How to read your Shopify reports without lying to yourself
Three traps that turn a good report into a bad decision, and how to avoid each one.
By The Appnary Team
Reports don't lie. The way we read them does. Here are three traps we see merchants fall into constantly.
Trap 1: Picking the window that flatters you.
If you check conversion rate over the last 7 days after a strong weekend, you'll feel great. If you check the last 90 days, the number will probably be lower and more honest. Pick a window and stick with it.
Trap 2: Confusing traffic with intent.
Sessions going up is not the same as sales going up. The classic mistake is to celebrate a traffic spike that came from a low-intent source. Always look at revenue alongside sessions.
Trap 3: Ignoring the denominator.
A 3% conversion rate sounds great until you realize it's 3% of 100 visitors. The absolute number matters as much as the percentage. A small percent of a big number is bigger than a big percent of a small one.
If you only remember one thing: when a report makes you feel something, double-check it. Feelings are fine, but they shouldn't be the only thing driving the next decision.