Offline Conversions API Setup Guide

Meta's Offline Conversions API helps businesses track sales that happen offline - like in-store purchases or phone sales - and link them to Facebook ad campaigns. This gives you a clearer picture of how ads drive revenue beyond the digital world. But here's the catch: Meta is retiring this API on May 14, 2025, and recommends switching to the Conversions API for offline event tracking.

Key Takeaways:

• What It Does: Tracks offline sales (e.g., in-store or phone purchases) and connects them to online ad interactions.

• Who Benefits: Retailers, service providers, B2B companies, and e-commerce brands with offline sales.

• Why It Matters: Provides better ad targeting, smarter bidding, and up to 10% more conversions when paired with first-party data.

• Critical Deadlines: Offline conversion data must be uploaded within 62 days of the event, and the API sunsets on May 14, 2025.

Quick Setup Overview:

1. Prepare Data: Format offline sales info (e.g., emails, phone numbers, purchase details) and hash sensitive data for privacy.

2. Create Datasets: Use Meta Business Manager to organize offline events and link them to ad accounts.

3. Upload Data: Send data manually or automate uploads via the Conversions API for real-time tracking.

4. Optimize Campaigns: Use offline data to build custom audiences, improve targeting, and enhance campaign performance.

Switching to the Conversions API ensures you stay ahead as Meta phases out the Offline Conversions API. Ready to learn how? Let’s dive deeper.

Meta Conversions API for Offline Events: The Guide For You

Preparing for Offline Conversions API Setup

Before diving into the setup process, it's crucial to gather the necessary tools and organize your data. This groundwork will help streamline the integration and minimize potential hiccups along the way.

Important note: Meta is phasing out the Offline Conversions API on May 14, 2025. Advertisers must transition to the Conversions API, which Meta now recommends for sending offline events [4][5][6]. This guide focuses on setting up the Conversions API.

Requirements for Integration

To get started with the Conversions API, you'll need specific technical components and proper access permissions. Here's what to have ready:

• Admin-level access to Meta Business Manager: This is essential for managing assets and permissions [3][5]. Without it, you can’t create datasets or configure system users.

• Meta App ID: This connects your business systems to Meta's advertising platform through the Marketing API [5]. If you don’t already have one, you can create it via the Meta for Developers portal.

• Business Manager System User: Set up a system user with an Admin role and generate an ads_management access token. This ensures secure, automated communication between your systems and Meta’s servers [5].

• Ad account permissions: The system user must have access to the ad account where you’ll track conversions [5]. This ensures that offline conversion data is attributed to the correct campaigns.

• Datasets for offline events: Unlike the old Offline Conversions API, the Conversions API requires you to associate offline events with specific datasets [3]. Think of these datasets as containers that organize and manage conversion data from various sources.

Once you've secured these components, the next step is to prepare and organize your offline data for upload.

Organizing Offline Data

Your offline data must meet Meta's formatting standards to ensure accurate matching between offline conversions and online ad interactions. The quality of this data is critical.

• Timely uploads: Conversion data must be uploaded within 62 days of the purchase or conversion event [3][8]. Data uploaded after this deadline won’t be attributed to your campaigns, which means missed connections between ads and sales.

• Formatting requirements: Include a "data_processing_options" column in your transaction file (use "LDU" or "non-ldu"). If using "LDU", also include "data_processing_options_state" and "data_processing_options_country" [8].

• Hashing customer information: To protect privacy, certain customer data must be hashed before sending it to Meta. Here’s a breakdown:

• Event parameters: For purchase events, include currency (ISO code like USD) and value fields [3]. Use physical_store as the action_source for offline or in-store events [3].

• Order identification: Assign a unique order_id to each transaction and an item_number for different items within the same order. This prevents duplicate counting when the same conversion is reported multiple times [3].

Daily uploads are recommended to keep your data fresh. Consistency in file formats across uploads will reduce errors and simplify troubleshooting [8].

Understanding Attribution Windows

Attribution windows define how far back Meta looks to link offline conversions to ad interactions. Configuring these correctly ensures you capture the full impact of your campaigns.

• 28-day attribution window: Meta’s default window for offline conversions is 28 days. For instance, if someone clicks an ad on January 1 and makes a purchase on January 10, that sale can be attributed to the ad - provided the data is uploaded by March 12 (within the 62-day upload window) [1].

• Timely uploads matter: The sooner you upload offline event data, the better Meta’s algorithms can match it to ad interactions. Real-time or near real-time uploads improve match rates significantly [1].

• Deduplication window: Meta uses a 7-day deduplication window to identify and remove duplicate conversion events, ensuring accurate reporting [3].

When setting up campaigns, configure the attribution window to 28d_view or use action_attribution_windows=['28d_view'] in your settings. This ensures your reports reflect the full attribution period and provide accurate performance insights [5].

Understanding these attribution windows helps you set realistic expectations for data processing. Keep in mind that conversions may take time to appear in your reports, as Meta needs to process and match the data within the specified window.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up the Offline Conversions API

To configure the Offline Conversions API, you’ll work through three main phases: creating datasets to store offline events, formatting your data to match Meta’s requirements, and uploading your conversion data to Meta’s servers.

Creating Offline Event Sets

Offline event sets in Meta Business Manager help you organize and manage your offline conversion data. Think of these as containers that link your offline sales data to specific ad accounts.

• Go to Business Settings in your Meta Business Manager account and find Offline Event Sets under Data Sources in the left-hand menu.

• Click Create to set up a new offline event set. Use a clear, descriptive name like "Store Sales Q1 2025" or "Call Center Conversions" to identify the dataset easily.

• Link the event set to the relevant ad account to ensure the conversion data flows to the correct campaigns.

• If necessary, grant access to team members or external partners who need to manage this dataset.

Pro Tip: If you’re using third-party tools like Zapier and can’t select your offline event set, go to Events Manager, open the Data Sources Overview tab, copy the Event Set ID (a 15-digit number), and paste it into the tool’s custom data field[9].

Mapping and Formatting Data

Your offline conversion data must be formatted precisely to meet Meta’s specifications. Proper formatting is critical for accurate data synchronization.

Here’s what you’ll need to include:

• The event_time field must be a UNIX timestamp, marking the exact time the conversion occurred.

• Use the event_name parameter to specify the conversion type (e.g., "Purchase" for sales or "Lead" for lead generation).

• For offline or in-store events, set the action_source parameter to physical_store.

• For purchase events, include the currency (using ISO codes like USD), the value field, and a unique order_id to avoid duplicate entries.

Customer data must also be hashed for privacy and data matching. Below is a guide to handling key customer information:

Make sure your CSV file has a consistent structure - each row should have the same number of columns and delimiters[8]. Don’t forget to include the data_processing_options column with values like "LDU" or "non-ldu." Leaving this field blank can cause errors. To simplify this process, use Meta’s Payload Helper tool, which can help you generate properly formatted payloads.

Once your data is ready and formatted correctly, you can move on to uploading it.

Uploading Offline Conversion Data

You can upload your data manually via Events Manager or automate the process using the Conversions API.

Manual Upload:

1. Open Events Manager and navigate to your offline event set.

2. Select the upload option and choose your prepared CSV file.

3. During the column mapping step, align your CSV columns with Meta’s required fields (e.g., map your email column to the email parameter). Address any errors or warnings to ensure the data processes correctly.

Server-to-Server Integration:

• Use the Conversions API to send data directly from your system to Meta’s servers in real-time or near real-time.

• Include all required parameters, hashed customer data, and event timing in your API calls.

• Aim to upload data as close to real-time as possible. At the very least, upload daily, as conversions must be submitted within 62 days of the purchase date to be eligible for attribution[3].

After uploading, check your Event Match Quality (EMQ) score to see how well Meta can connect your offline conversions to online ad activity[1]. Providing detailed customer information, such as email addresses and phone numbers, can significantly improve match rates. In fact, advertisers using first-party data have seen a median 10% improvement in conversions compared to standard offline data imports[2].

Validating and Troubleshooting Offline Conversion Data

Once you've set up your offline conversion data, it's crucial to validate and troubleshoot it to ensure everything works as expected. Meta offers several tools to help you identify and resolve issues, making sure your data integrates seamlessly with your ad campaigns.

Using the Event Diagnostics Tool

The Event Diagnostics tool in Meta Events Manager is a powerful resource for spotting and fixing data issues. It provides real-time feedback and flags specific problems with your offline conversion uploads[10].

To use this tool, go to Events Manager and click on the Diagnostics tab. If you see a red icon next to your data source, it means there are critical issues that need immediate attention[11]. The tool categorizes issues into two groups: "Active" for problems that require action and "Previously detected" for resolved or automatically cleared issues.

The tool also suggests fixes for the problems it identifies. For instance, if your match rates are low, it might recommend adding more customer identifiers to your uploads. If there are formatting errors, the tool will pinpoint the problematic fields.

Make it a habit to check the diagnostics tab regularly to monitor the health of your offline events[10]. Issues that aren't flagged the next day automatically move from "Active" to "Previously detected"[11]. For web or app-related problems, you can manually mark issues as resolved once you've addressed them[11].

If the diagnostics tool highlights errors, follow the steps below to tackle common problems.

Fixing Common Errors

Several recurring issues can disrupt the integration of your offline conversion data. Understanding these problems and their solutions can save you time and improve data accuracy.

• Low Match Rates: This happens when Meta can't connect your offline conversions to the people who saw your ads. Your match rate reflects the percentage of events successfully linked to Meta users[12]. To improve match rates, include as many customer identifiers as possible - like email addresses, phone numbers, names, and dates of birth.

• Timing Issues: Uploading data too late or using imprecise timestamps can cause problems. For physical store events, you have up to 62 days from the conversion date to upload data[3]. However, if no data is uploaded within 90 days of creating your offline event set, your upload window shrinks to just 35 days[12]. Also, ensure timestamps are highly precise - down to the minute or second - to avoid duplicate events.

• Data Formatting Errors: Incorrect formatting of event names, purchase values, or hashed customer data can block your uploads entirely. Double-check that all fields meet Meta's requirements[12].

• Unassigned Event Sets: If your event set isn’t linked to an active ad account, your data won’t flow into your campaigns. To fix this, assign the event set to an ad account and enable auto-tracking[12].

Here’s a quick reference for common errors and their fixes:

Once you’ve resolved these issues, move on to verifying your data accuracy.

Testing and Verifying Data Accuracy

After uploading your data and addressing any errors, it’s time to confirm that your offline conversions are being properly attributed to your ad campaigns.

Start by using Ads Manager. Go to your campaigns and select "Offline conversions" from the Columns dropdown menu to see offline conversion reports[13]. This will show which offline events Meta has successfully attributed to users who interacted with your ads[13].

You can customize the columns to display key metrics and adjust attribution settings to analyze conversions over different timeframes. Save these custom column setups as presets for faster reporting in the future[13].

To ensure accuracy, regularly reconcile Meta’s reports with your internal systems, such as your CRM or point-of-sale data. While minor discrepancies are normal, large differences could signal upload issues.

Finally, aim for daily uploads to minimize reporting gaps and improve matching rates[14]. Only upload new data since your last update to avoid duplicates[14]. This consistent approach helps Meta’s algorithms attribute conversions more effectively, providing accurate insights for your campaigns.

Meta uses the customer information you upload to match it with users who engaged with your ads, attributing sales accordingly[15].

Advanced Methods for Campaign Optimization with Offline Conversions

Once you've set up your API and integrated your data, you can start using offline data to supercharge your campaigns. Offline conversion data provides the insights needed to create smarter, more profitable strategies.

Using Offline Data for Audience Targeting

Offline conversion data is a game-changer for building targeted audiences that can elevate your campaign results. Platforms like Meta allow you to transform in-store customer information into custom and lookalike audiences that sharpen your targeting.

Custom audiences built from offline data let you focus on customers who have already purchased specific products or categories in your physical stores [16]. This makes it easier to cross-sell or upsell. For example, if someone bought a camera, you could follow up with ads for compatible accessories. Meta matches customer details to user profiles, and you can further refine these audiences based on factors like purchase behavior or spending habits.

Lookalike audiences help you find new customers who resemble your top offline buyers. These high-value customers serve as the foundation for discovering others with similar demographics, interests, and behaviors. Meta’s algorithms use these insights to identify people likely to convert, whether online or offline [16].

Exclusion audiences are just as important. By using offline conversion data, you can exclude recent purchasers from your campaigns [16][17]. This avoids wasting your ad budget on people who’ve already bought and ensures your messaging stays relevant, reducing the risk of annoying potential customers.

For businesses that operate both online and offline, these strategies are particularly effective. They help you reach customers who may research products online but prefer to make their purchases in-store, a group that often escapes purely digital tracking methods [17].

These audience-targeting techniques provide the foundation for more precise campaign optimization.

Campaign Optimization with Offline Conversion Signals

Offline conversion data doesn’t just help with audience building - it also feeds directly into Meta’s optimization algorithms to improve campaign performance.

Real-time data uploads are key to making the most of these signals. Meta advises uploading offline conversion data as close to real-time as possible, or at least daily, so the platform can quickly match this data to your ads [3]. Faster uploads mean Meta can better attribute sales to specific ads and refine your campaigns.

Value-based optimization becomes more effective when offline purchase data is included. By assigning monetary values to each offline conversion, Meta’s algorithms can distinguish between high-value and low-value customers [1]. This allows your ads to prioritize people likely to make bigger purchases, improving your return on ad spend.

Instead of optimizing for broad "purchase" events, consider sending offline purchase data for specific product categories as separate events [1]. This helps Meta’s system understand which ads are driving sales for particular products, resulting in more precise optimization.

To link online and offline data effectively, ensure external IDs are in place. These IDs allow Meta to connect in-store purchases with specific online ad interactions, giving you a clearer picture of your customer journey.

For physical store sales, use the "extended attribution upload" feature in Events Manager. This setting lets you attribute conversions within a 90-day window [18], offering a more comprehensive view of your campaign's impact.

While manual efforts can improve performance, automation takes it to the next level.

Automating Optimization with AdAmigo.ai

Managing offline conversion optimization manually can get complicated. That’s where AdAmigo.ai steps in, automating the integration and optimization of offline conversion data within your Meta campaigns. It adjusts bids, budgets, and audience targets in real time based on the latest signals.

As a Meta Business Technology Partner, AdAmigo.ai is designed to handle the complexities of offline conversion optimization for you. Its AI analyzes your offline conversion data alongside overall campaign performance to make smart, real-time adjustments.

The platform’s AI-driven recommendations fine-tune bids, budgets, and audiences using combined conversion signals. Instead of manually monitoring metrics like Event Match Quality scores or attribution windows, AdAmigo.ai keeps track of these and updates your campaigns accordingly.

For businesses managing multiple campaigns, AdAmigo.ai’s bulk optimization feature is a lifesaver. It can optimize hundreds of ads simultaneously using offline conversion signals, ensuring consistent improvements across the board.

Additionally, AdAmigo.ai automates audience creation by generating custom and lookalike audiences from your offline data. These audiences are then applied to the appropriate campaigns, keeping your targeting aligned with current offline sales trends.

If you’re running both lead generation and eCommerce campaigns, the platform ensures offline conversion signals are weighted correctly. For instance, it automatically excludes recent offline purchasers from acquisition campaigns while including them in retention or upselling efforts.

AdAmigo.ai also integrates seamlessly with your existing data systems, pulling offline conversion data and applying it to your campaigns without disrupting your workflow [19]. This automated approach allows you to focus on other priorities while maximizing your Meta advertising results effortlessly.

Conclusion

Implementing the Offline Conversions API changes the game for tracking and optimizing your Meta campaigns. The setup revolves around three main steps: creating offline event sets, organizing and formatting your data, and uploading offline conversion data to Meta's servers. Together, these steps offer a more complete picture of your customer journey.

The results speak for themselves. For example, SumUp saw a 10% boost in quality leads and cut their cost per qualified lead by 15% after adopting the Conversions API. YOOX NET-A-PORTER experienced a 30% increase in Facebook ad sales while reducing their cost per purchase by 25% during their testing period [20]. Fever also reported impressive results, achieving 2.1 times higher return on ad spend by combining the API with custom conversions [20].

These outcomes are possible because offline conversion data allows Meta's algorithms to see the full scope of customer interactions. By sharing offline purchase values, businesses enable Meta to differentiate between high-value and low-value customers, which sharpens targeting and improves campaign efficiency [1].

Uploading data in real-time or on a daily basis further enhances attribution [3], as it creates faster connections between offline sales and ad performance.

However, keep in mind that the Offline Conversions API will be retired in May 2025 [7]. Transitioning to the full Conversions API is not just recommended - it’s essential for maintaining accurate tracking and achieving sustainable success in future campaigns.

For businesses that operate both online and offline, integrating offline data is a must. It fine-tunes campaign performance and ensures precise measurement. According to Meta, using the Conversions API can result in up to 19% more attributed events and up to a 13% improvement in cost per result [21]. Over time, these benefits grow, making the initial effort to set up the system well worth it.

The key takeaway? Ensure your offline sales data flows seamlessly into Meta’s optimization tools. For an even smoother experience, consider using AdAmigo.ai’s automation to integrate offline conversion insights directly into your digital strategy.

FAQs

How can I switch from the Offline Conversions API to the Conversions API before May 2025?

To make the switch from the Offline Conversions API to the Conversions API before it phases out on May 14, 2025, here’s what you need to do:

• Migrate your data: Replace your existing Offline Event Set ID with a new Dataset ID. This step is crucial to ensure your offline event data aligns with the Conversions API, which combines reporting for both online and offline events.

• Update your integrations: If you’re using third-party tools, check that they’re properly configured to send data in the format required by the Conversions API.

• Test everything: Once your setup is complete, double-check that data is being captured and reported correctly on Meta’s platform.

Following these steps will help you seamlessly transition and keep your data tracking and attribution accurate as the Offline Conversions API is retired.

How do I accurately match offline sales data to my Facebook ad campaigns for better insights?

To connect your offline sales data with your Facebook ad campaigns, the first step is setting up an Offline Event Set in Facebook Ads Manager. This step is crucial and needs to be completed before launching your campaigns, as Facebook can only link offline sales to your ads after this setup.

Once that's done, make sure your offline sales data is formatted correctly and uploaded within 62 days of the transaction to ensure accurate tracking. For a smoother integration, you might want to explore the Conversions API. This tool automates the process of syncing offline data with your campaigns, giving you a clearer picture of how your ads drive in-person sales and helping you fine-tune your campaigns for better results.

What are the advantages of using the Conversions API for offline event tracking, and how does it help improve ad performance?

The Conversions API is a powerful tool for tracking offline events by sending customer interactions straight from your servers to Meta. This gives businesses a fuller picture of the customer journey - connecting online engagement with offline sales. The result? A better way to measure ad performance and fine-tune marketing strategies.

By providing more precise data, the API helps improve ad targeting and optimization. It allows for sharper audience segmentation, ensuring your ads are shown to the most relevant users. When paired with the Facebook Pixel, the Conversions API takes conversion tracking to the next level, enabling real-time adjustments to drive better results.

Related posts

• why use meta pixel?

• Meta Ads Conversion Optimization Checklist

• How to Track Custom Conversions on Meta Ads