Shopify Sales Reports Explained for Better Understanding

Sales data isn't just numbers, but it's the source of valuable insights into your Shopify store’s performance. And there’s a lot of sales data to manage, with each sale adding to the heap. Shopify Sales Reports can organize that data into comprehensive records, complete with multiple features that make it easy to gather insights from it.

Let’s uncover what Shopify sales reports can deliver for your business and how you can take it further.

‍Shopify Analytics, Sales Reports and Your Shopify Plan

Before exploring Shopify Sales Reports, let’s first understand Shopify Analytics and how your chosen subscription plan impacts it.

In a nutshell, Shopify Analytics is the platform’s data metrics center. It’s here that you access your store data, either as visualizations in the Analytics page or as organized reports under Reports. You can view store activity, gain market and customer insights, track website performance, keep tabs on store transactions, etc., via KPIs.

Navigating to it is very simple- click on Analytics in your Shopify account’s left panel. All Shopify plans have this page, so no need to worry here.

• Under Analytics, there is Reports, which is where you find the sales reports. Here’s a bit more on them:
  
  • Clicking on Reports, it will show both custom(To create custom reports, select the “new exploration” icon on the top right-hand corner below your store name) and Shopify pre-created ones.
  • Click “Created by” & select Shopify.
  • Click on Categories and select Sales in the drop-down menu.
  Note: If you have POS sale points, then you can select Retail Sales.

What is a Sales Report?

A Shopify sales report shows how your store is performing over time. It includes key figures like orders, revenue, discounts, returns, taxes, and shipping, and lets you break results down by product, variant, channel, location, staff, and date to spot trends and make better decisions

Below is a list of the most common default sales reports available in Shopify, accessible on all plans. Let’s go through them

As their names suggest, each report gives data on a specific aspect of your sales. Many data columns are common between them, with some unique ones setting the reports apart from one another.

Take a look at this table to familiarize yourself with the common data columns:

Now, let’s go over those reports one-by-one.

How Shopify Sales Reports Can Help Your Business

Growing a successful Shopify store means looking beyond basic sales figures and understanding the story your data tells. Whether it’s tracking staff performance, analyzing sales channels, managing bundles, or staying on top of tax reporting, the right reports can make all the difference.

Here’s a look at essential reports from the Sales, POS, and Revenue categories, and how they can help you make business decisions.

1. Shopify Average Order Quantity Over Time

This report gives you a snapshot of how your average order value changes over time. You can break it down by hour, day, week, month, even by day of the week or time of day.

Keep in mind that this report shows overall averages, not the highest or lowest sales values.

For example, if you make just 2 sales one day and then 99 the next, your average won’t be 99. It’ll be somewhere in between, depending on your 30-day performance. This report helps you spot long-term insights rather than get distracted by spikes.

2. Shopify Bundle total sales over time

This report tracks the number of orders and total sales generated from bundled products, which are cases where two or more items are sold together as a single package.

Bundling can be a smart strategy to move slower inventory by pairing it with your best sellers. This report shows whether that strategy is working for you or not, and helps you to modify your offers if needed.

3. Shopify POS staff orders total

This report highlights the sales made by each of your store staff through your Point of Sale (POS) system over a period of time.

You can see which staff members are making the most sales, how much discount is being given to the customers, and you can even use this data to offer performance-based rewards. It's a great way to appreciate your top performers.

4. Shopify Sales by Customer Name

The Sales by Customer Name report can be extremely useful when you want to identify your most or least loyal/active customers by sales activity.

In this report, you’ll get a breakdown of how much each customer has ordered over a given period.

This report also helps you identify your repeat customers and biggest spenders.

5. Shopify Top product variants by units sold:

This report tells you which specific product variants (like color, size, or style) are selling the most.

It gives you a more detailed look than just “top-selling products.” For example, maybe your black t-shirt in size M is selling way more than any other size or color, and that's important when planning inventory!

Key details in this report include:

• Product title: Name of the product
• Variant title: Name of the specific variant
• Variant SKU: Identification code for the variant

6. Shopify Total Sales Over Time

 Often called your “master sales report,” the Total Sales Over Time report in Shopify plots sales activity on a clear line graph, letting you see performance across custom time increments (day, week, month, year). You can export data for a specific date range, group it by different periods, and view metrics such as total orders, gross sales, discounts, returns, net sales, shipping, taxes, and fees.

This report gives you a bird’s-eye view of how your business is performing over time, helping you spot seasonal trends, measure campaign impacts, and understand whether your store’s growth is consistent or fluctuating. It’s perfect for planning inventory, marketing pushes, and forecasting future sales.

7. Shopify Total Sales by Product

This report lists unit sales by product along with details like product title, vendor, and type. It includes a breakdown of gross sales, discounts, returns, and net sales, with a color-coded total sales summary for easy analysis.

By showing exactly which products generate the most revenue, this report helps you prioritize your marketing spend, refine your product lineup, and make smarter stocking decisions.

8. Shopify Total Sales by Vendor

 For merchants working with multiple brands or suppliers, this report details net quantity, gross sales, discounts, returns, net sales, taxes, and total sales by vendor.
It’s an excellent report for supplier negotiations, measuring vendor performance, and ensuring you’re focusing resources on the most profitable partnerships.

9. Shopify Sales by Discount Codes

This report shows sales generated by specific discount codes within a selected period, including both automatic discounts and manually entered codes.

It helps you measure the effectiveness of promotions, identify which codes drive the most sales, and fine-tune your discount strategy for maximum profit.

10. Shopify Total Sales by Social Referrer

 This report tracks which social channels (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Google) contribute the most sales.
By identifying your top-performing traffic sources, you can optimize ad spend, double down on channels with the highest ROI, and adjust marketing campaigns in real time.

11. Shopify Active Subscriptions Over Time

This report tracks the number of active subscription contracts over time, displaying trends in a line graph and allowing period comparisons.

It is essential for subscription-based businesses, letting you quickly spot growth trends, identify churn risk, and measure the long-term stability of your recurring revenue.

12. Shopify Canceled Subscriptions Over Time

Displays how many subscription contracts are canceled over time, with period-over-period comparisons.

 This is an important churn analysis tool. By tracking cancellation spikes, you can investigate causes like- whether it’s product dissatisfaction, pricing, or delivery issues and implement retention strategies.

13. Shopify New Subscriptions Over Time

 Tracks the number of new subscription contracts over time and compares current performance to previous periods.
By revealing how many new subscribers you gain, you can measure acquisition success and test the impact of marketing campaigns targeting subscriptions.

14. Shopify Subscription vs. One-Time Sales

 Compares total sales and order counts for subscription products versus one-time purchases.
This helps you understand the balance of recurring versus single-purchase revenue, guiding pricing, upsell tactics, and retention strategies.

15. Shopify Bundle Item vs. Non-Bundle Sales

This report compares the sales performance of bundled items versus the same products sold individually.

It also helps determine if bundling is boosting sales or just moving inventory differently. It’s especially useful for pricing strategy and promotional planning.

16. Shopify Total Sales by Bundle Component

 Shows sales data for each product included in bundles. And by identifying best-selling components in bundles, you can adjust bundle composition for pricing and promotion strategies to maximize your sales.

17. Shopify Gross Sales by Sales Channel

This report gives total revenue per sales channel before taxes, fees, discounts, or returns.
Because understanding channel-level performance helps you allocate resources, whether that’s investing more in your online store, expanding POS presence, or testing new marketplaces.

18. Shopify Gross Sales Over Time

Shows the value of all purchased items before adjustments over a selected period.
This is a raw measure of your revenue potential, helping you spot sales peaks and dips without the distortion of discounts or returns.

19. Shopify Items Sold by Referrer

This report tells which referrers are giving the most product sales. And knowing such data like- exactly where converting customers come from, you can better target your marketing, improve acquisition campaigns, and focus efforts on high-converting sources.

20. Shopify Total Sales by Referrer

 This report tracks sales based on the exact source that referred the customer. And helps you determine which partnerships, affiliates, or campaigns are most effective at driving conversions.

21. Shopify Net Sales by Sales Channel

This report shows net sales (gross sales minus discounts and returns) broken down by channel.

This gives a truer profitability picture for each sales channel, helping you identify which ones are worth scaling and which may be draining resources.

22. Shopify Net Sales Over Time

 Tracks your store’s net sales over a chosen time frame.

This report is ideal for assessing overall business health. This report helps you distinguish between actual revenue growth and short-term sales spikes driven by promotions.

23. Shopify Total Sales by Product Variant

 Breaks down gross sales for each product variant, excluding shipping, and shows net quantity sold.
This is  Perfect for inventory and merchandising. It ensures you stock the right sizes, colors, and configurations based on actual demand.

24. Shopify Total Sales by Billing Location

 This allows you to see sales data by customer billing region or country. And this geographic insight lets you run targeted location-based campaigns and tailor your inventory and shipping options to regional demand.

25. Shopify Total Sales by Currency

 This report shows the currency used in sales; it is available only to Shopify Payments merchants.

 Example: For international sellers, this report clarifies currency trends and helps you set prices, run promotions, and plan currency-specific inventory.

26. Shopify Total Sales by Sales Channel

 This report tracks total sales across all sales channels, including retail, online, and others.

By comparing sales volume between channels, you can optimize channel strategies and balance focus between in-person and online selling.

27. Shopify Average Order Value Over Time

The report calculates the average amount spent per order over time, visualized in a line graph.
It is also helpful for identifying upselling opportunities, testing pricing strategies, and understanding changes in customer purchasing behavior.

28. Shopify New Vs Returning Customers

The New vs Returning Customers report in Shopify compares first-time buyers with repeat customers over a chosen period. You can group results by hour, day, week, month, quarter, or year, with separate rows for each customer type.

A first-time customer is making their very first purchase, while a returning customer has bought from you before. This report helps track acquisition and retention trends, showing whether growth comes from new shoppers or loyal buyers.

29. Shopify New vs Returning Customers Over Time

The New vs Returning Customers Over Time report in Shopify shows how many first-time and returning customers placed orders, grouped by a chosen time unit (hour, day, week, month, quarter, or year). This helps you analyze acquisition and retention trends over specific periods.

Each time unit displays two rows when both types are present—one for first-time customers (placing their first order) and one for returning customers (with prior orders).

How to Create a Sales Report in Shopify

1. Log in to your Shopify admin, go to Analytics → Reports, then filter by Sales to view sales-related reports.
2. To create from scratch, click New exploration to build a custom sales report.
   
3. Choose metrics (e.g., Net sales), dimensions (e.g., Month, Product), and add filters as needed.
4. After that, hit Run to see your report.
   
5. Finally, click Save, give it a name, and access it anytime in Reports.
   

How Report Pundit Works Beyond

With Report Pundit, you get 30+ ready-to-use reports on Sales and Orders. Plus, you get insights with data on refunds, draft orders, staff performance, and much more, giving you a complete store view in one place.

Report Pundit includes all the reports Shopify provides, plus a library of additional prebuilt reports you can generate (we’ll cover these below). The key difference is that with Report Pundit you can customize reports, add custom properties, metafields, and third party data, automate delivery and scheduling, all of which Shopify’s native reports do not support.

After creating a report, you can schedule it to be delivered anytime in the file format and destination you want. You can also connect third-party apps to include sales and other store data directly in your reports.

So, let's explore Report Pundit's pre-made reports one by one: 

1. Last 24 Hours Orders

You can use the Last 24 Hours Orders report to track all orders from the past day and quickly see sales trends, customer activity, and order statuses. This helps you monitor recent performance, spot opportunities, respond to issues faster, and make informed decisions with an up-to-date report.

2. Last 30 days Sales Summary

This report gives a complete view of sales performance over the past 30 days by tracking total revenue, order count, and average order value. It also tells product-specific sales trends and pricing insights so that you can focus on marketing for top-performing products to improve inventory planning.

3. Order Report

Order reports help you understand your order volume, fulfillment, shipping, delivery, and returns. They provide valuable insights to improve how you process and manage orders.

Here’s what you get with order reports:

• Orders over time: This shows the total number of orders received during a selected period.
  

• Orders and returns by product: Displays best-selling products along with their return rates.
  
  
• Order to delivery speed: Tracks how long it takes to fulfill and deliver orders.
  
  
• Orders fulfilled over time: Shows the number of orders that have been fulfilled, shipped, or delivered.
  
  
• Shipping labels by order: Provides details about shipping labels purchased for each order.

4. Finance Summary Report

This report gives a clear snapshot of your financial performance by bringing together key metrics such as sales, gift cards, payouts, gross profit, and transaction breakdown in one easy-to-read, accounting-friendly format. 

This is a prebuilt report that you can customize as well. It saves time by removing the need to check multiple reports, works with financial tools, and delivers automatically by email to make month-end reconciliations simple and efficient.

5. Sales by Product

The Sales by Product report shows each product’s performance over a chosen period. It tells the top and low performers. With that, you can manage inventory more effectively, focus marketing on popular items, and adjust strategies for slower sellers to enhance overall sales.

6. Sales by Variant

The Sales by Variant Report gives detailed insights into each product variant’s performance and its impact on your store’s success. It helps you to identify top performers, spot variants that need a promotional push, and track stock levels to prevent shortages or overstock.

 Knowing product popularity and inventory status helps you in better decision-making to improve marketing and optimize inventory.

7. Sales by Vendor

The Sales by Vendor report shows how each vendor’s products impact your store’s performance and helps you make strategic decisions to boost profits. By tracking sales, purchase costs, and margins, you can identify high-performing vendors, improve ROI, and refine purchasing strategies while optimizing inventory management.

8. Sales by POS

The report shows detailed sales and net product counts at each POS location while accounting for refunds, giving an accurate data of performance. This insight helps track product movement, manage stock levels, plan replenishment, and compare sales across locations.

9. Sales by Staff

This report quickly analyzes sales for each staff member across all POS locations, from gross to net sales, allowing you to see exactly how sales are calculated. It helps you assess individual contributions, identify top performers, and spot areas for improvement. By linking staff performance to sales outcomes, you can make better decisions on staffing levels and resource allocation.

10. Sales by Discount Code

The Sales by Discount Code report in Report Pundit shows sales generated from specific discount codes over a chosen period. It helps you see which codes drive the most sales, understand customer preferences and buying behavior, and measure how discounts affect profitability. This insight lets you adjust promotions, improve budgeting and make smarter financial decisions.

11. Sales by Channel

The Sales by Channel report displays sales by source, enabling you to understand which channels generated the most revenue. You can see why customers prefer certain channels to improve their shopping experience and refine your marketing strategies.

 Additionally, it identifies the top-selling products for each channel, helping you optimize promotions and other marketing strategies.

12. Sales by Customer

The Sales by Customer Report- shows sales by individual customers, which helps you to identify your most valuable and frequent buyers. 

With these insights, you can build loyalty programs, send targeted offers, and engage customers personally. It also guides better stocking decisions by showing which products are most popular with top customer segments.

13. Refund Report

Refund Report tracks money that is returned to customers when they return a product or service. It helps you to maintain accurate financial records to monitor refund trends, improve customer satisfaction, and help you prepare tax filings.

14. Commission Report

Motivating teams through fair rewards boosts engagement and performance. So, this Commission Report helps by rewarding store staff and affiliates by showing their sales performance and calculating their commission share. It tracks commissions on a daily, monthly, and quarterly basis, which makes it easier to monitor progress. 

It also supports better pricing and marketing decisions by revealing how commissions influence sales.

15. Completed Draft Order

The Completed Draft Order" report shows the draft order that has been finalized and converted into a regular order in your store. This happens when payment is collected or the order is marked as paid.

Draft orders let you create orders for customers, such as for phone or in-person sales. Once completed, they act like any other order in your store. 

16. Pending Draft Order

This report compiles all the crucial data to track orders awaiting fulfillment, giving quick access to order and shipment details. It helps businesses identify and prioritize pending orders, reduce delays, and improve operational efficiency, ensuring accurate and timely fulfillment.

17. Order Tags and Line Item Properties

This report includes order tags and line items for every order, along with key sales and product details, enabling thorough analysis and processing. You can apply product-specific customizations through line item properties, while order tags help categorize orders and spot trends based on types or special requests. As a result, you get clearer insights.

18. Sales by Collections

The Sales by Collections report shows your product sales, inventory costs, and profitability by collection, helping you see which ones drive the most revenue. With this insight, you can identify popular collections across customer demographics and locations, then adjust marketing and product strategies to boost sales and meet customer preferences.

19. Sales Over Time

The Sales Over Time Report uses historical data to track costs, orders, sales channels, and payment methods. It helps you spot trends, manage sales tax returns, and evaluate channel performance. 

With a clear view of total sales in a selected period, you can simplify tax compliance and ensure accurate reporting. You can also review sales, payments, and refunds in detail to analyze transactions, improve fulfillment, and enhance your store’s performance.

20. Sales by Billing Location

The Sales by Billing Location report in Shopify shows sales by customer billing address, categorized by country, region, or city. It helps you spot high-performing regions, guiding decisions on opening new stores or pop-ups. Moreover, by identifying areas with strong demand for specific products, you can manage inventory more effectively and ensure popular items are always available where they are needed most.

21. Sales by Checkout Currency

The Sales by Checkout Currency report shows your sales by the currency customers use at checkout, along with order counts and total sales converted to your local currency. This helps you track international sales, understand currency trends, and plan pricing or promotions for different markets.

22. Sales by Device ID

The report shows sales data by device type, such as mobile, desktop, or tablet, helping you spot trends and understand customer behavior. With these insights, you can improve your site or app for each device, enhance the user experience, and focus resources where they drive the most sales.

23. Detailed Sales Report

This report displays each sale and return your store made during a selected time frame, organized by date. It breaks down orders into individual line items, including products and shipping charges, showing details such as gross sales, discounts, returns, net sales, shipping charges, taxes, and total sales.

This report helps you get a detailed view of your sales transactions for bookkeeping, tax reporting, and financial analysis.

24. Order vs Return (Monthly)

The Orders vs Returns (Monthly) report in Shopify helps you compare the total number of orders placed against the number of returns processed each month. This report provides insights into your sales performance and return rates over time, allowing you to identify trends and make informed decisions about inventory and customer service.

25. Sales by Fulfillment Location

The "Sales by Fulfillment Location" report in Shopify provides insights into your sales performance based on the locations from which orders are fulfilled. This report helps you understand how different fulfillment locations contribute to your overall sales.

26. Retail sales by staff attributed to the Sale

The Retail sales by staff attributed to the sales report in Shopify POS lets you track sales made by each staff member. This report is available only with the Shopify POS Pro plan. It shows which staff member handled a sale, either for the full order or for specific items within it. Sales attribution can be set up to happen automatically at checkout or entered manually.

This report is useful for monitoring staff performance and calculating commissions. You can also see staff attribution details in order records, as well as during exchanges and returns.

27. Retail sales by staff at register (daily)

The Retail sales by staff at register (daily) report in Shopify POS shows the daily sales made by each staff member at your POS locations. This report is only available with the Shopify POS Pro plan. It includes details such as the date of sales, the staff member who processed the sale, the POS location where the sale took place, and the percentage of sales that had staff assigned to line items.

You can use this report to track daily staff performance and better understand sales attribution at your stores.

28. Retail sales by staff at the Register

The Retail sales by staff at register report in Shopify POS shows the sales made by each staff member at your POS locations. This report is only available with the Shopify POS Pro plan. It includes details such as the staff member who processed the sale, the POS location where the sale occurred, and the percentage of sales that had staff assigned to line items.

You can use this report to track staff performance and understand sales attribution across your stores

29. Payment outstanding

The Payment Outstanding Report explains the amount a customer still owes on an order that is not fully paid. This usually applies to orders with deferred payment terms, where payment is due later, or to orders marked as payment pending or overdue. In Shopify, you can manage these by setting payment terms, sending invoices, and tracking order status in your admin.

30. Payment Term

To view totals of all transactions by date, sales channel, and payment method, you usually need to compile two separate reports, which takes time to sort and analyze. Instead, our reporting app combines all this information in one report, saving time, simplifying analysis, and allowing automated email delivery for quick access whenever you need it.

31. Payment Due on

The Payment Due On report shows the amount that customers owe for orders that have not yet been fully paid. This is relevant for orders with payment terms or deferred payments where the payment is scheduled to be made at a later date.

32. Cogs Report

This report helps ensure prices cover production costs and stay competitive, and calculates gross profit margins by comparing revenue with direct costs. This helps you focus on top-performing products, discontinue low-margin items, and decide when to switch suppliers. 

By understanding costs accurately, you avoid incorrect COGS reporting that can inflate profits and lead to poor decisions. Moreover, accurate financial reporting strengthens credibility with lenders and investors, improving your chances for funding and growth.

33. Bundle Item Vs Non-bundle Item Sales

It can show how many bundles you sold, list their components with quantities, and track revenue from bundles compared to individual products. Moreover, it lets you compare performance across date ranges or sales channels, helping you see what sells best, optimize pricing, and improve inventory planning.

34. Deleted products in Order

Shopify excludes only deleted and test orders placed in test mode, so your reports stay clean and accurate. As a result, you can rely on the data for making decisions and tracking business performance.

Conclusion

Shopify provides many sales reports that help you understand your data better with easy customization. You can view reports by product, customer, discount, and more, which makes it easier to manage your sales and orders. However, Shopify reports have some limits. They cannot automate data, export reports in custom formats, or add extra data like metafields, product details, or calculated fields. For these advanced features, you can use a third-party reporting app.

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