If you notice differences between your Shopify Analytics data and Polar, follow these steps to identify the cause:
Step 1: Verify Revenue & Orders Settings
Go to Settings > Data Settings > Total Sales Calculation in Polar.
Ensure you're using the same formula as Shopify for Total Sales:
Shopify's Total Sales = Gross Sales - Discounts + Shipping + Tax - Returns.
Note: Gift cards are excluded.
For more on why Shopify excludes gift cards, refer to this Shopify Community article.
Step 2: Verify Total Sales Source
If you notice an issue with Total Sales:
Ensure you are comparing Total Sales from the Sales Report in Shopify Analytics, not from the Shopify homepage.
On the Shopify homepage, returns include tax and shipping for returned orders on that day, while Shopify Analytics does not include these.
When comparing to Shopify Analytics, apply the filter "Sale Kind = 'order'" in Shopify.
For reference, this is the Shopify Homepage.
Step 3: Check New vs. Repeat Customers
Shopify sometimes marks orders as "Customer type = N/A" that should be classified as new or repeat customers. Polar recalculates this based on order history, not directly pulling Shopify's customer type.
Identify an order with "Customer type = N/A" in Shopify.
Click on the customer ID to view their order history in Shopify.
In Polar, use Custom Report to:
Select a sales metric (e.g., Total Sales).
Filter by customer ID.
Add "Purchase Type" and "Order ID" as dimensions.
You'll see the first order as "New" and subsequent ones as "Repeat." Ensure the correct time range to view the customer's full history.
Step 4: Ensure Consistent Filters
Confirm that no Views are selected in Polar, and that the same filters are applied in both Polar and Shopify Analytics.
Step 5: Compare Custom Reports
If discrepancies persist:
Create a custom report in Polar matching your Shopify Sales Report metrics (e.g., Gross Sales, Discounts).
Pro Tip: The Shopify Sales Report template in Polar mimics Shopify's Sales over time report:
Select a small date range for easier comparison.
Break down the report by dimensions like Order ID and sort by highest values.
If a discrepancy appears, check the original order in Shopify under 'Orders.'
Important Notes:
Order Adjustments: Item exchanges can sometimes cause discrepancies as Shopify counts these orders twice—once when processed and again when edited. Returns are still calculated at the time they are processed like on Shopify Analytics. Polar uses original order data from Shopify's API, ensuring accuracy.
Total Sales Differences: Shopify may show slightly higher Total Sales due to tax amounts on $0.00 orders, which Polar does not count. These tax amounts will not show up on the original orders, but may be included on the Shopify Analytics Total Sales metric.