Does anyone have a starter metrics list with formulas, data sources, review cadence, and maybe a one page dashboard layout. Baseline benchmarks would be great if available!
Hi @TSM_CO
A simple starter list for tracking your store’s performance can be focused on five key metrics. The most important ones to watch are your Total Sessions (your overall traffic), your Conversion Rate (the percentage of visitors who buy), and your Total Sales. These are best reviewed daily. Then, on a monthly basis, you should also look at your Average Order Value (or AOV, which is your total revenue divided by the number of orders) and your Returning Customer Rate. These last two are crucial for understanding profitability and loyalty. You can find all of this data directly in your Shopify Analytics.
When it comes to benchmarks, it’s best to compare your store against its own past performance. Your goal should always be to improve your own numbers month-over-month. However, as a general guideline, many e-commerce stores aim for a Conversion Rate of 1.5% to 3% and a Returning Customer Rate of 20-30% as a sign of a healthy, growing business.
Hope this helps!
Hi @tsm_co! You can start with a simple metrics set that fits on one page — no need to boil the ocean. Here’s a starter list:
Core Metrics + Formulas
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Conversion Rate (CR) = Orders ÷ Sessions
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Average Order Value (AOV) = Revenue ÷ Orders
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Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) = Total ad spend ÷ New customers
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Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) = AOV × Purchase frequency × Gross margin
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Return Rate = Returned orders ÷ Total orders
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Gross Profit = Revenue – COGS – shipping – discounts
Data Sources
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Shopify Dashboard → CR, AOV, Return Rate
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Ads Manager (Meta/Google) → Spend & CAC inputs
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Your fulfillment & COGS tracking → COGS + margin data
Review cadence
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Daily: Traffic, CR, Spend, AOV
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Weekly: CAC, refund trends, ad channel contribution
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Monthly: LTV, margin, profitability
Dashboard layout
One page, split into 3 blocks:
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Top of funnel: Sessions, CAC, ad spend
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Middle: CR, AOV
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Bottom (profit): LTV, gross profit
If you want all these metrics tracked automatically, GoProfit Analytics connects to Shopify + ad platforms and gives you a single-page profitability dashboard. It also shows LTV and CAC, which makes decisions easier.
Good day!
Total cost before failure (~aka how much can you afford to spend total, time till insolvency)
Most other metrics you can find pretty much handed to you in the admin dashboard.
The selection of which are highly variable in priority per business.
Of which most only have value if they are moving away from non-zero and positive.
And don’t exist if a merchant is not in business anymore.
If they are not moving , nor positive you need to know how long you can sustain that.
Yes,
This is an excellent Question because what you measure in the first 90 days sets the foundation for all future growth. The goal isn’t perfection, but learning and validation.
The Philosophy: Focus on the “Vital Few”
In the first 90 days, avoid “analysis paralysis.” You don’t need 100 metrics. You need the 10-15 that answer the most critical business questions: Is my store functional? Is my marketing working? Are customers finding what they want?
Starter Metrics List for the First 90 Days
Here are the metrics grouped by the business question they answer.
| Business Question | Key Metric | Formula | Data Source | Why It Matters in First 90 Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Is my store functional? | Site-Wide Conversion Rate | (Total Orders / Total Sessions) * 100 |
Shopify Analytics | The ultimate health check. Are visitors buying? |
| Add-to-Cart Rate | (Add to Carts / Sessions) * 100 |
Shopify Analytics > Reports | Measures initial product interest and page effectiveness. | |
| Cart Abandonment Rate | 1 - (Orders / Initiated Checkouts) or ((Initiated Checkouts - Orders) / Initiated Checkouts) * 100 |
Shopify Analytics > Reports | Identifies friction in the checkout process. | |
| Is my marketing efficient? | Traffic by Source | N/A (Direct measure) | Shopify Analytics > Acquisition | Shows which channels (Social, SEO, Email) are driving visitors. |
| Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) | Total Ad Spend / Number of New Customers |
Ad Platforms (Meta, Google) + Shopify | The cost to acquire a paying customer. Crucial for profitability. | |
| Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) | Revenue from Ad Campaign / Ad Spend |
Ad Platforms (Meta, Google) + Shopify | For every $1 spent on ads, how many $ did you make? | |
| Are my products resonating? | Top Selling Products (Units & Revenue) | N/A (Direct measure) | Shopify Analytics > Reports | Identifies your winners to double down on. |
| Average Order Value (AOV) | Total Revenue / Number of Orders |
Shopify Analytics | Are customers buying more than one item? | |
| Is the business viable? | Gross Revenue | N/A (Direct measure) | Shopify Analytics | The top-line number. Is it growing? |
| Net Profit | Gross Revenue - (Cost of Goods + Ads + Apps + Fees) |
Shopify + Spreadsheet | The real bottom line. Are you actually making money? | |
| Who are my customers? | New vs. Returning Customer Rate | N/A (Direct measure) | Shopify Analytics > Customers | In early days, most will be new, but watch for returning customers. |
| Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) Early Signal | AOV * Purchase Frequency |
Shopify Analytics > Customers | An early, simple proxy. Are customers coming back? |
Hope this might helpful to under the First 90 days Graph.
If this was helpful don’t forget to Like it and Mark as Solution.
Thanks
Hi @TSM_CO - IMO - Success in the first 90 days is about learning fast and spending wisely.
You should focus on validating that your product solves a real need, your audience resonates with your story, and your sales funnel converts profitably without heavy ad spend.
You could focus on the following early signals -
- Identified your hero products — the 1–2 items driving 80% of early revenue.
- Proven product–market fit signals — steady conversion rates (~2–3%) and repeat buyers emerging.
- Built a low-cost traffic engine — organic, Social media, referral, and email flows contributing to sales.
- Optimized your spend — your customer acquisition cost (CAC) stays below average order value (AOV).
- Established operational confidence — smooth fulfillment, clear metrics, and positive customer feedback.
Would love to learn more about more early experiences running an ecommerce store and what metrics laid the foundations for your store.
In your first 90 days, focus on tracking these fundamental metrics to understand your store’s health and opportunities for quick wins:
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Traffic (Sessions): Use Google Analytics to monitor daily and weekly unique visitors. Aim for steady week-over-week growth as you implement new marketing efforts.
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Conversion Rate: Conversion Rate=Number of OrdersUnique Visitors×100Conversion Rate=Unique VisitorsNumber of Orders×100 – Benchmark for new stores is typically 1–2%, but even 0.8% is reasonable early on.
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Average Order Value (AOV): AOV=Total RevenueNumber of OrdersAOV=Number of OrdersTotal Revenue – Track trends; increasing AOV can signal effective upsells or higher-value customers.
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Repeat Customer Rate: In Shopify Analytics, this is the percentage of customers who place at least two orders within the 90 days; anything above 10% is a strong early indicator.
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Cart Abandonment Rate: Shopify’s analytics show this automatically—track weekly; under 70% is strong, but many new stores see up to 75–80% before optimization.
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List Size/Subscriber Growth: Monitor how fast your email/SMS list grows. The goal is to collect as many first-party contacts as possible for future re-marketing.
Review cadence: Weekly quick review, monthly deep dive. Compare fresh numbers with industry benchmarks and your own trends to spot momentum or catch issues early