Shopify lets you run a variety of marketing initiatives, including email newsletters and ads. Shopify also lets you check the performance data of your marketing initiatives right in the admin. In addition, marketing automation features are available, enabling efficient operation.
"What kind of data can I get from the Marketing section of the admin?" "Please explain the terminology and how to read the Marketing screen in the admin." "The workload for marketing is heavy. Is there any way to improve it, such as through automation?"
Reading this article will resolve questions and challenges like the ones above. Improving your marketing initiatives is only possible once you've collected and analyzed performance data. Please use the content of this article as a reference and work on collecting and analyzing marketing data to improve your initiatives.
For more on marketing initiatives with Shopify, please see the article below.
15 Marketing Strategies That Work Well with Shopify | Tips for SuccessData You Can Get from the Marketing Section of the Shopify Admin
Marketing data collected from your Shopify store can be checked from "Marketing" in the left-hand sidebar menu of the admin.
Image source: Shopify
The data items you can retrieve include basic order information such as "conversion rate" and "average order value," as well as detailed marketing information such as "sales attributed to marketing" and "CTR (click-through rate) for marketing apps."
You can also retrieve traffic and sales data for each channel (ads, search traffic, social media, and more). You can also compare this data across periods, such as month-over-month or year-over-year.
We'll explain how to read the screen in detail in the next section.
Social Media, Ads, and Apps That Support Data Integration
You can also connect social media platforms, ads, and Shopify apps to collect data and check it in the admin. The main social media platforms, ads, and apps that support integration are as follows.
- Facebook、Instagram
- Google Ads
- YouTube
- TikTok
- Shopify Email
- Klaviyo
For other apps that support data integration, please refer to Works with Shopify Marketing in the Shopify App Store. If you're using social media, ads, or apps that support data integration, be sure to connect them.
Connecting is easy. From the "Marketing apps" section, select the relevant app. If it isn't shown, click "Show more marketing apps."
Select the app and click "Open." If you haven't installed it yet, install it first.
Image source: Klaviyo: Shopify App Store
A data access confirmation screen will appear, so click "Update." This completes the connection.
How to Read the Marketing Section of the Shopify Admin
In this section, we'll explain the main marketing terminology and how to read the Marketing screen. The Marketing screen is divided into a dashboard and screens for each individual marketing initiative.
Glossary of Marketing Terms
We'll explain the terms you need to know to check the Marketing section of the admin.
- Session: The full sequence of a visit to a website, from arrival to departure.
- Conversion: A specific action on a website that leads to a result a business hopes for. Example: purchasing a product, registering as a member
- Impression: The number of times an ad or post is displayed on screen.
- CPA (Cost Per Acquisition or Cost Per Action): The cost of acquiring a single result. Calculated as ad spend ÷ number of conversions.
- CTR (Click Through Rate): The ratio of clicks to the number of times an ad is displayed. Calculated as number of clicks ÷ number of impressions × 100.
- CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost): The total cost required to acquire one new customer. Calculated as total cost of acquiring new customers ÷ number of new customers acquired.
- Channel: A touchpoint or medium for connecting with customers. Example: physical store, ecommerce site, social media
- Funnel: The step-by-step process a customer goes through before purchasing a product.
- Engagement: The degree of interaction between a user and a brand.
Dashboard
The dashboard is the screen displayed when you access the Shopify admin and select "Marketing" from the left-hand sidebar menu. You can specify the display period in the upper-left corner of the dashboard.
Image source: Shopify
The data items displayed on the screen are as follows.
- Online store sessions
- Online store conversion rate
- Average order value
- Total sales
- Sales attributed to marketing
- Orders attributed to marketing
- Top marketing channels
- Activity of installed marketing apps
You can view a detailed report by clicking the report icon in the upper-right corner of each data item.
For example, for online store sessions, you can check "sales," "sessions," "orders," "cost," "new customers (number of new users)," "returning customers," and more for each channel over the period.
On this screen, you can also check ad ROI, CPA, CTR, and more, making it easier to measure the effectiveness of your marketing initiatives.
Screens for Each Individual Marketing Initiative
When you select Marketing from the left-hand sidebar menu, a "Marketing" item also appears just below it. Selecting this item displays a list of the data collected for each marketing initiative.
Clicking an item lets you check detailed data for that marketing initiative.
The items you can check are as follows.
- Sales
- Number of orders
- Average order value
- Conversion rate
- Cost
- CAC
- Ad ROI
- Impressions
- CTR
- Comparison of new customers and returning customers
- Top orders by sales value
- Campaign engagement
- Top-selling products
- Sessions by device type
- Sessions by location
On this screen, you can gain a variety of insights, such as how much each marketing initiative is contributing to conversions, what its ROI is, and which products pair well with that particular marketing initiative.
Data Worth Paying Attention To
In general, the following items are especially worth paying attention to.
- Conversion rate: because it's a key metric directly tied to sales
- CAC: because it's a key metric showing the efficiency of customer acquisition
- Comparison of new customers and returning customers: because it's a key metric for long-term business growth
That said, which items matter most will differ depending on your strategy, business model, and products or services. Please carefully consider which items your own business should focus on.
Shopify's Marketing Automation Features
The "Marketing" section of the Shopify admin includes an "Automations" item. We'll explain the benefits, use cases, and setup steps for this automation feature.
What Is Marketing Automation? Benefits of Using It
Using automation lets you automate tasks such as building relationships with customers and sending tedious emails.
The main benefits of marketing automation are as follows.
- Saves time and cost by reducing manual work
- Prevents human error caused by manual work
- Enables round-the-clock, year-round operation
Remarkably, you can enjoy these benefits for free. If you're running marketing initiatives, be sure to give it a try.
Use Cases for Marketing Automation
Marketing automation can be used in a variety of situations. Here are some examples.
- Reminders for cart abandoners: Automatically send an email to customers who left partway through a purchase to encourage them to complete it.
- Welcome emails for new customers: Send a thank-you and welcome message to customers making their first purchase to build brand loyalty.
- Encouraging subscriptions and repeat purchases: Prompt customers to make a repeat purchase after a certain amount of time has passed since their last purchase.
- Sending special offers during a customer's birthday month: Automatically send a message and coupon during the customer's birthday month.
Beyond the examples above, this can be used in many other situations as well. Marketing automation is a feature that pairs especially well with email marketing. If you're doing email marketing, be sure to make active use of it.
How to Set Up Marketing Automation
We'll explain how to set up marketing automation. Since templates are provided, even beginners can easily create one.
Note that using marketing automation requires installing "Shopify Flow," an official automation app provided by Shopify.
Image source: Shopify Flow: Shopify App Store
First, from the admin, select "Marketing" > "Automations" in that order. Click "View templates" as it appears on screen.
Image source: Shopify
The following automation templates will be displayed.
- Recover abandoned carts
- Celebrate a customer's birthday
- Notify subscribers about new products
and more
Choose the template that matches your goal from among these options.
In this example, we'll try clicking "Recover abandoned carts." A description of the template and the apps required to use it will be displayed. Using this template requires the "Shopify Email" app.
If you want to change the conditions, click "Edit." Clicking "Turn on automation" activates it.
If you want to create your own automation, click the "Create custom automation" button in the upper-right corner of the template selection screen.
Editing automations and creating custom automations are done in the Shopify Flow app. For how to use Shopify Flow, please refer to the article below.
What Is Shopify Flow? Benefits, Drawbacks, and How to Set It UpUse the Marketing Section of the Admin to Improve Your Marketing Initiatives
In this article, we explained the data you can get from the Marketing section of the Shopify admin, how to read the screen, and marketing automation.
By analyzing the data you collect, you can improve your marketing initiatives more effectively. Using automation also makes it possible to run them efficiently. Please use the content of this article as a reference and give it a try.
Finally, the blog article below introduces admin features beyond marketing, such as product management and order management. Please use it as a reference.
