What is the _landing_page cookie?
_landing_page is a first-party cookie set automatically by Shopify on any online store built on the platform, regardless of the theme used. No additional app installation is required — it is part of Shopify's core functionality.
The cookie is created on a visitor's first visit to the store, as soon as the browser loads the page, and is updated whenever a new visitor arrives through a different entry page (for example, from an ad or a social media link).
What data it stores
The cookie stores the URL of the first page the visitor viewed on the store (the so-called "landing page"), including any URL parameters such as UTM codes or campaign parameters. The value is essentially an encoded URL and does not contain directly identifying data such as a name or email address.
The data stays stored in the visitor's browser and is read by Shopify scripts on the same domain; it can feed into the analytics reports available to the merchant in the store's admin panel.
What it is used for
Shopify uses _landing_page to determine which page — and indirectly which marketing channel — first brought a visitor to the store. This information underlies the traffic and sales attribution reports found in Shopify's Analytics section.
For the merchant, the cookie helps assess the effectiveness of ad campaigns, social media links, or landing pages used in promotions, without directly involving individual profiling of visitors for external marketing purposes.
Does it require consent?
CookieFix classifies _landing_page under the statistics (analytics) category. Under the ePrivacy Directive (transposed in Romania via Law 506/2004) and the GDPR, analytics cookies are not strictly necessary for the site to function, so they require the visitor's prior consent before being set.
Store administrators must list it correctly in their cookie policy, assign it to the "statistics" category in the consent banner, and make sure it is not activated automatically before the visitor gives their consent.
How to block or delete _landing_page
A visitor can delete or block this cookie at any time from their browser settings (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc.), under the cookie and site data management section. Blocking it does not affect core store functionality — it only reduces the accuracy of the merchant's traffic reports.
At the site level, administrators need to ensure _landing_page is not set before consent is given. A CMP such as CookieFix can automatically block the related Shopify scripts until the visitor selects the "statistics" category in the consent banner, preventing unauthorized setting of the cookie.
Frequently asked questions
It's a first-party cookie set by Shopify that records the first page a visitor landed on in an online store, used to analyze traffic and customer acquisition sources.
No. It's classified as a statistics/analytics cookie, so it's not essential for the store to function and requires the visitor's consent under GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive.
Its typical duration is 2 weeks, after which it expires automatically from the browser.
Visitors can block it via their browser settings, and store administrators can use a CMP such as CookieFix to prevent it from being set before the visitor consents to the statistics category.