Running a Shopify store is rewarding, but even healthy stores can have hidden issues slowing growth.
This is Chapter 1 of a 3-part series, showing the metrics that give you a clear picture of what’s working, what’s holding you back, and where your team should focus.
These numbers guide action.
Track them, understand them, and you’ll know exactly what to fix next.
The 7 Key Metrics Every Shopify Team Should Watch
1. New Customers
What it is: How many first-time buyers you’re getting
Why it matters: The foundation of growth - without new customers, nothing scales
Quick wins: Test campaigns, influencer partnerships, or organic channels that drive traffic
2. Returning Customer Rate
What it is: % of customers making a repeat purchase (second, third, fourth order, and beyond)
Why it matters: Repeat buyers spend more, cost less to acquire, and are your hidden growth engine
Quick wins: Post-purchase emails, reminders, or loyalty perks
3. Average Order Value (AOV)
What it is: How much each customer spends per order
Why it matters: Even small increases compound revenue without needing more traffic
Quick wins: Bundles, free shipping thresholds, or cross-sell/upsell strategies
💡 Top Tip: Increase the above 3 metrics by only ~30% each, and you could roughly double your business. 🚀
4. Sessions & Traffic Sources
What it is: Who’s visiting your store and from where
What it tells you:
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Low sessions → work on visibility
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High sessions but low sales → check website experience or traffic quality
5. Conversion Funnel
What it is: % of visitors adding products to cart vs completing checkout
What it tells you: Pinpoints friction in browsing, pricing, or checkout UX
💡 Quick guide: Conversion rate roughly halves at each stage:
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Add-to-cart: 10%
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Reached checkout: 5%
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Conversion rate: 2.5%
6. Top Products
What it is: The small number of products generating the majority of your revenue (often 70–80%)
What it tells you: These are your revenue heroes - give them visibility in emails, homepage, and campaigns
7. Refund & Discount Dependency
Refund rate: Flags product or CX issues
% of orders using coupons: Shows if customers are trained to buy only when incentivised
What it tells you: Focus on these to spot operational or pricing problems before they grow
How to Use These Metrics
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Start small - pick 1–2 metrics to focus on each week
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Use each metric as a clue, not a judgement
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Track changes and see how small tweaks compound over time
Following this, I’ll be sharing my exact reporting template I use for monthly client reporting with my paid members - so you can track your key metrics, compare month-over-month and year-over-year performance, spot bottlenecks and see actuals vs target revenue.
Plus you’ll have me on 24/7 strategy support for your Shopify business.
➡️ Chapter 2 will show you how to spot the bottlenecks slowing your Shopify growth and what to tackle first.
Chapter Summary:
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Focus on 7 key metrics: New Customers, Returning Customer Rate, AOV, Sessions & Traffic, Conversion Funnel, Top Products, Refund & Discount Dependency
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Each metric is a clue, not a judgement
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Quick wins: small, actionable steps for each metric
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💡 Top Tip: Improving New Customers, Returning Customer Rate, and AOV by ~30% each → could roughly double your business
