All you need to know before starting to use custom variable templates in GTM (Google Tag Manager)

Every technology has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Let's explore some of them.

What are Custom Variable Templates in GTM?

Google Tag Manager Custom Variable Templates are a powerful tool for managing GTM variables in a more efficient and cohesive way. You can even leverage community-created templates to streamline your setup further. Official technical documentation

What types of GTM problems does it help to solve?

It helps businesses ensure that all variables used in a project are easily accessible, maintainable, and ready for rapid scaling as the number of variables grows. This approach also provides a more secure way to create tags and access browser APIs through a sandboxed environment. Community variables can further facilitate the setup of tags provided by third-party organizations.

What types of skills, abilities, or expertise do you need to possess?

GTM Templates require a higher level of technical expertise to create, test, and maintain Google Tag Manager variables. This typically involves a strong understanding of JavaScript, knowledge of the template sandbox API, and basic familiarity with unit testing.

What types of problems could it cause?

Maintaining and developing template variables can be more time-consuming and costly compared to regular variables. Additionally, finding specialists with the required skills to support and develop these templates can be challenging.

What recommendations to use GTM variables?

Despite the higher requirements needed to create and maintain template variables, they offer significant benefits in terms of stability, security, and consistency, helping eCommerce projects avoid many issues associated with regular variables. As a result, using template variables is highly recommended for building robust eCommerce data applications.