Shopify Conversions 90% "direct" since 5 Days

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

Sharp spike in misattributed conversions: ~90% of sales are showing as “direct” in Shopify Analytics over the past few days across five stores.

Context and checks:

  • Google Analytics and Google Ads report correct source/medium for the same conversions.
  • Recent migration to the new Shopify Pixels; UTM parameters are correctly appended, and pixels track properly in other platforms.
  • Issue affects both U.S. and German storefronts and occurs regardless of cookie banner presence.

What’s being sought:

  • Confirmation from others if this started after switching to the new Shopify Pixels.
  • Tips or workarounds to restore accurate attribution in Shopify.

Notes:

  • “Direct” typically means no referrer/unknown source, but this conflicts with GA/Ads data here.

Status: No resolution yet; the poster is seeking insights and solutions.

Summarized with AI on December 16. AI used: gpt-5.
1

Hey everyone,

I’ve run into an issue across all five of my Shopify stores, and I’m hoping someone might have a solution or workaround.

In the past few days, 90% of all conversions are being incorrectly attributed as “direct” traffic in Shopify Analytics, even though in Google Analytics and Google Ads, the conversions are showing up correctly.

This problem is happening across both my U.S. and German stores, regardless of whether there is a cookie banner or not.

I recently switched all my stores over to the new Shopify Pixels, and everything is set up properly—UTM parameters are correct, and the pixels are tracking fine in other platforms. However, Shopify continues to misattribute most conversions as “direct.”

Has anyone else experienced this after switching to the new Shopify Pixels? Any tips or tricks to get Shopify to correctly attribute traffic again?

Would love any insights!

Thanks in advance!