Shopify merchants usually track sales or revenue, but they sometimes forget about the other important metrics that drive profit.
For example, contribution margin, MET, and customer retention are all crucial measurements.
Without the right Shopify KPI dashboards, data is scattered across multiple reports, making it difficult to truly understand your success. This also means that you won’t be able to act as quickly or make data-driven decisions.
This article reveals the 7 essential KPI dashboards for Shopify merchants in 2025, including examples, templates, and real case studies that connect metrics to profitability.
Why Shopify KPI Dashboards Matter in 2025
Vanity Metrics vs. Profit Drivers
Traffic and impressions can be a great way of signalling success. However, they can also be misleading. I personally published dozens of SEO-related articles on my blog and got tons of impressions.
However, those numbers really didn’t mean anything since I didn’t convert them. According to Harvard Business Review, metrics should align with strategy, and not vanity. For example, tracking “sessions” without measuring AOV or MER might show revenue growth but hide shrinking margins.
Shifting Ecommerce Benchmarks
Benchmarks are quickly evolving, and what was once good is now far from that. This is mainly due to the growing competitiveness. Current e-commerce benchmarks show an average conversion rate of 2–3% and cart abandonment at 71%.
With Shopify processing more than 10% of US online shopping according to Financial Times, it’s still visible that it’s a vital e-commerce platform.
From Reporting to Action
Live dashboards are a great way of understanding e-commerce benchmarks and Shopify analytics. Furthermore, they allow merchants to make real-time decisions, which is a much better way of operating.
With alerts and automation streamlined by AI-triggered workflows, merchants will be able to understand retail KPIs. With the help of AI, the decisions they should make at certain points could be completely automated.
How to Build a Shopify KPI Dashboard System That Drives Profit
Define Your North-Star Metrics
Every merchant should focus on three profitability anchors: MER, contribution margin, and retention metrics. MER stands for marketing efficiency ratio, and it allows you to understand how spending on ads impacts revenue.
Then, we have the contribution margin, which helps merchants understand their revenue compared to the variable costs. Retention metrics focus on the customers and help you understand the repeat purchase rate and churn.
Set Thresholds, Alerts & Ownership
With automation, you can significantly increase your chances of making the right call. For example, if the cart abandonment rate gets higher than 75% for 7 days, you’ll receive an email alert, and the Klaviyo browse-abandon flow will automatically be triggered.
When we add employees to the mix, you should understand which team members should have what responsibilities. For example, the CFO should manage revenue and spending, while marketing teams should focus on bounce rate, impressions, traffic, and similar metrics.
Choose the Right Tech Stack
Entrepreneurs should improve their Shopify merchant account through the right software. The basic Shopify analytics dashboard is easy to understand, but it has limited customization and KPI reporting options.
However, there are Shopify analytics dashboard tools like Looker Studio, Coupler.io, and Improvado that offer more advanced KPI insights. Eventually, third-party KPI software can be used for more advanced agencies and successful businesses.
7 Essential KPI Dashboards for Shopify Merchants (With Examples)
1. Acquisition Efficiency Dashboard
The first Shopify dashboard that you should implement is the acquisition efficiency dashboard. Some of the key ecommerce metrics that this will track include sessions, CVR, AOV, CPA, blended CAC, and MER.
With this dashboard, you’ll understand whether your marketing spending is efficient. For example, Pullup & Dip increased +349% CVR and +235% ARPU after the replatform.
If your MER drops below 2.5x, it’s a signal to pause poor-performing ad channels and reallocate budget toward high-return campaigns.
2. Retention & LTV Dashboard
Jenni Kayne cut of emails sent by 44% all while boosting the revenue by 22%. Klaviyo analytics helped her tremendously in tracking retention metrics and building customer loyalty.
With the retention and LTV dashboard, you’ll be able to track repeat purchase rate, cohort retention, LTV at 30/60/90/180 days, and churn rate.
You can automate the launch of loyalty offers in case of a cohort retention dropping under 25% for up to three months. You should always track retention metrics, as they’ll give you insights into the true loyalty of your customers.
3. Merchandising & AOV Dashboard
The merchandising & AOV dashboard helps Shopify merchants track AOV by SKU, bundle performance, attach rates, and the impact of discounts on margin. By analyzing these e-commerce metrics, brands can understand how upselling strategies influence profitability.
All4cycling boosted conversion by 40% with bundles. If hero SKU dependency >50%, diversify product mix, allowing you to raise the average order value and improve overall contribution margin.
4. Inventory & Cashflow Dashboard
This dashboard is essential for finance and operations teams because it connects retail KPIs like inventory turns, days on hand, and stock-out risk directly to contribution margin. For example, CFOs can ensure that cash isn’t locked in dead stock.
For your e-commerce store, you can set retail KPIs and understand whether you have an aging inventory. If you don’t hit your ecommerce benchmarks, you can set an automated response, like running a clearance campaign, if you have aging inventory of more than 60 days.
5. Funnel Health Dashboard
You can track cart abandonment rate and payment failures with this live dashboard. While average abandonment is 71%, you can always aim for lower numbers. For example, if checkout abandonment >40%, A/B test payment methods.
With this Shopify analytics dashboard, you can also track drop-off across PDP and see how well your company performs.
6. Email & SMS Lifecycle Dashboard
Depending on your marketing efforts, the email and SMS lifecycle dashboard can be obsolete or the core of your analytics. You can leverage Klaviyo analytics to track flow vs. campaign revenue, new-to-file rate, and predictive CLV.
If customer loyalty or retention metrics start dropping, you can change your campaign. For example, if campaign revenue is>70% vs. flow, improve automation, or change the pitch.
7. BFCM & Promo Command Center
The BCFM & promo command center is critical for managing peak season performance, especially for the fastest-growing Shopify merchants who rely on Q4 sales.
This Shopify dashboard monitors MER guardrails, refund rates, NPS during high-volume periods, and fulfillment SLAs in real time.
You can use it like this: If MER falls below 2x during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, the actionable step is to throttle discounts or adjust promotional spend, keeping results in line with ecommerce benchmarks.
From KPI Dashboards to Automated Action
Agent-Triggered Workflows
KPI dashboards are most valuable when they don’t just display numbers but actually trigger automated responses. For example, if cart abandonment >70%, auto-trigger Klaviyo flows, but if inventory turns <target, throttle Meta spend.
According to McKinsey, AI in retail could unlock $240–390B in margin gains. This type of automation moves dashboards from passive reporting into profit-protecting systems, similar to systems that exist in trading and finance.
Speed-to-Signal Framework
The most important KPI for your live dashboard might not be conversion rate or MER, but speed-to-signal. You should first define the KPIs for time-to-insight and time-to-action.
Once you measure them, you’ll be able to improve your KPI reporting process and understand how quickly your business can move. Advanced KPI software allows you to do this.
Ecommerce Benchmarks, Templates & Next Steps
Key Shopify Merchant Benchmarks (2025)
Understanding ecommerce benchmarks helps Shopify merchants know whether their performance is above or below industry standards. While every store is unique, these latest benchmarks from 2025 provide a reference point for growth and profitability:
- Conversion Rate (CVR): The average e-commerce conversion rate is 2–3%, though high-performing Shopify Plus stores often hit 4–6%.
- Cart Abandonment: This metric ranges from 60 to 80%, with an industry average of ~71%. Cart recovery is one of the most impactful KPI dashboard examples to implement.
- Average Order Value (AOV): Varies widely by industry. According to Statista and Shopify Plus, fashion and accessories average around $90–100, while electronics and luxury categories often exceed $200+.
- Contribution Margin: Defined as Revenue minus variable Costs ÷ Revenue. This KPI shows how much money remains after covering variable expenses like COGS, shipping, and transaction fees. It’s essential for connecting sales growth to actual profitability.
Free Templates & Setup Checklist
For Shopify merchants just starting with KPI reporting, ready-made dashboards can save weeks of setup time.
Free Looker Studio and Google Sheets have KPI dashboard examples, and they are widely available and can be connected directly to Shopify analytics, Google Ads, and Klaviyo.
A 30-day rollout plan would look like this:
- Week 1: Identify north-star KPIs and assign ownership (finance, marketing, operations).
- Week 2: Connect Shopify analytics dashboard tools and configure alerts.
- Week 3: Run weekly review meetings to analyze insights and adjust campaigns.
- Week 4: Start tracking relevant ecommerce metrics and automate workflows where thresholds are consistently breached.
Case Studies That Prove KPI Dashboards Work
All4cycling (Shopify Plus)
All4cycling, a Shopify Plus merchant in the cycling apparel and accessories niche, used conversion rate optimization dashboards to refine product bundling and onsite merchandising.
They’ve tracked AOV, SKU dependency, and checkout funnel health in real time, which increased conversion rate by 40% and boosted overall turnover by 35%.
Pullup & Dip (Shopify Plus)
Fitness brand Pullup & Dip adopted a Shopify Plus replatforming strategy with KPI dashboards focused on acquisition efficiency and retention. By monitoring MER, blended CAC, and customer lifetime value, they achieved a significant increase of +349% in conversion rate.
Furthermore, within their first reporting cycles, they’ve experienced a +235% increase in ARPU, average revenue per user.
Jenni Kayne (Klaviyo)
Lifestyle brand Jenni Kayne found Klaviyo analytics dashboards to be useful. They’ve used Klaviyo to rebalance campaign vs. flow revenue.
Instead of overloading subscribers with campaigns, their team reduced email sends by 44% while actually growing total revenue by 22%, thanks to better lifecycle automation.
Turn Dashboards Into a Competitive Edge
Dashboards aren’t simply charts, but interactive tools. They can connect Shopify data, leading directly to better decisions. Of course, better decisions equal more profit.
Linking KPIs to contribution margin, retention, and MER gives exec-level clarity, and it can help companies get a competitive edge.
If you want a simpler way to track KPIs and balance profit with growth, try Siddhify. This SaaS productivity and planning tool combines KPI reporting, task management, and collaboration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What KPIs should a Shopify merchant track in 2025?
In 2025, Shopify merchants should focus on KPIs that drive profitability, not just revenue. Key metrics include MER, contribution margin, AOV, repeat purchase, and cart abandonment rate.
How do I build a KPI dashboard for Shopify?
Start by defining your north-star metrics like MER, contribution margin, and retention. Then choose a Shopify analytics dashboard tool.
What is a good Shopify conversion rate?
A healthy Shopify conversion rate averages 2–3% across ecommerce stores, though top-performing merchants often achieve 4–6% depending on industry and product category.
How do I measure retention and LTV in Shopify?
Within Shopify and Klaviyo analytics, you can measure repeat purchase rates, churn percentages, and LTV windows at 30/60/90/180 days.
Which dashboard helps reduce cart abandonment?
The Funnel Health Dashboard is most effective for reducing cart abandonment. It tracks the drop-off points from the product page to the cart to checkout.
What is MER, and why does it matter for e-commerce?
MER is revenue divided by total ad spend. It shows how efficiently marketing dollars generate sales across all channels
What’s the best KPI software for Shopify merchants?
Smaller merchants can start with Shopify Analytics or Looker Studio for free visualization. Mid-size and scaling brands often use Coupler.io, Improvado, or Databox for deeper reporting. Agencies and multi-brand operators may prefer advanced KPI software with automation and governance features.
Author Bio
Veljko Petrović
