What's the difference between a sales report and an investor update?

A sales report focuses on what sold — units, AOV, best-sellers and the sales trend. An investor update is broader: it adds context, highlights, lowlights and asks around the numbers. ReportWise builds both from the same Shopify export.

Can I report on a custom date range?

Yes. Set the date range when you export from Shopify, and the report covers exactly that period. For month-over-month growth, export a range that includes the prior month too.

Do I need an app or add-on for this?

No. Shopify's built-in orders export plus ReportWise is all you need. Drop the CSV in and the branded PDF is built automatically in your browser.

Is my store data kept private?

Yes. Your file is read and the PDF generated entirely on your device — nothing is uploaded, so your sales and customer data never leave your browser.

How to create a Shopify sales report (step by step)

September 21, 20266 min read

A sales report answers one question for everyone who reads it: what sold, and is that getting better or worse? Whether it's for a business partner, your accountant, or your own weekly review, the useful version is short, visual, and consistent.

This guide covers what to include, how to get the numbers out of Shopify, and the fastest way to turn them into a report you'd actually be happy to send.

What a good sales report includes

Skip the raw order list — nobody reads 2,000 rows. A sales report is a summary that surfaces the handful of numbers that tell the story of the period:

Total sales for the period, with month-over-month growth.
Units sold and average order value (AOV).
Your best-selling products, ranked by revenue.
A sales-over-time chart so trends are visible at a glance.
A short written summary of what moved and why.

Export your orders from Shopify

From your Shopify admin, go to Orders, set the date range for the period you want to report on, and click Export to download the orders as a CSV.

That single file carries order totals, line-item quantities, products and refunds — enough to calculate total sales, units, AOV and your top sellers without any add-ons.

Calculate the metrics (or skip the spreadsheet)

You can build this by hand: a pivot table for sales by product, a formula for AOV (total sales ÷ orders), a chart for the trend. It works, but it's an hour of fiddly spreadsheet work every time, and it's easy to get a formula subtly wrong.

Or drop the Shopify CSV into ReportWise. It detects the columns automatically, computes total sales, growth, units, AOV and your best-sellers, and renders a sales-over-time chart — then lays it all out as a branded PDF with a written summary. It runs in your browser, so your data stays private, and your first report is free.

Who the report is for — and how often

Match the cadence to the reader. A weekly sales report is useful for your own operating rhythm; a monthly one is right for partners and accountants. Keep the format identical each time so the numbers are comparable at a glance and the report becomes a habit rather than a project.