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Shopify Looker Studio Connector

Learn how to connect your Shopify store data directly to Looker Studio using SyncRange's Shopify connector for comprehensive e-commerce analytics and reporting.

Overview

The Shopify Looker Studio connector provides direct access to your Shopify store data in Google Looker Studio. This connector eliminates the need for manual data exports and gives you real-time access to your sales, product, customer, and order data for creating powerful e-commerce dashboards and reports.

Note

This connector requires you to have already connected your Shopify store to SyncRange. If you haven't done this yet, please see our Shopify connection guide first.

Prerequisites

Before setting up the Shopify Looker Studio connector, ensure you have:

  • A SyncRange account with an active subscription
  • Connected your Shopify store to SyncRange (see Connecting Your Shopify Store)
  • An active Shopify store with sales data
  • A Google account with access to Looker Studio
  • Admin or editor permissions in Looker Studio to create new data sources
  • Generated an API key from your SyncRange account settings
  • Admin access to your Shopify store

Setting Up the Shopify Connector

Follow these steps to set up the Shopify Looker Studio connector:

  1. Generate Your API Key

    First, you need to create an API key in your SyncRange account:

    1. Log into your SyncRange account
    2. Navigate to Account → Profile
    3. Click "New API Key"
    4. Copy the generated API key and keep it secure

    Security Note

    Keep your API key secure and don't share it publicly. You can regenerate it at any time from your account settings.

  2. Access the Connector Installation Link

    Navigate to the Looker Studio section in your SyncRange dashboard and find the Shopify connector installation link.

  3. Install the Connector in Looker Studio

    Click the installation link to add the Shopify connector to your Looker Studio account. You'll be redirected to Looker Studio where you can authorize the connector.

  4. Enter Your API Key

    When prompted, enter the API key you generated in step 1. This authenticates your connector and allows it to access your Shopify data.

  5. Select Your Shopify Store

    Choose which Shopify store you want to connect. If you have multiple stores, select the one you want to analyze.

  6. Configure Your Data Source

    Set up your data source configuration as described in the sections below.

Configuring Your Data Source

After installing the connector, you'll need to configure your data source in Looker Studio. The Shopify connector offers several data types and configuration options:

Available Data Types

The Shopify connector provides access to different types of data, each optimized for specific analysis needs:

Data Type Description Use Cases
Orders Order-level data including sales, customer, and fulfillment information Sales analysis, order tracking, revenue reporting
Products Product information, inventory, and performance data Product performance analysis, inventory management, SKU tracking
Customers Customer information, demographics, and behavior data Customer analysis, segmentation, lifetime value tracking
Sales Sales transactions and revenue data Revenue analysis, sales trends, financial reporting
Inventory Product inventory levels and stock movements Inventory management, stock tracking, reorder analysis
Fulfillment Order fulfillment and shipping data Shipping analysis, fulfillment performance, logistics tracking
Refunds Refund and return transaction data Return analysis, refund tracking, customer satisfaction
Discounts Discount codes and promotional data Promotion analysis, discount effectiveness, marketing ROI

Date Range Configuration

You can configure the date range for your data in several ways:

  • Fixed Date Range: Select specific start and end dates for historical analysis
  • Relative Date Range: Use relative periods like "Last 30 days" or "Last 3 months"
  • Dynamic Date Range: Set up automatic date ranges that update over time

Pro Tip

For ongoing dashboards, use relative date ranges that automatically update. For historical analysis, use fixed date ranges to ensure consistent data periods.

Field Selection

The connector provides access to numerous fields for each data type. Common fields include:

Sales & Revenue

  • • Order Total
  • • Subtotal
  • • Tax Amount
  • • Shipping Cost
  • • Discount Amount
  • • Net Sales
  • • Gross Revenue
  • • Average Order Value

Order Details

  • • Order ID and Number
  • • Order Date and Time
  • • Order Status
  • • Payment Status
  • • Fulfillment Status
  • • Customer Information
  • • Shipping Address
  • • Payment Method

Product Information

  • • Product ID and Title
  • • SKU and Barcode
  • • Product Type and Vendor
  • • Price and Cost
  • • Inventory Quantity
  • • Product Status
  • • Category and Tags

Customer Data

  • • Customer ID and Email
  • • Customer Name
  • • Registration Date
  • • Total Orders
  • • Total Spent
  • • Customer Tags
  • • Geographic Location

Building Your Shopify Dashboard

Once your data source is configured, you can start building your Shopify dashboard in Looker Studio. Here are some recommended approaches:

Sales Performance Dashboard

Create a comprehensive view of your store's sales performance:

  • Daily, weekly, and monthly sales trends
  • Revenue and order volume charts
  • Average order value analysis
  • Sales by channel and source
  • Geographic sales distribution
  • Seasonal sales patterns

Product Performance Dashboard

Analyze the performance of your products:

  • Top-selling products table
  • Product revenue and quantity sold
  • Product category performance
  • Inventory turnover analysis
  • Product profitability metrics
  • Low-stock alerts and reorder analysis

Customer Analytics Dashboard

Understand your customer base and behavior:

  • Customer acquisition trends
  • Customer lifetime value analysis
  • Repeat purchase rates
  • Customer segmentation
  • Geographic customer distribution
  • Customer retention metrics

Financial Dashboard

Track your store's financial performance:

  • Revenue and profit trends
  • Cost of goods sold analysis
  • Tax and shipping cost tracking
  • Discount and promotion impact
  • Refund and return analysis
  • Cash flow and profitability metrics

Best Practices

Data Management

  • Start with order-level data for comprehensive sales analysis
  • Use appropriate date ranges considering Shopify's data retention policies
  • Be aware of data processing delays (typically real-time to 24 hours)
  • Consider creating separate data sources for different analysis needs
  • Account for timezone differences when analyzing order data

Dashboard Design

  • Use consistent date ranges across all charts for accurate comparisons
  • Include both absolute numbers and percentage metrics for comprehensive analysis
  • Add calculated fields for custom metrics like profit margins and customer lifetime value
  • Use filters to allow users to drill down into specific products, customers, or time periods
  • Consider the impact of refunds and returns on your revenue calculations

Performance Optimization

  • Limit the number of rows returned by using appropriate filters
  • Avoid requesting data for very large date ranges in a single query
  • Use caching features in Looker Studio to improve dashboard load times
  • Schedule regular data refreshes during off-peak hours
  • Be mindful of Shopify's API rate limits and data usage policies

Troubleshooting

Authentication Issues

If you're experiencing authentication problems:

  • Verify your API key is correct and hasn't expired
  • Check that your Shopify store connection is still active in SyncRange
  • Ensure your SyncRange account is in good standing
  • Verify you have admin access to your Shopify store
  • Try regenerating your API key if the issue persists

Data Issues

If you're not seeing expected data:

  • Verify that your Shopify store has data for the selected date range
  • Check that you have the necessary permissions to access the data
  • Ensure your store has processed orders and sales data
  • Account for Shopify's data processing delays
  • Try selecting a different date range or data type
  • Check if you've exceeded Shopify's API rate limits

Data Accuracy Issues

If you're experiencing data accuracy problems:

  • Be aware of Shopify's data processing delays and when data becomes available
  • Consider the impact of refunds, returns, and cancellations on your data
  • Verify your timezone settings match your Shopify store settings
  • Check if you're using the correct date fields (order date vs. fulfillment date)
  • Account for draft orders and abandoned carts in your analysis

Performance Issues

If your connector is slow or timing out:

  • Reduce the date range to limit the amount of data being fetched
  • Select fewer fields to reduce data transfer
  • Check if Shopify's API is experiencing high latency
  • Consider splitting large data requests into smaller, more focused queries
  • Be mindful of Shopify's API rate limits and usage policies

Advanced Features

Custom Calculated Fields

Create custom metrics in Looker Studio using your Shopify data:

  • Profit Margin: (Revenue - Cost of Goods Sold) / Revenue * 100
  • Customer Lifetime Value: Total Spent / Number of Orders
  • Average Order Value: Total Revenue / Number of Orders
  • Conversion Rate: Orders / Visitors * 100
  • Return Rate: Refunded Orders / Total Orders * 100

Data Blending

Combine Shopify data with other data sources for comprehensive analysis:

  • Blend with Google Analytics data for full-funnel analysis
  • Combine with marketing platform data for attribution analysis
  • Merge with customer support data for customer satisfaction analysis
  • Integrate with inventory management systems for supply chain analysis
  • Combine with financial systems for comprehensive business intelligence

Automated Reporting

Set up automated reports and alerts:

  • Schedule regular dashboard refreshes
  • Set up email reports for stakeholders
  • Create alerts for sales thresholds and anomalies
  • Automate inventory alerts for low stock levels
  • Set up automated financial reports for accounting

Related Documentation

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