What is TikTok’s Conversion API? A guide for performance marketers

Here’s a typical flow of events with TikTok ads: a customer clicks your TikTok ad, browses your site and then makes a purchase in-store a few days later. However, without the right setup, that sale might never show up in your reports, making it difficult to see the impact of your ad campaign. Privacy changes, browser tracking limits and ad blockers are causing these gaps more often, leaving advertisers with incomplete data.

The best way to ensure those missed actions are captured is with a reliable connection that sends all your conversion signals. TikTok’s Conversion API (CAPI) helps close the gap by sending event data directly from your source of truth to TikTok, so all actions, from in-store purchases and app installs to website checkouts, are counted.

Using Funnel is the simplest way to connect TikTok CAPI. You can get set up in minutes — no coding required — and your event data keeps flowing with automatic daily syncs. Funnel acts as your command center for CAPI, letting you decide what data gets sent, where it goes and how often so you can stay on the right side of privacy laws and track your TikTok campaigns confidently.

Let’s look at how TikTok’s Conversion API can help you capture event data better, and how you can use Funnel and TikTok CAPI to see the full picture, spot patterns faster and increase your ROAS.

What is TikTok’s Conversion API?

TikTok’s Conversion API lets you push data from your CRM, data warehouse or custom events directly into your ad platform for better tracking.

Conversion APIs solve some of the signal loss issues created by the phasing out of third-party cookies and tracking restrictions by connecting your tools directly with ad platforms. The TikTok API lets you send conversion data from various events directly to TikTok. With TikTok CAPI, no browsers or ad blockers have the chance to muddy the waters.

TikTok’s Conversion API can send a wide range of events, including:

• Web events like add-to-cart, checkout and sign-up
• App events like installs, in-app purchases and content views
• Offline events like in-store purchases, call center orders and CRM updates

Each event can include extra details like product ID, purchase value or user contact info. TikTok uses this marketing data to better match conversions to the right ads. That means fewer missed conversions and stronger audience targeting.

Ultimately, when used with the TikTok Pixel and event deduplication, CAPI gives you a more complete picture of what’s actually working. The TikTok Ads Manager has a fuller record of what happens after someone interacts with your ad, making it easier to measure ad campaign performance. 

Since you’re sending first-party data, you’re not dependent on browsers, devices or cookies to show the correct amount of conversions. Without it, your TikTok Ad Manager can only see what the TikTok Pixel (a browser-based tracker) can “see.” With the Pixel, if someone blocks cookies, makes purchases in-store or over the phone or loses their connection mid-session, those conversions won’t be counted.

Why use TikTok’s Conversion API?

TikTok’s Conversion API helps advertisers track more conversions that would otherwise be missed due to browser limits, ad blockers or poor connectivity. When used alongside the Pixel, brands have reported a 13% increase in event capture, a 15% drop in cost per action and up to 60% more conversions tracked.

As reliance on third-party cookies continues to be unpredictable, CAPI gives marketers a way to keep measurement consistent and more accurate without relying on browser data alone.

Using TikTok Ads Conversion API with Funnel

You can use Funnel with TikTok CAPI to make managing your conversion data even more strategic. As a marketing intelligence platform, Funnel acts as the single source of truth for all your marketing data. It connects to hundreds of data sources, applies transformations automatically, securely stores it and exports to your chosen destinations.

With Funnel, connecting with TikTok is easy, and automating your conversion data uploads is a piece of cake. Just pick your key conversions and events, and Funnel does the rest. Funnel’s export platform, Activate, is built for marketers and totally scalable, so you can set your preferences and put your feet up knowing your TikTok ad tracking is compliant, automated and reliable.

Let’s dive deeper into how the TikTok Conversion API works and how Funnel can help you spend smarter.

How TikTok CAPI works

TikTok’s Conversion API sends data through a five-step process that mirrors how real-world user actions turn into measurable conversions inside Ads Manager.

1. Record the action: Your site, app or offline system logs a purchase, form fill or other conversion. This is the starting point for any meaningful tracking.
2. Format the event: Your server adds parameters like order value and hashed match keys (email, phone) so TikTok can link the action to a specific user without exposing personal data.
3. Send to TikTok: Data is sent to the Conversion API endpoint with an access token, ensuring it’s secure and authenticated.
4. Deduplicate with Pixel: If Pixel also fires, a shared event_id prevents double counting.
5. Match and report: TikTok matches the event to ads, then surfaces it in Events Manager for reporting, audience building and ad delivery adjustments.

This setup works best when used alongside the TikTok Pixel. But how do the two differ, and why should you use both?

TikTok Conversion API vs. TikTok Pixel

The TikTok Pixel works well for tracking fast, browser-based conversions. If someone clicks an ad and checks out in the same sessions, the Pixel records that. But in more complex user journeys, it often misses key actions.

For example, if a user clicks a TikTok ad on mobile but finishes their purchase later on a laptop or in a physical store, the Pixel can’t connect that conversion to the original click. The same applies to delayed actions like phone orders or CRM updates that happen hours or days later.

The TikTok Conversion API tracks those missed steps. It sends event data from your internal systems directly — or via a CAPI integration partner like Funnel — into TikTok. That includes app installs, offline purchases and other post-click activity that the Pixel can’t capture.

Using both tools, you get a more holistic view of how users convert across various platforms and channels. TikTok’s Business Help Center also recommends enabling event deduplication to avoid double-counting.

Benefits of using the TikTok Conversion API with Funnel 

Advertisers use TikTok’s Conversion API not just to “capture more conversions,” but to answer practical questions that the Pixel alone simply can’t solve.

For example, which campaigns lead to higher-value orders, not just more orders? Are conversions being undercounted because of cookie restrictions?

By sending that server-side data directly to TikTok, advertisers can reap a whole host of benefits.

Capturing missing conversions

When Pixel-only tracking leaves gaps, it creates blind spots in reporting that force teams to patch together results with manual fixes.

Funnel’s native TikTok Events API handles both browser and server-side tracking automatically, boosting event capture by an average of 13% and ensuring metrics like ROAS and conversion volume are trustworthy without manual patchwork. Instead of guessing at what was missed or giving a caveat when delivering reports, advertisers get a complete dataset they can trust for decision-making.

Example of how using the TikTok Events API helps: A campaign shows a 20% higher return after CAPI fills in dropped sales from users with ad blockers.

Combining online and offline event data

When online and offline conversions are tracked separately, advertisers often struggle to see the full impact of their TikTok ads. A campaign might drive in-store purchases or phone orders, but if those conversions are logged in a POS system or CRM instead of a browser, they’ll rarely make it into TikTok reporting. That leaves attribution incomplete and campaign value understated. 

Funnel solves this by unifying web, app and offline events in a single TikTok Events API feed. Call center orders, retail purchases and CRM updates flow into the same dataset as add-to-cart or checkout events. This full-funnel orchestration delivers 60% more conversions from accurately attributed data and removes the need for fragmented spreadsheets.

Example of how using the TikTok Events API helps: A TikTok ad for a retail launch drives 300 in-store purchases, which you can now attribute correctly.

Improving targeting accuracy

Accurate targeting relies on sending TikTok verified conversions, not just browser signals. Pixel-only setups often blur the line between people who completed a purchase and those who only viewed a product or abandoned their cart. That causes wasted spend on poorly matched audiences and lookalikes built on incomplete data.

Funnel delivers near real-time, high-quality conversions directly to TikTok’s algorithm, enabling smarter audience building, more accurate optimizations and an average 15% reduction in CPA. Your budgets go further with better-matched signals, not guesswork.

Example of how using the TikTok Events API helps: You retarget people who actually completed checkout — not those who abandoned a cart — because your offline POS data is included.

Adapting to privacy-first marketing

As browsers tighten privacy controls and third-party cookies go away, Pixel-only setups become less reliable. Conversions from Safari or iOS users often go untracked, making reports incomplete and audience lists inaccurate. That creates challenges for both campaign optimization and compliance, since advertisers risk underreporting performance while also struggling to meet stricter data requirements.

Funnel aids advertisers by sending conversion data server-side through the TikTok Events API. This approach ensures event signals continue to reach TikTok even when browser tracking gets blocked. Advertisers see up to a 48% lift in ROAS under privacy-first conditions with consistent performance under changing privacy regimes.

Example of how using the TikTok Events API helps: Safari users still appear in your conversion reports and audience lists because events are sent server-side.

Setting up TikTok CAPI

Ready to get the TikTok Conversion API live in your account? This step involves generating access credentials, configuring your server to capture events and testing that those events reach TikTok correctly.

If you’re connecting through Funnel, the process is easy. Funnel’s activate guides walk through how to connect conversion data from your CRM, ecommerce store or offline systems directly to TikTok Ads Manager.

Preparing your TikTok Ads Manager account

Before you can send server-side events, you’ll need to gather the right credentials from Ads Manager. As a reminder, TikTok also recommends using the Events API together with the Pixel, as this dual setup improves measurement reliability and performance.

To kick off this process:

1. Log in to TikTok Ads Manager and go to Tools, then Events Manager.
2. In Web Conversions, select both TikTok Pixel and Events API as you set up your data connection.
3. Once the Pixel is created, open its Settings and click Generate Access Token. Copy the token and your Pixel ID as you’ll need both for server-side configuration.

Implementing server-side tracking and testing events

With your Pixel ID and Access Token ready, configure your server or integration tool to capture the conversion events you want to send. TikTok requires each event payload to include:

• event_name such as CompletePayment or SubmitForm
• event_time in UNIX timestamp format
• event_id to enable deduplication when Pixel and API events overlap
• value and currency for transactions
• hashed match keys such as email, phone or IP address to improve attribution while protecting privacy

Send the formatted payload to TikTok’s Events API endpoint using your Access Token. If you also use the Pixel, match the same event_id across both setups so TikTok counts the event only once.

Before going live, test your configuration in Developer Mode → Test Events Tool. Then, confirm in Events Manager that each event shows as both “Received” and “Processed.”

How Funnel simplifies the TikTok Conversion API setup 

Setting up TikTok’s Conversion API manually requires server configuration, event formatting and ongoing maintenance. Funnel turns that complexity into a smooth, native workflow backed by automation.

With Funnel, you get:

• No manual coding required: Funnel connects your CRM, ecommerce and offline systems directly to TikTok via Events API, all through a UI-based setup.

• Events formatting taken care of: Funnel automatically structures your events to TikTok’s specs and applies hashed identifiers like phone or email for privacy compliance.

• Resilience to updates: This managed integration means TikTok updates won’t break your setup if they change their rules. Funnel absorbs that work for you.

• Unified event feed: Online and offline conversions flow into the same stream, eliminating fragmented data.

• Monitoring tools built in: Funnel flags failed events so you can fix issues before reporting is impacted.

For advertisers running campaigns across multiple channels, the good news is that TikTok’s setup is very similar to other server-side connections, like Meta’s Conversion API and LinkedIn’s Conversion API.

By offering this native integration, Funnel reduces the technical work for marketers, bringing clarity and reliability back into performance tracking. 

Want to learn more? Check out the full integration guide here: Funnel TikTok Ads Conversion API

Common questions about the TikTok Conversion API

What events can you track with TikTok CAPI?

TikTok’s Conversion API supports:

• Standard events such as Purchase, Add to Cart, Submit Form, Subscribe and View Content

• Custom events that reflect your own business goals, like loyalty sign-ups or trial activations

• Multiple sources, including web, mobile apps and offline actions such as in-store purchases or phone orders.

This kind of flexibility ensures you’re able to track the actions that matter the most for both online and offline attribution. 

How can I get more conversions on TikTok?

Driving more conversions starts with clear calls-to-action in your ads and ensuring you’re tracking critical events like Sign Up, App Install and Purchase. 

Pair the TikTok Pixel with the Conversion API to capture both browser and server-side actions so reporting stays accurate even when cookies are blocked. 

It’d also help to build custom audiences based on verified conversions, then expand with lookalike audiences to reach users with similar traits.

What is a good TikTok conversion rate?

Conversion rates vary by campaign and industry. According to the Darkroom Agency, for ecommerce campaigns, a range of 1 to 3% is considered healthy, while lead generation campaigns often sit around 3 to 5%.

That said, according to ecommerce marketing technology creator Lebesgue, some broader benchmarks show TikTok conversion rates between 0.5% and 5%, depending on targeting, creative quality and optimization.

Ultimately, it’s best practice to benchmark yourself and compare against your historic performance to lower your CPA while maintaining conversion quality.