Purchase conversion tag inactive since Aug 22

  • verasartsanddice

    (@verasartsanddice)


    3 weeks, 5 days ago

    Since around August 22, the “Purchase” conversion action created by this plugin (labeled “[ead3] Google Listings and Ads purchase action” in Google Ads) has shown status “Needs attention” / “Tag inactive” in Google Ads → Conversions. No purchases have been reported since that date even though real orders are coming through.

    I debugged this directly with Google Tag Assistant on a live order-confirmation page (a real order placed via the “Direct bank transfer” method, so no payment redirect was involved). Findings:

    • The base Google tag (gtag.js, conversion ID AW-600823309) loads correctly site-wide, including on checkout.
    • On the actual order-received/thank-you page, the Ads tag sends only a generic Page View hit — no purchase/conversion event at all.
    • The GA4 tag (G-N88PE814HG) sends no hits whatsoever on that same page.
    • Inspecting the enqueued script from this plugin (gla-gtag-events, from /wp-content/plugins/google-listings-and-ads/js/build/gtag-events.js), the associated glaGtagData object shows "products":[] — empty — even though the order had multiple line items.

    I’ve ruled out: browser caching/consent-mode issues (consent mode shows “active” in Google Ads diagnostics), a script-unloading/page-speed plugin blocking the file (checked directly — it’s not being unloaded site-wide, per-page, or in bulk), and account-connection problems (WordPress.com, Google, Merchant Center, and Ads all show “Connected”).

    Site details: WooCommerce 11.0.1, Google for WooCommerce 3.9.2 (bug present both before and after updating from whatever version was active on Aug 22), checkout is WooCommerce’s block-based checkout (not the legacy shortcode checkout).

    Could you help confirm whether gla-gtag-events is expected to receive order/product data on the order-received page for block-based checkout, and why that data might be arriving empty?

Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
  • Thread Starter verasartsanddice

    (@verasartsanddice)

    3 weeks, 5 days ago

    Following up on my report above about the Purchase conversion tag being inactive since Aug 22 — I’ve also found that shipping data isn’t syncing to Merchant Center either, which looks like the same underlying problem (plugin thinks it’s sending data, Google isn’t receiving it).

    Details:

    • In Google for WooCommerce → Markets, my Primary Market is correctly configured (94 countries, 6-day shipping estimate), and it explicitly says “Shipping rates are synced automatically from your WooCommerce shipping settings.”
    • But in Google Merchant Center → Shipping and returns, both “Shipping policies” and “Ship-from locations” show zero entries — nothing has actually landed on Google’s side.
    • This matches Merchant Center’s diagnostics, which show 1,350 of my 1,470 products (92%) flagged “Missing shipping information” and stuck in “Limited” status.

    So it seems like this isn’t just a conversion-tracking bug — it looks like a broader issue with the plugin’s sync to Google’s systems (Merchant Center and Ads both). Flagging in case it helps narrow down the root cause faster.

    Site: verasartsanddice.com
    Plugin version: 3.9.2

    Plugin Support shahzeen(woo-hc)

    (@shahzeenfarooq)

    3 weeks, 5 days ago

    Hi @verasartsanddice!

    Thank you for providing such detailed information and for sharing the results of your investigation. I understand that the Purchase conversion has been showing as “Tag inactive” since August 22, despite successful orders, and that you’re also seeing shipping information missing from Merchant Center.

    The details you provided, particularly that glaGtagData contains an empty products array on the order-received page, are very helpful. I also understand that you’ve already ruled out several potential causes, including caching, consent mode, script optimization, and account connection issues.

    Since you’re seeing both the conversion-tracking issue and shipping data not syncing to Merchant Center, we’d like to investigate whether there is a broader Google for WooCommerce synchronization issue rather than treating the conversion event in isolation.

    To assist us further, could you please share the following?

    • WooCommerce → Status → System Status Report
    • Any relevant errors from WooCommerce → Status → Logs, particularly logs related to Google Listings & Ads around August 22 onward.
    • Please paste the report on Pastebin and enable the Burn after read option before sharing it with us. This will help protect any potentially sensitive information in the report.Pastebin
    • If possible, please also share a screenshot of the glaGtagData object showing the empty products array and the relevant Tag Assistant result. Please make sure any sensitive information is hidden. You can use the following tool to share a screenshot: https://snipboard.io

    Once we have these details, we can review the configuration and determine whether this is something that needs to be investigated as a potential plugin issue.

    Thank you again for the detailed troubleshooting you’ve already completed. It will help us narrow this down more quickly.

    Thread Starter verasartsanddice

    (@verasartsanddice)

    3 weeks, 5 days ago

    Hi shahzeen, thanks for looking into this!

    System status report: https://pastebin.com/fFbdeHqA

    Logs: I went through the google-for-woocommerce log files day by day for Aug 20–25 (the period around when the tag went inactive). There are no errors in them — just routine product/category sync entries. I also checked for fatal-error logs anywhere near that date, and found none (the only fatal-error logs on the whole site are from Aug 13–14, well before the tag went inactive). So whatever’s failing doesn’t appear to be throwing any server-side/PHP error — it looks like it’s happening purely client-side, in the browser (the glaGtagData object just never gets populated with real product data).

    glaGtagData screenshot: [paste screenshot link here] — this is from [checkout/cart page], showing {"currency_minor_unit":"2","products":[]} with items actually in the cart.

    Tag Assistant screenshot: [paste screenshot link here] — showing the Ads and GA4 tags firing on the order-confirmation page with no purchase/conversion event.

    One more data point that might be relevant: separately, I’ve also noticed shipping data isn’t syncing to Merchant Center either (my shipping rates are configured correctly and set to auto-sync in the plugin, but Merchant Center shows zero shipping policies). Given both conversion tracking and shipping data are failing to reach Google while the plugin appears configured correctly, it feels like it could be a broader sync issue rather than something isolated to the Purchase event.

    https://snipboard.io/NAIECT.jpg

    https://snipboard.io/TX9eYf.jpg

    Plugin Support shahzeen(woo-hc)

    (@shahzeenfarooq)

    3 weeks, 2 days ago

    Hi @verasartsanddice!

    Thank you for sharing the system status report and screenshots. I have checked these and everything is appearing fine.

    I ran a test on a demo site using a block-based Order Received page and confirmed that the purchase event is registered correctly. This suggests that the block-based Order Received page itself may not be the cause of the issue.

    I also noticed that you are using Site Kit. Since Site Kit can add conversion tags to the site as well, there could potentially be a conflict between the tags. To help us investigate this further, could you please confirm whether you are using the Google Ads conversion tag automatically added by Google for WooCommerce, or if you have configured your own Google Tag/conversion tracking separately?

    You also mentioned that shipping information is not syncing correctly between your store and Merchant Center. This appears to be a separate issue, but it may be related to the recent changes involving Merchant API and WooCommerce Markets.

    Could you please share screenshots of the following?

    • WooCommerce → Settings → Markets
    • WooCommerce → Settings → Shipping

    For the shipping sync issue, you can also try temporarily changing the price of one of your shipping methods, saving the changes, then changing the price back and saving again. This should trigger a fresh request to Merchant Center.

    Once you share the screenshots and confirm how your Google conversion tracking is configured, we can investigate the issue further.

    Thread Starter verasartsanddice

    (@verasartsanddice)

    3 weeks, 2 days ago

    Hi shahzeen,

    Thanks for looking into this further.

    Re: the conversion tag — I checked WooCommerce → Marketing → Google for WooCommerce → Settings → Accounts, and confirmed the Google Ads conversion tag (AW-600823309) is the one automatically added by Google for WooCommerce, linked to my Ads account 247-161-6199. I also checked Site Kit’s settings: its Ads module is not set up (still shows “Set up Ads”), so there’s no separate/conflicting Ads conversion tag from Site Kit. Site Kit’s Analytics module is connected separately, which I’d guess is the source of the other tag Tag Assistant showed (G-N88PE814HG, GA4) — but that one’s unrelated to the missing Purchase event, since that lives on the Ads side.

    Screenshots attached: WooCommerce → Settings → Markets, and WooCommerce → Settings → Shipping.

    I also did the shipping refresh you suggested — temporarily changed the minimum order amount on one shipping method (Nederland zone, free shipping) from €35,00 to €35,01, saved, then changed it back to €35,00 and saved again, to force a fresh sync request to Merchant Center.

    Let me know what you find, or what else would help.

    Thanks,
    Vera

    https://snipboard.io/ziru4f.jpg

    https://snipboard.io/nL3rxP.jpg

    Plugin Support shahzeen(woo-hc)

    (@shahzeenfarooq)

    3 weeks, 1 day ago

    Hi @verasartsanddice!

    Thank you for sharing these additional details about the issue.

    I’ve internally escalated the conversion tracking issue for further investigation.

    In the meantime, could you please confirm whether the shipping data not syncing issue was resolved after forcing a fresh sync request to Merchant Center by temporarily changing and then restoring the minimum order amount?

    This will help us determine whether the shipping data is now syncing correctly while we continue investigating the conversion tracking issue.

    Plugin Support shahzeen(woo-hc)

    (@shahzeenfarooq)

    3 weeks, 1 day ago

    Hi @verasartsanddice!

    Just following up with some additional troubleshooting steps for both issues.

    I tried checking the conversion tracking issue on your site, and I can see that the events are being triggered correctly. I used Google Tag Assistant to verify this.

    To help us investigate further, I recommend checking the purchase event from your side as well:

    1. Open an incognito/private browser window and temporarily disable any browser extensions, such as ad blockers.
    2. Open Google Tag Assistant in the incognito window and connect it to your store.
    3. Place a test order for a product while the Tag Assistant session is active.
    4. On the order confirmation page, check whether a Purchase event is detected in Google Tag Assistant.

    Also, if you have any type of consent management plugin active, please make sure that tracking/analytics cookies are accepted when visiting the store as a shopper. If tracking is declined, the conversion events will not be recorded.

    Regarding the shipping data syncing issue, after changing the price of one of your shipping methods and saving it to trigger a fresh sync, did you notice any shipping rates being synced to Merchant Center? It wasn’t completely clear from your last message whether this issue was resolved.

    If the shipping issue persists, please check the following:

    • Go to WooCommerce → Status → Scheduled Actions.
    • Search for gla/jobs/update_shipping_settings/process_item.
    • Check for any failed, pending, or completed actions.
    • If you don’t see any recent actions, change the price of one of your shipping methods again, save it, and then check Scheduled Actions for a new action.

    Please share what you find from these checks, and we’ll continue investigating based on the results.

    Thread Starter verasartsanddice

    (@verasartsanddice)

    1 week, 6 days ago

    Hi shahzeen,

    Thanks for the detailed steps. Here's what I found on each:

    Shipping sync: I checked WooCommerce → Status → Scheduled Actions for     gla/jobs/update_shipping_settings/process_item. Two instances completed successfully (one via Async Request, one via WP Cron) after I triggered the fresh sync by changing the shipping price, with zero failures logged for that hook. However, Merchant Center's Shipping and returns → Shipping policies page still shows zero results — so the job reports "complete" on my end, but the data isn't landing on Google's side.

    Consent management: I don't have any cookie-consent/consent-management plugin active on my site, so that's not what's blocking tracking.

    Purchase event test: I placed a fresh test order and, without refreshing the order-received page, inspected it directly. I could not find gtag("event", "purchase") anywhere in the page source or in window.dataLayer — the dataLayer only contained the initial page-load/config entries (linker, consent default, GA4 and Ads config calls), no purchase event at all.

    While inspecting, I also found what looks like the actual root cause: the gla-gtag-events-js-extra script (which localizes product data for the purchase-tracking script) contains:

    glaGtagData = {"currency_minor_unit":"2","products":[]}

    The products array is empty on the order-received page — so even if the tracking script runs, it has no line-item data to build a purchase event from.

    Also worth flagging: another store owner (letsbraai.co.uk) posted on this thread with the exact same symptom — an empty glaGtagData.products array, reproduced on their cart page, with consent mode ruled out (works whether consent is granted or denied) and no competing Ads tag either. That post seems to have since been moved to its own topic, but given it's an independent report of the identical empty-products-array bug, it seems like this points to a real bug in the plugin's product-data localization rather than something specific to my site's configuration.

    Would appreciate your take on whether the empty products array is the actual break point, and if so, what's driving it.

    Thanks,
    Vera
    Plugin Support shahzeen(woo-hc)

    (@shahzeenfarooq)

    1 week, 5 days ago

    Hi @verasartsanddice!

    Thanks for sharing more details about the issue.

    To avoid confusion, let’s discuss the reported issues one by one. Let’s first focus on the purchase event.

    I placed a test order on your site, and I’m seeing that the purchase event is being captured correctly on my end. Here is a screenshot showing purchase event capture correctly.

    https://go.screenpal.com/watch/cOQT63nxF7F

    To assist you further, could you please confirm whether you’re testing this while logged in to your site or as a non-logged-in customer?

    Could you please try placing another test order as a non-logged-in customer, preferably using an incognito/private browser window, and check whether you still experience the same issue?

    Please let us know what you find.

    Thread Starter verasartsanddice

    (@verasartsanddice)

    1 week, 2 days ago

    Hi shahzeen,

    Thanks for the tip — that explains it. I re-tested properly this time: logged out of wp-admin, placed a fresh test order as a genuinely non-logged-in customer, and checked the order-confirmation page without refreshing. This time the purchase event fired correctly — I found both a Google Ads/GLA purchase event with full product data and a GA4 purchase event in the dataLayer.

    So it looks like my earlier “empty products array” finding was a false alarm caused by testing while logged in as admin, not an actual plugin bug. Sorry for the noise there — good to have this confirmed working.

    That leaves the shipping sync as the one open item: the gla/jobs/update_shipping_settings/process_item job completes successfully (checked via Scheduled Actions, zero failures) after I trigger a fresh sync, but Merchant Center’s Shipping and returns page still shows zero shipping policies. Any thoughts on what might be blocking that from landing on Google’s side?

    Thanks,
    Vera

    Plugin Support shahzeen(woo-hc)

    (@shahzeenfarooq)

    1 week, 1 day ago

    Hi @verasartsanddice!

    Thanks for re-testing this and confirming the purchase event is now firing correctly for genuinely logged-out customers. That’s helpful, and it confirms the earlier empty products array was related to testing while logged in as an admin rather than an issue with the plugin.

    For the remaining shipping sync issue, it’s useful to know that the gla/jobs/update_shipping_settings/process_item scheduled action completes successfully with no failures, but the shipping policies still aren’t appearing in Merchant Center.

    To assist you further, could you please share:

    • A screenshot of the Shipping and returns section in Merchant Center showing that no shipping policies are currently listed.
    • A screenshot of the Marketing → Google for WooCommerce → Settings page, so we can review the current configuration.
    • A screenshot of the Marketing → Google for WooCommerce → Product Feed tab, including the current sync/feed status.

      You can use the following tool to share the screenshot: https://snipboard.io

    Once we have these details, we can investigate further and determine whether the shipping settings are being sent successfully from WooCommerce but are not being applied on Google’s side.

    Thread Starter verasartsanddice

    (@verasartsanddice)

    1 week, 1 day ago

    Hi, thanks for looking into this further. Here are the screenshots you asked for:

    1. Shipping and returns in Merchant Center — currently showing no shipping policies listed (“No results”): https://snipboard.io/FdLSOQ.jpg

    2. Google for WooCommerce → Settings — “Automatically sync my store’s shipping settings to Google” is selected under Shipping rates: https://snipboard.io/VZiMF2.jpg and https://snipboard.io/q5Rd8K.jpg

    3. Google for WooCommerce → Product Feed — feed setup shows as completed with 50 issues to resolve: https://snipboard.io/Be3afI.jpg — but all 50 listed issues are “Availability date is required” errors on backorder/pre-order products, not shipping-related: https://snipboard.io/f019cd.jpg

    Separately, I’ll note the Active/Expiring/Pending/Disapproved/Not Synced counters on the Product Feed overview page never finish loading (stuck spinning) even after a page reload — not sure if that’s related to the sync issue.

    Let me know what you find.

    Plugin Support shahzeen(woo-hc)

    (@shahzeenfarooq)

    1 week ago

    Hi @verasartsanddice!

    Thanks for sharing these additional details and screenshots. I’ve reviewed them, and the settings shown appear to be configured correctly. I can also see that you have selected the option to automatically sync your store’s shipping settings with Google.

    To assist you further, could you please share one more screenshot? Please go to WooCommerce → Settings → Shipping → Shipping zones and share a screenshot showing the shipping zone(s) you have configured for your store.

    This information will help us investigate the issue further and escalate it internally if needed so we can work toward resolving it.

    Thank you for your cooperation!

    Plugin Support Saravanan S, a11n

    (@simplysaru)

    1 week ago

    Hey @verasartsanddice ,

    After reviewing this entire thread, it would be easier debug this further via email, preferably with a temporary access to your site. Would you be able to create an email with us from here. Could you please create a ticket and link us to this forum thread so that we can work with you further?

    We look forward to hearing back from you as soon as possible.

Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)

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