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 plenty 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 to gather insights from it easily.

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 getting into Shopify Sales Reports, let’s understand Shopify Analytics better and how your choice of subscription plan affects 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.

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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.

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• 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.

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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 better business decisions.

1. Average Order Quantity/ Value 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.

       How to read it: The important thing about using this report is- it shows the averages, not the highest or lowest values of the sales.

       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. Bundle Sales Over Time/ Bundle Report:

        This report tracks the number of orders and total sales from bundled products, that is, when you sell two or more items together as a package, it will count as a          bundle order.

         Why it matters: 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. POS Staff Orders Total/ Sales by POS:

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

        Why it's useful: 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:

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

         Why it matters: This helps you identify your repeat customers and biggest spenders. You can then create loyalty programs or

5. Top Variant by Units Sold/ Sales by product variant:

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

          How it's helpful: 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!

6. Total Sales Breakdown:

         This report displays your total sales and the number of orders over time, including detailed line items.

          Important note: If you edit an order after the day it was placed, Shopify treats the edit like a new order in this report. It might look like a duplicate, but it's just           showing the updated data, so keep that in mind when reviewing. So, here, Report Pundit can give you the edited order information to save your time.

7. United States Sales Tax Report:

        Sales by U.S. tax report help U.S. merchants to track sales tax, which is calculated based on state, county, and local laws, as there’s no fixed sales tax in the         U.S.

        Why it’s important: If you're using Shopify’s tax system, this report makes it easier to stay organized by showing all taxes charged. You can even customize the         report to include additional order and customer fields for more detailed analysis.

Summing Up

Shopify provides diverse reports that effortlessly enhance your understanding of sales data through customizable options. Categorizing data by product, customer, discount, and more, it streamlines your data management for clear insights into your sales and orders.

With that said, there are some things Shopify sale reports can’t do for you, like automatically exporting the report file in a custom format, adding data columns not available in Shopify (such as metafields, tags, product properties, calculated fields, etc), among other things. For these additional features, you can go for a third-party reporting app like Report Pundit.

How Report Pundit Helps

Report Pundit gives you 20+ pre-made reports with plenty of customization options just for sales and orders. Along with Sales by product, channel, etc. data, you get info on refunds, draft orders, staff, and more.

Once created, you can schedule your desired sales report to be sent to a destination and file format of choice at a particular time. Add to that third-party app connection to get sales and relevant store data in your reports. And it’s all just the tip of the iceberg of what Report Pundit can do.

Take your Shopify sales data analysis and insight gathering to new heights.

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