How do you currently track your Shopify store conversions? Do you look at what Google Analytics tells you? Do you look at what Shopify says? Or… do you not trust either of their reports?

If you’re a little skeptical of each platform, you’re right to be. Neither of these are completely accurate; and we’ll show you why.

In this article, we’ll explore the differences between how Shopify and Google Analytics reports conversions. We’ll also show you how you can create a much more accurate conversions report, using Airboxr.

Why Shopify’s conversion rate isn’t reliable

It’s easy to get a report on your daily conversion rate on Shopify - all you have to do is use the Online store conversion over time report in your Shopify Analytics. The downside to this, however, is that your conversion rate figures might be underestimated simply because of what Shopify counts as a session.

For background, conversion rate in this context refers to the proportion of your store’s traffic that ends up making orders. Shopify’s conversion rate formula is:

Conversion rate = (Total Orders/Sessions) 100

In Shopify Analytics, sessions are simply defined as how many visits your store receives without any time restriction on counting. This means that if a person visits your store, leaves, and returns within 10 minutes before placing an order, Shopify will count two sessions and present a 50% conversion rate.

Google Analytics on the other hand takes a time-bound approach. A session is defined as a group of interactions one user takes within a given time frame. Google Analytics defaults that time frame to 30 minutes. Using the example above, Google Analytics would have only counted one session which would mean a more accurate 100% conversion rate. This key difference means a lot when scaled to the amount of traffic your store receives because Shopify’s inflated session figures would mean an underestimated conversion rate.

Shopify Analytics counts every visit by a user as a separate session, even if the same user returns within 10 minutes of leaving your store. Google Analytics counts two visits within a 30-minute time frame as a single session, giving a more accurate measurement of your total sessions.

Why Google Analytics’ conversion rate isn’t reliable

This doesn’t mean solely relying on Google Analytics figures for calculating conversions on your Shopify store is recommended. You can get your store’s sales data from GA but it’ll never be as accurate as Shopify’s. The main reason for this is that GA sales data depends on trackers.

For example, If someone uses ad blockers, VPNs, or private browsers like Brave, they may not be tracked in GA. Other possible reasons is that tracking failure are if the "thank you" page is not loaded after a payment, or if an upsell/checkout app used by your store is not fully compatible with GA.