Shopify Metrics: Which Ones to Track + Ways to Improve

As a Shopify store owner, you must know data helps pave the road to better conversions. 

But which Shopify metrics should you track?

Here’s a list of the most important Shopify metrics to track so you’ll always know how your store is performing.

How to view the Shopify dashboard?  

The Shopify analytics page is regularly updated with the data within about 1 minute. 

If you need to see new data, you can reopen the dashboard or refresh the browser page.

The daily data on your analytics page might update within 48 hours after it's initially processed and published. 

For example, your sessions over time and online store conversion over time reports might update because your traffic data is calculated within a minute, and unwanted bot traffic can end up included in the data. 

Tests to determine this type of traffic are run and can take up to 48 hours to complete. 

If these tests find unwanted traffic, then the unwanted data is removed from your reports.

16 Key Shopify Metrics Every eCommerce Owner Must Track

Lets get started!

1. Average order value

Littledata surveyed 2,794 stores and found the average average order value was US$ 101.

The average order value (AOV) is a key metric for any Shopify store. 

It represents the average amount of money that each customer spends on their order. 

The AOV can be used to track sales performance, identify trends, and make pricing decisions.

The AOV can vary significantly from one store to another. 

Some factors that can affect the average order value include:

• Product category: The AOV for a store that sells high-priced items will be higher than the AOV for a store that sells low-priced items.
• Customer demographics: The AOV for a store with a high-income customer base will be higher than the AOV for a store with a low-income customer base.
• Marketing and sales strategies: The AOV for a store that uses effective marketing and sales strategies will be higher than the AOV for a store that does not.

Keep in mind – Don’t consider AOV in isolation.

You should also consider other metrics, such as conversion rate and customer lifetime value when making decisions about your store’s business goals.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes.

Shopify's analytics or reports often provide AOV directly. Look for sections or reports that detail sales metrics, order values, or average transaction amounts.

2. Online store conversion rate

A Shopify survey does show the average conversion rate is around 1.3%.

It’s important to understand that a "good" or “ideal” conversion rate depends on the industry, business goals, traffic channel, and audience demographics, among other factors.

Littledata surveyed over 3000+ stores and found the following data: 

• average mobile conversion rate was 1.0%,  
• average desktop conversion rate was 1.9%.

a. Add to cart rate 

This Shopify metric refers to the number and percentage of sessions in which shoppers added one or more items to their shopping carts.

This amount is usually smaller than the total number of shoppers because some shoppers view the products in a store without adding to cart.

Littledata found the average add-to-cart rate was around 5.1%.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes.

b. Reached checkout

The reached checkout rate is a Shopify metric that refers to the number and percentage of sessions in which shoppers added one or more items to their shopping cart, proceeded to the checkout, and performed an action (for example, a key press or mouse click).

This number is usually smaller than the add-to-cart rate metric because some shoppers add items to their cart but don't go to the checkout or don't submit their contact information.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes.

c. Cart abandonment rate

Cart abandonment rate is a metric that measures the percentage of online shoppers who add items to their cart but then fail to complete the checkout process. 

It’s calculated by dividing the number of abandoned carts by the total number of carts created.

A high cart abandonment rate can indicate a number of problems, such as:

Extra costs (55%)

Account is required (34%)

Long checkouts (26%)

Unclear pricing (21%)

Don't trust the site (17%)

To reduce your Shopify cart abandonment rate, you can:

• Improve your shopping experience by making it easier to find what you're looking for, and by providing clear and concise information about your products and shipping policies.
• Offer free shipping or reduced shipping rates.
• Build trust with your customers by providing a secure checkout process and by offering a clear return policy.
• Use effective marketing to attract and convert shoppers.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes.

Shopify's analytics or reports might provide insights into checkout behavior and abandonment rates directly.

Look for sections or reports that detail the checkout funnel or abandonment metrics.

3. Sessions converted

Littledata surveyed 5000+ Shopify stores and found average sessions per user to be around 1.4.

This means, most stores see a high bounce rate as well.

a. Online store sessions by device type

This Shopify metric displays the number of sessions on your online store and what kind of device was used to access your store. 

The most common device types are mobile, desktop, and tablet. 

Data shows:

• average pages per session on mobile was 2.3
• average pages per session on desktop was 3.0

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes.

b. Online store sessions by location

This Shopify metric displays the number of sessions on your online store sorted by country. 

Through this data, you can tweak your marketing campaigns for more conversions.  

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes.

c. Online store sessions by traffic source

This Shopify metric displays the number of sessions on your online store based on how the visitors accessed your store.

A session occurs when someone does a search or enters the URL of your store directly, for example.

The most common traffic sources are search, direct, social, and email. 

The traffic source cannot always be determined, so an unknown traffic source is also common. This metric applies to your Online Store channel only.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes.

d. Online store sessions from social source

This Shopify metric displays the number of sessions on your online store originating from social media sources.

These sources can be Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter. This data can help you focus your marketing efforts. 

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes

4. Returning customer rate

Returning customer rate is a metric that measures the percentage of customers who make a second purchase from your store. 

It’s calculated by dividing the number of repeat customers by the total number of customers. 

A high returning customer rate indicates that a retailer is doing a good job of retaining customers and providing them with a positive shopping experience.

Here are some tips for improving your returning customer rate:

• Offer a great customer experience: Make sure your products are of high quality, your customer service is excellent, and your prices are competitive.
• Make it easy for customers to shop: Make sure your website is easy to navigate and your checkout process is quick and easy.
• Offer incentives for repeat customers: Offer discounts, free shipping, or other incentives to encourage customers to return to your store.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes. 

On the Shopify analytics page, look for reports or sections that provide insights into customer behavior and retention. 

Shopify also offers specific metrics or reports related to customer retention and repeat purchases.

5. Sales by traffic source

The ‘sales by traffic source’ metric tracks the total sales generated by each traffic source. 

It’s a valuable metric for understanding where your customers are coming from and how you can optimize your marketing efforts.

Once you have this information, you can divide the total sales by the number of sessions from each traffic source to get the average sales per session. 

This will give you a good idea of which traffic sources are most profitable.

You can also use this metric to compare the performance of different traffic sources over time. 

This can help you identify which sources are becoming more or less effective, and make adjustments to your marketing strategy accordingly.

For instance, if you see that your organic traffic is generating more sales than paid traffic, you may want to focus more of your marketing efforts on SEO and content marketing.

On the other hand, if you see that your paid traffic is generating a lot of sessions but few sales, you may need to improve your landing pages or ad copy.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes. 

On your Shopify admin panel, navigate to the "Analytics" or "Reports" section. Look for a report that details sales performance by traffic source or acquisition channel.

6. Top landing pages

Top landing pages is a metric that can be used to identify which pages get the most traction from search engine results, from ads, or from within internal links.

Here are some tips to improve your landing page conversion rates:

• Make sure your landing pages are relevant to your target audience.
• Use clear and concise language.
• Use high-quality images and videos.
• Make sure your landing pages are mobile-friendly.
• Offer a clear call to action.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes. 

To find your top landing pages, you can use the Shopify Analytics dashboard. In the "Traffic Sources" report, click on the "Landing Pages" tab.

This will show you a list of all of your landing pages, ranked by traffic.

Remember – A landing page is determined from the URL of the first page viewed in a unique session.

A session ends after 30 minutes of no activity by a visitor and at midnight UTC.

7. Top products by units sold

The "Top Products by Units Sold" metric in Shopify allows stores to identify your best selling products in terms of quantity. 

This metric helps you understand customer preferences, popular items, and can guide inventory management and marketing strategies.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes. 

Within the Shopify analytics section, you can explore reports related to product performance, sales, or inventory.

Look specifically for reports that showcase units sold per product.

Shopify offers detailed reports that display the performance of individual products. Check for metrics related to the quantity of units sold for each product.

8. Top referrers by sessions

The "Top Referrers by Sessions" metric refers to the sources that drive the most traffic or sessions to your Shopify store. 

The metric showcases which external websites, platforms, or channels are generating the highest number of visits or sessions, leading shoppers to land on your Shopify store.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes.

Within the analytics section, you can find reports that categorize incoming traffic by sources such as direct traffic, search engines, social media platforms, external websites, etc. 

Look for metrics or reports related to "Referral Traffic" or "Traffic Sources" to identify top referrers.

However, in the following types of referrer, certain sources are not included:

Direct: The customer entered your store's URL into their browser.

Search: The customer clicked your store from a search engine's results page.

Email: The customer clicked a link to your store in an email.

Social: The customer clicked a link on social media.

9. Total orders

A total orders metric is when you measure the total number of orders placed on a Shopify store in a given time period. 

This metric can be used to track the growth of a store, identify trends in customer behavior, and make informed decisions about marketing and product development.

To calculate the Shopify Total Orders metric, you can use the following formula:

Total Orders = Number of Orders in Time Period

For example, if you have a store with 100 orders in the past month, your Shopify Total Orders metric would be 100.

Here are some ways you can use the Shopify Total Orders metric:

• Track the growth of your store.
• Identify trends in customer behavior.
• Make informed decisions about marketing and product development.
• Set goals for your store.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes

10. Customer cohort analysis

Don’t be alarmed by the technical term. 

Customer cohort analysis is how stores track customer retention and buying habits.

It groups loyal customers based on when they made their first purchase. 

You can group customers based on shared characteristics or behaviors to analyze their purchasing patterns and behaviors over time. 

Customer purchase data, including date of purchase, order value, and customer lifetime value (LTV).

You can create cohorts of customers based on their date of first purchase. 

Shopify will then track their purchase behavior over time, such as the number of orders they place, the average order value, and their LTV.

Here’s how help you to improve your customer retention rate:

• Offer a great shopping experience
• Provide excellent customer service
• Personalize your marketing
• Offer rewards and incentives
• Stay up-to-date on the latest trends
• Use social media to connect with your customers
• Offer a mobile-friendly experience
• Secure your website
• Use a reliable shipping partner
• Offer a clear and easy-to-use returns policy

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes.

11. Sales by channel

Shopify allows stores to sell through various channels. 

Sales channels refer to the different platforms or avenues through which merchants can sell their products. 

Here are the common Shopify sales by channels:

Direct

• Online store
• Offline store
• Marketplace

Partner

• Affiliate marketing
• Dropshipping
• Wholesale

Other

• Referrals
• Contests
• Promotions

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes. The analytic page displays the total sales value associated with each of your active sales channels.

12. Search conversion

Displays the percentage of online store searches that resulted in orders, out of the total number of online store searches made.

Search conversion is a metric that measures the percentage of customers who click on a search result and then complete a purchase. 

Search conversion = the number of completed purchases / the number of search results clicked on.

This metric helps you understand how effective your search engine is at driving sales. 

If your search conversion rate is low, it means that customers are not finding what they are looking for or that they are not clicking on the results that are most relevant to them.

Here are some tips to help you rank higher on Shopify:

• Optimize your website for SEO by using relevant keywords throughout your website, including in your product titles, descriptions, and meta tags. Make sure your website is structured logically, with clear categories and product collections. Use internal linking to help users navigate between pages and find relevant content.
• Encourage customers to leave reviews of your products, which can help improve your website's SEO and provide valuable social proof.
• Provide excellent customer service, with fast response times and helpful information. This can help build trust and credibility with potential buyers and increase the likelihood of Shopify's average repeat purchase rate.
• Use available Shopify apps that can help you improve your Shopify website's SEO, user experience, and conversion rates. Consider using apps like SEO Image Optimizer or Product Reviews to help optimize your website.
• Pay attention to customer feedback and use it to make improvements to your website. This can help improve user experience and increase the likelihood of Shopify's average repeat purchase.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

No

13. Top online store searches

Top online store searches are the most popular searches that people make on your Shopify stores. 

Top online store searches can be used: 

• gauge consumer interest in different products and identify trends. 
• target advertising campaigns and improve the user experience on online stores.
• improve the user experience on online stores by making it easier for customers to find what they are looking for

Keep in mind – Top online store searches can vary depending on the time of year, the current events, and the demographics of the online store's customers. 

For example, during the holiday season, top online store searches might include gifts, decorations, and toys. 

During a major sporting event, top online store searches might include tickets, jerseys, and merchandise.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

No

14. Returns

a. Return rate

The average return rate for eCommerce is typically 20% to 30%. 

There are several factors that can affect Shopify return rates, including:

• Product type: Some product types are more likely to be returned than others. For example, clothing and electronics have higher return rates than home goods.
• Price: The price of a product can also affect its return rate. Higher-priced products are more likely to be returned than lower-priced products.
• Customer satisfaction: If customers are not satisfied with their purchase, they are more likely to return it.
• Return policy: The return policy of a store can also affect its return rate. Stores with lenient return policies are more likely to have higher return rates.

How can you reduce my Shopify return rate?

Here’s how to reduce your Shopify return rate, including:

• Offering a good product: Make sure that your products are high-quality and meet the expectations of your customers.
• Having a clear and concise return policy: Make sure that your return policy is easy to understand and that it clearly outlines the steps that customers need to take to return a product.
• Providing excellent customer service: Make sure that your customers are happy with their experience with your store. This can help to reduce the likelihood of them returning a product.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

No

b. Top returned products

On Shopify, top returned products are those products that have been returned the most frequently by customers. 

These products can be identified by looking at the return rate for each product. 

There are a number of reasons why a product might be returned. Some common reasons include:

• The product is defective.
• The product is not as described.
• The product does not fit.
• The customer changed their mind.

If a product is returned, the merchant is responsible for refunding the customer.

The merchant may also be responsible for paying for the shipping costs of the return.

Top returned products can be a valuable source of information for merchants. 

Identifying these products can help stores to take steps to reduce the number of returns. This can lead to increased customer satisfaction and profitability.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

No

15. Gross sales

Shopify gross sales is the total amount of money generated by online sales. 

It includes the value of all purchased items before adding fees or other adjustments, such as taxes, shipping, discounts, or returns. Includes all sales channels.

It’s calculated by adding up the total amount of revenue from all online sales.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

You can use the retail sales reports to see information about your customers' point-of-sale orders based on criteria such as product, SKU, or staff.

16. Total Sales

The total sales metric in Shopify measures the total value of all orders placed on your store, including taxes and shipping costs. 

This metric is a good indicator of the overall health of your business and can be used to track your progress over time.

How is total sales calculated:

Total sales = Gross sales − discounts − returns + shipping + taxes.

Is this metric available on the Shopify analytics page?

Yes.

To find your total sales, go to the Reports tab in your Shopify admin and select the Sales report.

You can then filter the report by date range to see your total sales for a specific period of time.

Frequently Asked Questions about Shopify Metrics

1. How do I increase the conversion rate of my Shopify store?

As a Shopify store owner, your everyday life must be filled with terms like “conversion rates” and “conversion rate optimization”.

Here are some ways to improve Shopify conversion rates:

• Optimize your product pages.
• Improve your product listings.
• Optimize your checkout process.
• Offer free shipping.
• Run promotions and discounts.
• Improve your customer service.
• Collect customer feedback.
• Use social media.
• Optimize your website for mobile.
• Use a conversion rate optimization (CRO) tool.

2. How do I analyze Shopify Analytics?

To analyze your Shopify Analytics data, you can use the following tools:

• Shopify Analytics dashboard: The Shopify Analytics dashboard provides a high-level overview of your store's performance, including metrics such as sales, traffic, and conversions.
• Shopify Analytics reports: Shopify Analytics offers a variety of reports that you can use to dig deeper into your data. These reports include reports on sales, traffic, customers, products, and more.
• Shopify Analytics API: The Shopify Analytics API allows you to access your data programmatically. This can be useful if you want to create custom reports or dashboards, or if you want to integrate Shopify Analytics with other applications.

Here are some tips for analyzing your Shopify Analytics data:

• Set goals: Before you start analyzing your data, it's important to set goals. What do you want to achieve with your store? Once you know your goals, you can focus your analysis on the metrics that are most important to you.
• Use filters: Shopify Analytics allows you to filter your data by date, time, product, customer, and more. This can be helpful for identifying trends and patterns in your data.
• Create reports: Shopify Analytics offers a variety of pre-built reports that you can use to analyze your data. You can also create custom reports to meet your specific needs.
• Use the API: If you need to access your data programmatically, you can use the Shopify Analytics API. This can be useful if you want to create custom reports or dashboards, or if you want to integrate Shopify Analytics with other applications.

For more information on analyzing Shopify Analytics data, please refer to the Shopify Analytics documentation.

3. Is Shopify Analytics better than Google Analytics?

Shopify Analytics and Google Analytics are both popular website analytics platforms, but there are some key differences between the two.

Shopify Analytics

Pros:

• Easy to set up and use
• Integrated with Shopify platform
• Provides insights into customer behavior
• Offers a variety of reports and dashboards

Cons:

• Limited features compared to Google Analytics
• Not as customizable
• Not as comprehensive as Google Analytics

Google Analytics

Pros:

• More comprehensive than Shopify Analytics
• More customizable
• More features
• More accurate data

Cons:

• More difficult to set up and use
• Not integrated with Shopify platform
• Not as easy to use as Shopify Analytics
• Overall, Shopify Analytics is a good option for small businesses that are just getting started with website analytics. 

It’s easy to set up and use, and it provides insights into customer behavior. 

However, if you need more comprehensive analytics or if you want to integrate your analytics with your Shopify platform, then Google Analytics is a better option.

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