Two counters, two jobs
Shopify counts an order when a payment goes through. It is the cash register. If 31 people paid, it says 31.
Google Analytics counts a purchase when its tag runs in the shopper's browser and sends a purchase event. That is a much shakier chain. The script has to load, the browser has to let it run, and the shopper has to allow it.
Where the missing 7 go
- Ad blockers and privacy browsers stop Google's script from loading at all. No script, no purchase event.
- Cookie banners. When someone says no, Google's consent mode stops reading and writing analytics cookies. In the advanced setup it sends a cookieless ping and models the gap, which is an estimate, not a count.
- The thank-you page never loads, because the shopper closed the tab after paying or the payment page redirected oddly.
The 31 and 24 in the reel are example numbers. A gap of this size between a store's own orders and GA4 is common, and it gets bigger the more privacy-minded your buyers are.
So which number do I read?
Orders and revenue come from Shopify, always. Where buyers came from, which campaign, which page they entered on, is the one thing GA4 can still help with, because the people it does see are a decent sample.
TRY THIS TODAYStop checking GA4 for sales today. Read orders in Shopify. Open GA4 only for the question "where did people come from", and treat its numbers as a sample, not a total.
If the missing buyers bother you, the guide on analytics without a cookie banner covers counting visits without asking for consent.
What the reel said
MOXShopify says thirty-one orders. Google says twenty-four. Which one's lying?
TALLYNeither.
MOXOne of them has to be.
TALLYGoogle only counts a sale if its code ran on the shopper's phone. A blocker stops it. So does saying no to cookies.
TALLYShopify took the money. It counts all thirty-one.
MOXSo which one do I look at?
TALLYShopify for orders. Google for where they came from.
MOXSend this to whoever checks Google every morning.
Asked a lot
- Why does Google Analytics show fewer orders than Shopify?
- GA4 only counts a sale if its script ran in the shopper's browser. Ad blockers, declined cookies and closed tabs all stop it. Shopify counts every payment.
- Which is more accurate, Shopify or Google Analytics?
- Shopify, for orders and revenue. Use GA4 for where visitors came from, and read it as a sample.
Sources
- Consent mode on websites and mobile appsGoogle Analytics Help.
- Ecommerce exploration solutionsGoogle Analytics Help.
- ShopifyQL sessions schemaShopify. Developer documentation describing what Shopify's own reports count.