Shopify & Looker Studio: setup guide

Running an e-commerce store through Shopify is a great idea, and keeping an eye on every KPI quickly can help you identify failures and opportunities for your business. That's why you need to use one of the many reporting tools available on the internet.

One of these tools is Looker Studio. Google develops it, allowing you to use your store data to build your reports or use already-made templates.

Connecting Shopify to Looker Studio might seem complicated, but following this tutorial, we'll go through every step individually.

How to connect Shopify to Catchr?

Looker Studio is free-to-use, but you need Connectors to bring data from every platform like Shopify, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, etc.

Most connectors required an abonnement. Only connectors developed by Google are free. You can find the complete list of connectors here. 

We will see how to connect Shopify to Looker Studio using the Catchr connector here.

How to connect Shopify and Catchr:

First, go to app.catchr.io and log in to your account. If you do not have one already, follow this link.

Once on Catchr, go to:

• Sources, then Add a new Source and select the Shopify card.
• Give a name to your new Catchr Source and click Connect.

You will need two things to connect your Shopify account:

• Your Store name.
• The API Key.

You can find your Store name on your admin's store homepage:

My Store name here is catchr-test.myshopify.com

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The API Key needs to be generated from a new App. You can create a new App following these steps:

• From your admin store's homepage, click on App, then App and sales channel settings.
• Clicks on the grey button Develop apps, then the green button Create an app.
• Choose your app name, for example, "Catchr app to Looker Studio", so you know what it is used for.
• Choose the App developer. It will be the owner of this App in your organization.
• Then click Create App.

Now, we need to configure the scopes and generate the API key:

• Click on API Credential in the top menu. Then Configure Admin API scopes.
• You must give Catchr a read-access on three entities: read_orders, read_product, and read_customer. Check these and click on Save at the top right.

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• Then in Overview, click on Install App, then Install.
• Your API key is there under Admin API access token. Reveal and copy it (warning: once you refresh the page, this key won't be accessible anymore for security reasons).

Paste this API key:

Once your Catchr Source is created, you should see your store like this:

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Activate it and click Save.

How to Connect Your Shopify Account to Looker Studio

Create an Account on Looker Studio

If you're new to Looker Studio, your first step is to set up an account. If you're already using Looker Studio, simply access it using the same Google account details.

Connect Shopify to Looker Studio

Follow these detailed steps to integrate Shopify with Looker Studio:

• In your Looker Studio dashboard, click on "Create".

• Select "Report" from the dropdown.

• In the data sources gallery, look for "Catchr Shopify" data connector.

Step-by-step Guide on the Authorization Step:

If this is your first time connecting Shopify to Looker Studio, expect to authorize both Looker Studio and Catchr. Let's break down the steps:

• When prompted, authorize Looker Studio to use the Catchr community connector.

• Select the Google Account you want to link.

• Review the necessary permissions for Looker Studio and proceed to the bottom of the page.

• Click on "Allow" to grant access.

• Authorize the Looker Studio connector to Shopify by clicking the second 'Authorize' button.

• A popup will appear; follow the instructions to permit Catchr access to your Shopify data.

• After a brief loading period, you'll return to the connector page where you can add your account.

• Select your account and click on "Add" to finalize the process. If you do not see the 'Add' button, it may be labeled as "Create Report" or "Report".

Congratulations! You've successfully connected Shopify to Looker Studio. With this integration, you can start customizing reports and gaining insights to boost your marketing strategies.

Example of Metrics You Can Use with the Looker Studio Integration for Shopify

Once you've established the connection between Shopify and Looker Studio, you can start leveraging a wealth of metrics to monitor and enhance your ecommerce performance. Looker Studio enables you to compile custom dashboards and reports that capture vital metrics, offering a clear visualization of your Shopify activity.

For instance, analyze your store's performance over time by tracking metrics like Product Sales, Inventory Quantities, and Customer Spend. Overlay data layers such as Year Month or Day of the Week to discover patterns and trends. Are certain products selling better on weekends? Do you see higher average customer spend during holiday seasons? Answering these questions through visually compelling reports can guide effective inventory planning and promotional strategies.

Looker Studio's advanced features allow you to create dynamic and interactive dashboards. Utilize filters for attributes like Product Type or Order Location so that your team can drill down into specific datasets with ease. The ability to share these insights with your team enhances collaboration and helps maintain a data-driven culture within your organization.

To start extracting maximum value from your Shopify data, take a look at the complete list of metrics available through the Catchr integration at Catchr's Shopify Metrics.