How to use Direct-to-Checkout UTM links

Learn how to trigger post-purchase funnels using UTM parameters, including setup for direct-to-checkout links

Aftersell supports triggering funnels based on UTM parameters, which is an optional feature specifically intended for advanced use cases. You can configure your funnel to activate when a customer visits your site with a specific UTM query string.

This setup is optional and typically required only for advanced tracking needs, such as direct-to-checkout links or campaign-specific offers.

How UTM triggers work

UTM triggers allow you to show specific post-purchase funnels based on UTM parameters in the URL. This is useful for:

• Campaign-specific offers – Show different upsells based on the marketing campaign
• Direct-to-checkout links – Trigger funnels when customers skip the storefront
• Channel attribution – Personalize offers based on traffic source (email, social media, ads)
• A/B testing – Test different offers for different campaign variations

Quick start: Basic UTM trigger setup

For standard storefront visits (not direct-to-checkout), you can set up UTM triggers using the Aftersell app embed. To see how to quickly get started with UTM triggers, check out this video:

Enable the UTM app embed

To track UTM parameters on storefront pages:

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes
2. Click Customize on your active theme
3. In the theme editor, click the App embeds icon (puzzle piece) in the left sidebar
4. Find Aftersell UTM Tracker and toggle it on
5. Click Save

Once enabled, Aftersell will automatically capture UTM parameters when customers visit your storefront with UTM links.

Configure UTM triggers in your funnel

After enabling the app embed:

1. Go to Post-purchase Funnels in the Aftersell admin
2. Create or edit a funnel
3. In the Triggers section, add a UTM Parameter trigger
4. Configure the UTM parameter and value you want to match
5. Save your funnel

Supported UTM parameters

Aftersell supports the following standard UTM parameters:

• utm_source – Identifies the traffic source (e.g., google, newsletter, facebook)
• utm_medium – Identifies the marketing medium (e.g., email, cpc, social)
• utm_campaign – Identifies the specific campaign (e.g., spring_sale, product_launch)
• utm_term – Identifies paid search keywords (e.g., running+shoes)
• utm_content – Differentiates similar content or links (e.g., banner_ad, text_link)
• utm_id – Identifies the campaign ID (e.g., campaign_123)

All six parameters are tracked and can be used to trigger funnels.

Partial field matching

When configuring UTM triggers, Aftersell supports partial matching for UTM parameter values. This means:

• ✅ Trigger value: spring → Matches: spring_sale, spring_2026, early_spring
• ✅ Trigger value: email → Matches: email_newsletter, promotional_email
• ✅ Trigger value: sale → Matches: spring_sale, flash_sale, sale_2026

This flexibility allows you to create broader triggers that match multiple campaign variations without creating separate triggers for each one.

Example: If you set a trigger for utm_campaign contains sale, it will match any campaign with “sale” in the name, such as spring_sale, summer_sale, or flash_sale_2026.

Direct-to-checkout UTM links

The basic setup shown in the video above does not support links that send customers directly to checkout. By default, Aftersell can only detect UTM parameters on storefront pages. This is because it relies on a theme app embed, which works only on storefront pages and not on the checkout or thank-you page.

Enable UTM tracking on checkout pages

To track UTM parameters on the checkout page (for direct-to-checkout links), you need to add a Shopify Pixel to your store.

⚠️ Important limitations:

• This setup requires the visitor to have a cart token when they arrive at checkout through a UTM link. Without a cart token, the UTM data will not be captured.
• Express checkout methods (Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay) are not supported because they bypass the cart and do not generate a cart token. Customers using express checkout will not trigger UTM-based funnels.

Setting up the Shopify pixel

Follow these step-by-step instructions to set up direct-to-checkout UTM tracking:

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Customer Events.
2. Click Add Custom Pixel and give it any name you like.
3. Under the Permission dropdown, select Analytics. This is the only permission required.
4. For the Data Sale dropdown, you can choose Data collected does not qualify as data sale. Aftersell keeps all collected data private and never shares it with anyone other than you.
5. In the code editor that appears, paste in the code provided below.
6. Click Save, then Connect.

/**  
 * IMPORTANT: This pixel can only fire on sessions where the  
 * customer has a cart object, otherwise it will be skipped.  
 * For example, clicking "Buy Now" on a product page skips the cart,  
 * going directly to checkout.  
**/  
function processData({event, cartToken}) {  
  // TODO: Edit MYSHOPIFY_DOMAIN to your domain. E.g.  
  // const MYSHOPIFY_DOMAIN = 'example-store.myshopify.com';  
  const MYSHOPIFY_DOMAIN = '';  
  
  const enableDebug = false;  
  
  // DO NOT EDIT PAST HERE  
  const SESSION_STORAGE_KEY = 'as-customer-trigger-data';  
  const HOST = 'https://start.aftersell.app';  
  
  if (!MYSHOPIFY_DOMAIN) {  
    if (enableDebug) {  
      console.log("UTM pixel didn't fire because of missing Shopify domain");  
    }  
    return;  
  }  
  if (!cartToken) {  
    if (enableDebug) {  
      console.log("UTM pixel didn't fire because of missing cart token");  
    }  
  }  
    
  let existingCustomerData = null;  
  try {  
      existingCustomerData = JSON.parse(  
          sessionStorage.getItem(SESSION_STORAGE_KEY) || 'null'  
      );  
  } catch (ignore) {  
    if (enableDebug) {  
      console.log("UTM pixel didn't fire because malformed user data json");  
    }  
  }  
    
  const allowedUrlParams = [  
        'utm_source',  
        'utm_medium',  
        'utm_campaign',  
        'utm_term',  
        'utm_id',  
        'utm_content',  
    ];  
    
  const searchParams = new URLSearchParams(event.context.window.location.search);  
  let hasCustomerData = false;  
  const customerData = {};  
  for (const param of allowedUrlParams) {  
    const paramValue = searchParams.get(param) || existingCustomerData?.[param];  
    if (paramValue) {  
        hasCustomerData = true;  
        customerData[param] = paramValue;  
    }  
  }  
  
  if (hasCustomerData) {  
    sessionStorage.setItem(SESSION_STORAGE_KEY, JSON.stringify(customerData));  
  
    const postBody = {  
      shop: MYSHOPIFY_DOMAIN,  
      cartToken,  
      checkoutToken: event.data.checkout.token ?? undefined,  
      customerTriggerData: customerData,  
    };  
  
    if (enableDebug) {  
      console.log("UTM pixel fired with the following data:", postBody);  
    }  
      
    fetch(`\${HOST}/api/v1/storefrontSessions`, {  
        method: 'POST',  
        headers: {  
            'Content-Type': 'application/json',  
        },  
        body: JSON.stringify(postBody),  
    });  
  } else {  
    if (enableDebug) {  
      console.log("UTM pixel didn't fire because there was no data to send");  
    }  
  }  
}  
  
analytics.subscribe('checkout_started', (event) => {  
   // minimum realistic time between adding item to cart and clicking checkout  
    const COOKIE_POLLING_INTERVAL_MS = 500;  
  
    let currentCookieValue = getCookieValue({ cookie: document.cookie, cookieName: 'cart' });  
    processData({event, cartToken: currentCookieValue});  
  
    setInterval(() => {  
        const newCookieValue = getCookieValue({ cookie: document.cookie, cookieName: 'cart' });  
        if (newCookieValue !== currentCookieValue) {  
            currentCookieValue = newCookieValue;  
            processData({event, cartToken: newCookieValue});  
        }  
    }, COOKIE_POLLING_INTERVAL_MS);  
});  
  
function getCookieValue({ cookie, cookieName }) {  
    const cartCookieRegex = new RegExp(`^\${cookieName}=`);  
    const cartCookie = cookie  
        .split(';')  
        .map((val) => val.trim())  
        .find((val) => cartCookieRegex.test(val));  
    if (!cartCookie) return null;  
    const cartCookieValue = cartCookie.replace(`\${cookieName}=`, '');  
    return cartCookieValue;  
}

Important configuration notes:

• Edit MYSHOPIFY_DOMAIN: You must replace the empty string with your store’s myshopify.com domain (e.g., 'example-store.myshopify.com')
• Enable debug mode (optional): Set enableDebug = true to see console logs for troubleshooting
• Supported parameters: The pixel tracks all six standard UTM parameters listed in the allowedUrlParams array

Testing your UTM trigger setup

After setting up UTM triggers, use this checklist to verify everything is working correctly:

For storefront UTM tracking (app embed)

• ✅ App embed enabled: Verify the Aftersell UTM Tracker app embed is toggled on in your theme settings
• ✅ Test URL: Visit your store with a UTM parameter (e.g., yourstore.com?utm_campaign=test)
• ✅ Complete purchase: Add a product to cart and complete checkout
• ✅ Check funnel: Verify the correct funnel appears on the thank-you page
• ✅ Order browser: Check the Aftersell Order Browser to confirm the UTM trigger was detected

For direct-to-checkout UTM tracking (Shopify pixel)

• ✅ Pixel installed: Verify the custom pixel is saved and connected in Settings > Customer Events
• ✅ Domain configured: Confirm MYSHOPIFY_DOMAIN is set correctly in the pixel code
• ✅ Cart token present: Ensure the customer has items in cart before going to checkout (required for tracking)
• ✅ Test URL: Use a direct-to-checkout link with UTM parameters (e.g., yourstore.com/checkout?utm_campaign=test)
• ✅ Complete purchase: Complete the checkout process
• ✅ Check funnel: Verify the correct funnel appears on the thank-you page
• ✅ Order browser: Check the Aftersell Order Browser to confirm the UTM trigger was detected
• ⚠️ Express checkout: Remember that Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay will NOT work with UTM triggers

Troubleshooting tips

If UTM triggers are not working:

1. Enable debug mode: Set enableDebug = true in the pixel code and check browser console for error messages
2. Verify cart token: Ensure customers have items in cart before reaching checkout (pixel requires cart token)
3. Check trigger configuration: Verify the UTM parameter and value in your funnel trigger match the URL parameters
4. Test partial matching: Remember that triggers use partial matching - sale will match spring_sale, flash_sale, etc.
5. Check funnel priority: If multiple funnels match, only the highest priority funnel will show
6. Review Order Browser: Use the Aftersell Order Browser to see which triggers fired for each order

Best practices for UTM triggers

• Use consistent naming: Establish a naming convention for your UTM parameters (e.g., utm_campaign=email_spring_2026)
• Leverage partial matching: Use broader trigger values to match multiple campaign variations
• Test before launching: Always test your UTM links and triggers before sending to customers
• Document your campaigns: Keep a record of which UTM parameters you’re using for each campaign
• Combine with other triggers: Use UTM triggers alongside product or order value triggers for more precise targeting
• Monitor performance: Regularly check the Order Browser to see which UTM campaigns are driving the most upsells