Custom Reports and Analytics for Your Shopify Store: A Complete Guide

Introduction

Running a successful Shopify store isn’t just about having great products—it’s about making informed decisions. And that means going beyond Shopify’s default analytics. Custom reports and dashboards give you a deeper, more actionable look into what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus your efforts.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the how and why of building custom reports and analytics for your Shopify store. Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or managing a team, having access to tailored insights can drive smarter marketing, better inventory decisions, and more profitable outcomes.

Why Go Beyond Shopify’s Standard Analytics?

Shopify offers built-in analytics tools, but they’re limited by plan level and aren’t always flexible enough for real-time decision-making.

Common limitations include:

• Lack of granular filtering or segmentation
• Limited visualization or custom dashboard options
• Inability to combine multiple data sources (e.g. marketing + product data)

Custom reporting solves these problems by giving you full control over what data you track, how it’s presented, and who can access it.

Types of Custom Reports You Can Build

When building custom Shopify analytics, start by identifying the metrics that matter most to your business.

1. Sales Performance Reports

• Sales by product, collection, channel, or region
• Discounts applied vs. revenue generated
• Refund and return trends

2. Customer Insights

• New vs. returning customers
• Lifetime value (LTV)
• Customer cohorts and churn analysis

3. Inventory and Fulfillment

• Stock movement over time
• Best- and worst-performing SKUs
• Predictive restocking needs

4. Marketing Attribution

• Sales by traffic source
• Ad campaign ROAS (return on ad spend)
• Email vs. social performance

5. Product Performance

• Conversion rate by product
• Add-to-cart rate vs. purchase
• Variant-level data

Tools for Building Custom Shopify Reports

There are multiple ways to build and view custom analytics, depending on your technical skills and store size.

✅ 1. Shopify’s Built-In Reports (Advanced & Plus Plans)

These plans offer access to deeper insights and limited customization:

• Custom reports via the “Reports” tab
• Filtering by product, vendor, tag, channel, etc.
• Schedule and export reports

While helpful, these still fall short for stores needing complex data joins or visualization.

✅ 2. ShopifyQL Notebooks (Beta for Plus)

Shopify’s SQL-style query tool allows for code-based custom report creation:

• Write queries using ShopifyQL
• Pull data from orders, products, customers
• Visualize in-line using charts or tables

This is a game-changer for Plus users with technical resources.

✅ 3. Third-Party Reporting Apps

For non-developers, these are plug-and-play options with dashboards and drag-and-drop interfaces:

• Better Reports – Prebuilt and custom reports with visual dashboards
• Report Pundit – Affordable, exportable reports + email scheduling
• Data Export Reports – Powerful filters, summaries, and integrations

These apps work well for stores on Basic or Standard plans looking to level up.

✅ 4. Google Data Studio + Shopify Connector

Use a Shopify-to-Google Sheets app (like Supermetrics or EZ Exporter) and connect your data to Google Data Studio.

• Build highly visual dashboards
• Combine data from multiple sources (Google Ads, Meta, Klaviyo, etc.)
• Share reports via email or link

Great for multi-store owners or agencies managing multiple clients.

✅ 5. Build a Custom Dashboard (for Developers)

For full control, export data via Shopify API and build your own dashboards using:

• Google Sheets + Apps Script
• Power BI or Tableau
• React/Vue with Chart.js or D3.js
• Database + backend (PostgreSQL + Node.js/Python)

Use Shopify’s REST Admin API or GraphQL Admin API to pull:

• Orders
• Products
• Customers
• Transactions

Example GraphQL query:

graphqlCopyEdit{
  orders(first: 10) {
    edges {
      node {
        id
        totalPriceSet {
          shopMoney {
            amount
          }
        }
        lineItems(first: 5) {
          edges {
            node {
              title
              quantity
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Key Metrics to Include in Your Custom Shopify Dashboard

Make sure your dashboard covers both macro and micro KPIs. Some must-haves:

Bonus: Include daily/weekly snapshots and year-over-year growth indicators to spot trends quickly.

Tips for Successful Reporting Strategy

• Define clear goals before building reports—don’t track everything “just because.”
• Automate reporting where possible to save time and reduce errors.
• Schedule weekly/monthly dashboards for team visibility.
• Segment your data (by device, region, channel, etc.) to uncover hidden patterns.
• Compare periods (MoM, YoY) for context, not just raw numbers.

Conclusion

If you want to grow and scale your Shopify store, custom analytics isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. While Shopify offers a solid foundation, building your own custom reports or dashboards gives you unmatched visibility and control over your business. Whether you use apps, Google Data Studio, or build from scratch via API, the key is to track what matters most.

Start by identifying your KPIs, choose the right tools, and build reporting systems that empower smart, data-backed decisions.