Your Shopify Data Is Lying

Your Shopify Data Is Lying

 

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If you’ve ever compared your Shopify revenue, GA4 numbers, and ad platform reports and thought, “Why don’t these match?” — you’re not alone.

In Episode 263 of the Winning With Shopify podcast, Nick Truman is joined by Tom Armfelt, former TK Maxx eCommerce lead and data specialist, to unpack why most Shopify brands think they’re data‑driven… but are actually making decisions on flawed or misleading information.

This episode is a deep (but practical) look at what really matters in Shopify analytics, why “best practice” can slow growth, and how brands of any size can move faster and smarter.

Why eCommerce Is a Data Goldmine (and a Minefield)

One of the biggest advantages of eCommerce is that everything happens in one place. Traffic, product views, add‑to‑carts, purchases, delivery, returns — it all leaves a data trail.

But as Tom explains, just because data exists doesn’t mean it’s:

  • accurate

  • consistent

  • or actually useful for decision‑making

Dashboards can look polished while quietly telling the wrong story.

The real question every brand should ask:

“We made this change — what was it meant to do, and what did it actually do?”

Startup Speed vs Enterprise Reality (The TK Maxx Lesson)

From the outside, enterprise brands like TK Maxx look flawless. Huge budgets, global teams, endless resources.

Inside? The reality is more nuanced.

Tom describes TK Maxx’s eCommerce team as:

“A startup with enterprise backing.”

The advantages:

  • Budget when the business case made sense

  • Access to data no physical store could see

  • Ability to test ideas at scale

The challenges:

  • Slower decision‑making

  • Budget approvals and idea socialisation

  • Knowledge loss when teams change

The key takeaway for smaller Shopify brands?

👉 You don’t need enterprise scale to win. Speed, focus, and clean data can level the playing field.

Stop Worshipping “Best Practice”

A recurring theme in this episode is the danger of blindly following best practice.

Best practice:

  • doesn’t know your margins

  • doesn’t know your customers

  • doesn’t know your buying cycle

At TK Maxx, some SEO decisions intentionally reduced revenue in the short term — because the long‑term data showed it was the right move.

Growth isn’t about doing more things.
It’s about doing the right things on purpose.

The Metrics That Actually Matter: RPV & PPU

Most Shopify stores obsess over:

  • conversion rate

  • revenue

  • ROAS

Tom argues that two metrics matter more:

Revenue Per Visitor (RPV)

RPV balances conversion rate and average order value. You can boost conversion by slashing prices — but RPV tells you if you’re actually making more money.

Profit Per User (PPU)

PPU takes things a step further by factoring in margins.

Two products might both sell for $100:

  • one makes $30 profit

  • the other makes $80 profit

If you don’t track profit, you’ll scale the wrong products — and the wrong ads.

Why A/B Testing Often Fails

A/B testing sounds simple.

Change something → test it → roll out the winner.

Reality?

  • Results are noisy

  • Data isn’t always reliable

  • Different user journeys behave differently

A test showing a 5% revenue drop might actually:

  • increase conversion by 40% on one product

  • hurt performance elsewhere

Without clean, consistent data, A/B testing becomes exhausting — not insightful.

Shopify App Overload & Hidden Data Problems

Many growing Shopify brands fall into the same trap:

“Let’s just add another app.”

Over time, this creates:

  • duplicated tracking

  • slower page loads

  • conflicting data

Worse, issues often hide in places most teams never look:

  • the data layer

  • background plugins

  • duplicated web pixels

You can’t optimise what you don’t understand.

One Simple Habit That Changes Everything: Buy Your Own Product

One of the most practical tips from this episode is also the simplest:

Buy your own product.

Watch the emails.
See the packaging.
Notice the notifications.
Experience the friction.

Founders are often “blind” to their own site because they see it every day.

Fresh eyes reveal problems dashboards never will.

Reviews, Social Proof & What Customers Actually See

Another easy win most stores miss: review placement.

If your reviews aren’t visible near the call‑to‑action, they may as well not exist.

Even worse?
Displaying product pages with zero reviews when you actually have hundreds of service reviews.

Social proof needs to be:

  • visible

  • relevant

  • placed where decisions happen

The Big Lesson: It’s Still Just a Website

Whether you’re a solo founder or a global retailer, the fundamentals don’t change.

You still have:

  • the same pixels

  • the same browsers

  • the same customer psychology

The difference is how clearly you understand what’s happening on your site — and why.

What Tom Is Building Next

Tom is now building tools that:

  • automatically test real user journeys

  • surface tracking inconsistencies

  • improve conversations between tech, marketing, and leadership

 

The goal?
Make websites less mysterious — and decisions more informed.

 

Check out the full podcast here.
This episode was brought to you by Nick Trueman, Director of PPC & SEO Agency, Spec Digital.

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