PrestaShop — installing server-side tracking

A guide for PrestaShop 1.7+ and 8.x: server-side tracking via DataNostro without a custom module. We use the official PrestaShop GTM module + standard GA4 dataLayer hooks.

Who this guide is for

• PrestaShop 1.7.6+ or 8.x (the dataLayer hooks are standard from 1.7.6)
• Time: 60–90 minutes for the first setup
• Assumes FTP or SSH access to edit the theme

What you'll need

1. PrestaShop admin access (Super Admin role)
2. A Google Tag Manager account — a web + sGTM container
3. DNS access for the tracking subdomain
4. A DataNostro account and a created container

Step 1 — Install the GTM module

PrestaShop doesn't have an official GTM module from PrestaShop SA, but there are widely used community ones:

• Lightweight GTM Module (free) — by Webwizards (search the PrestaShop Addons marketplace).
• Google Tag Manager Pro (paid, ~€30) — by Idnovate, a better WooCommerce-style dataLayer.

If you don't want a module, see the alternative approach below (a direct theme edit).

1. Admin → Modules → Module Manager → Upload → upload the ZIP.
2. After installation → Configure → enter your GTM Container ID (GTM-XXXXXX).
3. Tick Enable Enhanced Ecommerce and GA4-format datalayer (if the option exists).

Step 1 (alternative) — Without a module, via the theme

If you want full control over the dataLayer, you can do it manually:

1. FTP / SSH into themes/<your-theme>/templates/_partials/ and open head.tpl.
2. Right after {block name="head_seo"} insert the GTM snippet:

   <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':
   new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],
   j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src=
   'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);
   })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-XXXXXX');</script>

3. For the dataLayer events, create a dataLayer.tpl partial and include it in product.tpl, cart.tpl, order-confirmation.tpl. Example for the purchase event (order-confirmation.tpl):

   <script>
   window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
   window.dataLayer.push({
     event: "purchase",
     ecommerce: {
       transaction_id: "{$order.reference}",
       value: {$order.total_paid|escape:'javascript':'UTF-8'},
       currency: "{$currency.iso_code}",
       tax: {$order.total_tax|escape:'javascript':'UTF-8'},
       shipping: {$order.total_shipping|escape:'javascript':'UTF-8'},
       items: [
         {foreach $products as $p}
         {
           item_id: "{$p.id_product}",
           item_name: "{$p.name|escape:'javascript':'UTF-8'}",
           price: {$p.unit_price_tax_incl|escape:'javascript':'UTF-8'},
           quantity: {$p.product_quantity},
         },
         {/foreach}
       ],
     },
   });
   </script>

This manual variant is more work, but you get exactly the dataLayer your GTM workspace expects. The module from Step 1 emits a format you may have to transform in GTM.

Step 2 — Deploy the sGTM container in DataNostro

1. In Google Tag Manager, create a new Server container.
2. Admin → Export Container → JSON.
3. DataNostro dashboard → Containers → Create new → upload the JSON.
4. DataNostro returns the endpoint URL + DNS instructions.

Step 3 — DNS

At your DNS provider, add a CNAME for the tracking subdomain (e.g. track.yourstore.cz) → target containers.datanostro.com.

Step 4 — Switch GA4 / Meta to sGTM

In the GTM web container:

1. GA4 Configuration tag → Fields to Set:

   server_container_url = https://track.yourstore.cz

2. The same for every GA4 Event tag (purchase, add_to_cart, view_item, …).
3. (Optional) Meta Pixel tag → Advanced Settings → Use server-side endpoint = the same URL.
4. Submit → Publish.

Step 5 — Connect the platforms in DataNostro

The standard process — GA4, Meta CAPI, Sklik, Heureka. For the exact steps, see Platform connectors.

Step 6 — Test

1. Create a test product for CZK 1 in the PrestaShop admin.
2. Make a complete purchase (add to cart → checkout → confirmation).
3. In DataNostro Activity, verify that all 4 events arrived: view_item, add_to_cart, begin_checkout, purchase.
4. In GA4 DebugView, verify the values match (value, items, transaction_id).

Common problems

"The community GTM module has bugs"

The Lightweight GTM Module is a good starting point, but its dataLayer format may be outdated (UA-style). If your GTM workspace expects GA4 events (view_item, purchase), either:

• Use a paid module with GA4 support (Idnovate)
• Or add a transformation tag in the GTM workspace that maps UA → GA4
• Or switch to the manual variant from Step 1 (alternative)

"I see the purchase event twice (duplicate)"

If you have the GTM module and a manual dataLayer push in order-confirmation.tpl installed, both emit the purchase event. Choose one approach and remove the other.

"PrestaShop cache hides theme changes"

After editing .tpl files, admin → Advanced → Performance → Clear cache. If you use the Smarty cache (default on), your changes won't show without clearing it.

Next steps

• Sklik native setup — instead of manual HTTP requests
• Meta CAPI deduplication
• Power-Ups — Cookie Keeper, Bot Detection