.

2. Configure product and category tracking for recommendation interactions.

3. Set up order tracking to capture purchases influenced by recommendations.

4. Build custom ecommerce reports isolating recommendation performance (CTR, CVR, revenue).

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Validate the integration

Test event tracking

• Visit your website and interact with AB Tasty recommendation widgets.

• Open Matomo → Real-time visitor log to observe live events.

• Verify that Impression, Click, and Purchase events are received with correct parameters.

• Check that your custom dimensions are populated with recommendation metadata.

Review data consistency

• Compare recommendation metrics between AB Tasty Reports and Matomo dashboards.

• Ensure impression and click counts align across both platforms.

• Validate conversion rates and revenue attribution consistency.

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Build reports and analyze performance

Create recommendation reports

Use Matomo’s Custom Reports to visualize recommendation performance:

• Filter by algorithm, placement, or product category.

• Track CTR, CVR, and revenue from recommendations.

• Schedule automated report delivery to stakeholders.

Configure conversion funnel analysis

With Matomo Funnel plugin:

• Define funnels with Impression → Click → Conversion steps.

• Identify drop-offs and optimize recommendation UX.

• Create segment-specific funnels (e.g. new vs returning users).

Run cohort and retention analysis

• Use Matomo Cohort Analysis to measure long-term impact.

• Compare LTV and retention between users who interact with recommendations vs those who don’t.

• Track how recommendation performance evolves over time.

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Optimize recommendations with Matomo insights

Leverage Matomo data to improve your recommendation strategy:

• Identify best-performing algorithms by user segment or placement.

• Optimize the number of products displayed and update frequency.

• Test new layouts and personalization levels to boost engagement.

A/B testing with Matomo

Use Matomo’s built-in A/B testing to experiment with recommendation experiences:

• Compare algorithm combinations and widget placements.

• Measure engagement, conversion, and revenue differences.

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Privacy and data protection

Matomo helps you comply with data privacy regulations:

• Respect user consent preferences through Matomo’s Consent Manager.

• Configure anonymization for IPs and personal data.

• Set up retention policies according to your compliance standards.

• Build privacy-safe reports with aggregated metrics.

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Troubleshooting

Issue	Possible cause	Solution
No data imported	Invalid API endpoint or token	Verify endpoint (?module=API&method=API.getPiwikVersion) and user rights
Missing events	Incomplete event configuration	Check custom events and dimensions setup
Data mismatch between Matomo & AB Tasty	Consent or sampling differences	Align consent scope, verify filters
“Nan” or null value errors	Data format incompatibility	Ensure numeric fields are formatted correctly
Slow synchronization	High traffic or limited server resources	Reduce sync frequency or batch size
Recommendations disappear after sync failure	Missing data for training	Relaunch synchronization or contact Support

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Best practices

• Use clear naming conventions (e.g. Matomo_FR_Prod, Matomo_Stage).

• Always test the API before connecting (token_auth must return 200).

• Regularly compare KPIs between Matomo and AB Tasty.

• Monitor consent behavior differences: Matomo often includes non-consented traffic.

• Keep your event parser up to date with AB Tasty’s latest data model.