Consent signals let Omnisend respond to your visitors' cookie preferences, placing or removing tracking cookies based on their choice.
This article explains what consent signals are and how to set them up for your Shopify store.
Note: This article provides technical guidance on configuring consent signals for Omnisend tracking cookies. It does not constitute legal advice. Cookie consent mechanisms must comply with applicable privacy laws in your visitors' jurisdictions. Consult your legal counsel to determine the appropriate consent setup for your store.
Before You Begin
Before you verify or configure consent signals for your store, make sure that:
Your store is connected to Omnisend.
Your store is on Shopify – consent signal setup is currently available for Shopify stores only. Support for WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, and other platforms is coming soon.
You have a cookie consent banner on your site.
You've selected a tracking mode in Store settings → Connected store (see Manage Omnisend Tracking Cookies).
Note for non-Shopify stores: If your store is on WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, or another platform, consent signal setup will be available soon.
What Are Consent Signals?
Omnisend uses tracking cookies to identify visitors, trigger automations, and personalize popup forms on your site. You can control when these cookies are placed, either:
Immediately when a visitor opens your site, or;
Only after they explicitly consent.
Regardless of when cookies are placed, Omnisend also needs to know how each visitor responds to your cookie consent banner. These responses are called consent signals. They tell Omnisend when a visitor accepts or rejects cookies, so it can place or remove tracking cookies accordingly.
💡To learn more about tracking cookies and how to control them, see Manage Omnisend Tracking Cookies.
When Are Consent Signals Required?
Consent signals are essential for both tracking modes to respect your visitors' privacy choices.
If you use "Wait for consent before tracking" mode: Omnisend waits for consent signals before placing any tracking cookies. Without them, no tracking occurs because Omnisend doesn't know when visitors consent.
If you use "Track visitors before they consent" mode: Omnisend places tracking cookies immediately, but needs consent signals to remove them when visitors reject cookies.
⚠️ Important: Without consent signals, Omnisend cannot respond to your visitors' cookie preferences in either tracking mode. If you select "Wait for consent before tracking" and don't send consent signals, no tracking data will be collected at all.
💡 Shopify stores: Consent signals control when Omnisend places or removes tracking cookies. However, on Shopify, some events (page viewed, product viewed, added to cart) are separately controlled by Shopify's pixel, which also requires visitor consent before sending them to Omnisend. Started checkout and order events are not affected.
This means both tracking cookies and visitor consent through your cookie banner are needed for full tracking functionality. For more details, seeManage Omnisend Tracking Cookies.
Set Up Consent Signals for Shopify Stores
How consent signals reach Omnisend depends on whether you use Shopify's native cookie banner or a third-party one.
Shopify's Native Cookie Banner
If you use Shopify's built-in cookie consent banner, Shopify sends consent signals to Omnisend automatically through Shopify's Customer Privacy API. No additional setup is needed.
When a visitor accepts or rejects cookies through the banner, Shopify communicates their choice to all installed apps, including Omnisend.
💡 Tip: To enable Shopify's native cookie banner, go to your Shopify admin → Settings → Customer privacy and configure your banner preferences.
Third-Party Cookie Banners on Shopify
If you use a third-party cookie banner on your Shopify store (e.g., iubenda, Osano, Cookiebot), it must be integrated with Shopify's Customer Privacy API for consent signals to reach Omnisend.
Most popular cookie banners support this integration, but it needs to be properly configured.
To verify that your cookie banner is sending consent signals correctly:
Step 1. Open your store in a browser. Open the browser developer console (right-click → Inspect → Console tab) → Type the following command and press Enter:
Shopify.customerPrivacy.currentVisitorConsent()
Step 2. Accept cookies through your cookie banner and run the command again.
What to look for:
If your setup is working, the output should change after you accept cookies. For example, you might see
marketing: "no"before accepting, andmarketing: "yes"after accepting.If the values stay the same, or if you see an error message like "Shopify is not defined," your cookie banner is not sending signals to Shopify's Customer Privacy API.
If you follow the steps above and consent signals still fail:
Check your banner provider's documentation for Shopify Customer Privacy API integration instructions.
Contact your banner provider's support team to confirm API support.
Verify that your banner is properly installed on your Shopify store.
💡 Tip: Popular banners like iubenda, Osano, and Cookiebot support Shopify's Customer Privacy API. Check your banner's settings for options related to "Shopify integration" or "Customer Privacy API."
Note: Omnisend does not evaluate or verify whether your cookie consent banner meets the requirements of applicable privacy laws. You are responsible for ensuring that your consent mechanism is properly configured and compliant. We recommend consulting your legal counsel to confirm your cookie consent banner meets the standards required in your visitors' jurisdictions.
What Happens Without Consent Signals?
If your cookie banner is not sending consent signals to Omnisend:
If you're using "Wait for consent before tracking" mode:
No tracking cookies will ever be placed, even if visitors accept cookies.
Forms with targeting rules won't display.
Behavioral automations (like abandoned cart) won't trigger.
Contact identification won't work.
If you're using "Track visitors before they consent" mode:
Tracking cookies will be placed for all visitors.
Omnisend won't remove cookies when visitors reject them.
You may not be complying with your visitors' privacy preferences.
To avoid these issues, make sure your cookie banner is properly integrated with Shopify's Customer Privacy API.
FAQ
What if my cookie banner doesn't support Shopify's Customer Privacy API?
If your banner doesn't integrate with Shopify's Customer Privacy API, consent signals won't reach Omnisend. You'll need to either switch to a compatible banner or contact your banner provider to request Shopify API support. Popular banners like iubenda, Osano, and Cookiebot support Shopify's API.
Can I test consent signals before going live?
Yes. Use the browser console method described above to test whether your banner is sending signals correctly. Run the Shopify.customerPrivacy.currentVisitorConsent() command before and after accepting cookies, the output should change if signals are working.
What happens if consent signals stop working?
If consent signals stop working, Omnisend will continue using your selected tracking mode ("Track visitors before they consent" or "Wait for consent before tracking"). However, it won't be able to respond to individual visitor choices. Check your cookie banner configuration and verify the API connection using the console test above.
Do I need to update my cookie banner every time I change my tracking mode in Omnisend?
No. Once your cookie banner is integrated with Shopify's Customer Privacy API, it will automatically send consent signals to Omnisend regardless of your tracking mode. You only need to configure the banner once.
When will consent signal setup be available for my platform?
Consent signal setup is currently available for Shopify stores only. Support for WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, and other platforms is coming soon. Check this article for updates, or contact our support team for the latest information.
Reach out to us for further assistance. We're available 24/7 at in-app chat and [email protected].