Shopify Analytics / New feature

"Annotations" in Shopify Analytics
Record why the numbers changed, right next to them

You can now add notes to time-series reports, such as campaign launches, creator mentions, or supplier changes. Months later, you'll still see right away why sales moved.

On this page
  1. What's changing (in 30 seconds)
  2. How it works: notes sit on top of your report
  3. What you can do in the annotations panel
  4. Three context sources (team / apps / Shopify)
  5. Before vs. with annotations
  6. Sharing scope and unspecified details
  7. 5 key points for developers
  8. 3 practical use cases
  9. One-line summary for client proposals

1What's changing

Looking at a report tells youwhat changed. Butwhy it changedlived only in someone's memory.
With annotations, you can record that reason right next to your data in Shopify Analytics.

Before: the reasons are scattered everywhere

Why sales spiked was scattered across people's memories, spreadsheets, and team threads, so you had to dig it up and piece it together later.

Now: the reason sits next to the data

You can attach notes to a specific day or date range on the relevant time-series report, so the reason stays right where the change shows up.

2How it works: notes sit on top of your report

Team (staff) Added manually Installed apps Context from apps Shopify Context from Shopify Annotation Title / description Date or date range Annotation type One shared history Matching time-series report Promo start Date-range annotation
Key point : In addition to notes written by your team,context from Shopify and your installed apps appears in the same place. The article describes this as a single shared history of what changed, what the business did, and why it mattered.

3What you can do in the annotations panel

Add
Title, description, date or date range, and annotation type
Category
Use the auto-detected category or choose your own
Edit, delete, and see who created it
See who created each annotation
Search and filter
Narrow down by team, app, or Shopify context

Examples of events to record (as mentioned in the article)

Marketing

Campaign launch

Record the day an initiative started.

Exposure

Creator feature

The day you were featured by an influencer or similar.

Sourcing

Supplier change

Connect supply-side changes to movements in sales.

Promotions

Promotion

Record sale or discount periods as a date range.

Operations

Operational improvement

Record when you revised a business process so you can check how the numbers changed afterward.

43 context sources

Team

Notes that staff add themselves. The creator is shown.

Installed apps

Context from apps also appears in the same place. The article doesn't detail which apps integrate or how.

Shopify

Context from Shopify also appears. The article doesn't specify which events are added automatically.

5Before vs. annotations

ItemBeforeAnnotations
Where the "why" lives Scattered Memory, spreadsheets, team threads Centralized Right next to the report data
Looking back months later Piecing the story together from scratch Open the report and see the reason right away
Team sharing What you can see depends on the person or tool Shared with staff who have Reports permission
Types of context Only what people left behind Team + apps + Shopify
Time units you can record — A specific day or a date range

6Sharing scope and unspecified details

Shared with staff who have Reports permission

Annotations are shared with all staff who have Reports permission.

Available on "supported time-series reports"

Not every report supports them, only supported time-series reports. The list of supported reports isn't given.

Eligible plans, the list of supported reports, API read/write access, how apps add annotations, and the list of annotation types or categories are not specified. For details, see the help page linked from the article.

75 key points for developers

1. Only time-series reports are supported

Annotations are tied to a date or a date range. Whether they work on reports without a time axis isn't specified.

API ?

2. Nothing is said about APIs or webhooks

The article only covers using the panel in the admin. If you want to add annotations automatically from an external system, check the documentation separately.

3. Context from apps shows up in the same place

Context from installed apps appears here too, so stores with many apps shouldplan on using filters. How apps implement this isn't specified.

4. Visibility is controlled by Reports permission

No annotation-specific permission setting is mentioned. Assume every staff member with Reports permission can see them, and setrules for what can be written (e.g., confidential information)upfront.

5. Set naming rules for types and categories

You can use the auto-detected categories or choose your own. To keep search and filters useful, agree as a team onwhen to use each type, and it will pay off when you look back later.

83 practical use cases for your business

Campaigns
USE CASE 1

Measure campaign impact just by opening a report

Problem
Campaign and promotion start dates are scattered across spreadsheets and chats, so every monthly review means digging up the history again.
Approach
Have the person in charge add the campaign's start date or period as an annotation on the same day it launches.
Impact
Weeks or months later, opening the report shows right away why the numbers moved. Less work preparing review materials.
Technical note
Use a "date" for single-day events and a "period" for things like sales. Only time-series reports are supported.
USE CASE 2

Share the "why behind the change" between agencies and clients

Problem
The agency's work (creator features, promotions) and the client's changes (switching suppliers, operational improvements) are tracked separately, so every regular meeting starts with getting everyone on the same page.
Approach
Record both sides' events as annotations on the same time-series report, and use the creator display plus search and filters to tell whose initiative is whose.
Impact
You get a single shared history, making it easier to explain in meetings why numbers went up or down. Context carries over even when people change roles.
Technical note
Annotations are shared with staff who have Reports permission. Check in advance whether external partners' staff accounts have Reports permission.
Suppliers Operations
USE CASE 3

Include non-marketing changes (sourcing, operations) in your analysis

Problem
When sales or CVR change, ad campaigns tend to get the credit or blame, while the effects of supplier changes or operational improvements go unseen.
Approach
Record supplier changes and operational improvements as annotations with their own types and categories, then narrow them down with filters.
Impact
You can review non-marketing factors on the same timeline, so your read on causes is less likely to be skewed.
Technical note
Auto-detected categories and categories you choose can be used together. The list of categories and whether you can create your own aren't documented.

9One-line summary for proposals

"A new feature that lets you keep notes on'why the numbers moved' right next to the datain Shopify Analytics time-series reports."
Team, app, and Shopify context come together in one shared history, making it easier to look back months later or hand off work."