Analytics / New feature

Purchase Orders
can now be analyzed and exported in Shopify Analytics

Three new reports show purchase order costs, the flow from transfer to receiving, and open orders that haven't arrived yet. Key metrics also appear on the Purchase Orders page.

On this page
  1. What's changing (30-second overview)
  2. Diagram: Purchase order lifecycle and what each of the 3 reports covers
  3. The 3 new reports
  4. Metrics shown on the Purchase Orders page
  5. What the article says / doesn't say
  6. 5 key points for developers
  7. 3 business use cases
  8. One-line summary for proposals

1What's changing

Purchase order data can now be viewed and exported in Shopify Analytics.
Reports let you track what you ordered and at what cost, how far each order has progressed, and which orders haven't moved yet.
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See costs

Lists ordered items, quantities, supplier costs, estimated taxes, and order costs.

Track the flow

Tracks orders from order → transfer → shipment → receiving.

Find open orders

Surfaces "open orders" that have been placed but have no linked transfer.

2Diagram: Purchase order lifecycle and what each of the 3 reports covers

① Ordered ② Transfer ③ Shipment ④ Receiving Purchase order costs Purchase order transfers (tracks order → transfer → shipment → receiving) Purchases on order ✕ No linked transfer = orders stalled here Time → Purchase order lifecycle (top) and report coverage (bottom)
How to read : "Cost" is the amount at the time of ordering, "transfers" covers the full movement of goods, and "on order" picks up only orders that have been placed but don't yet have a linked transfer . Together, the three reports cover money, logistics, and backlog.

3Three new reports

REPORT 1

Purchase order costs

Review the cost breakdown of purchase orders.

  • Items ordered
  • Quantity
  • Supplier cost
  • Estimated tax
  • Purchase order cost
REPORT 2

Purchase order transfers

Track purchase orders through the logistics flow.

  • transfer
  • shipment
  • receiving
REPORT 3

Purchases on order

Identify outstanding purchase orders.

  • Status is open
  • Ordered
  • No transfer linked

↑ Shows purchase orders that meet these conditions

All in Shopify Analytics: review and export are available.

4Metrics shown on the Purchase Orders page

Separately from the reports,the Purchase Orders page itself now displays the following metrics.

Purchase orders
purchase orders
Purchase orders on order
on-order purchase orders
Total items ordered
total items ordered
Acceptance rate
acceptance rate
Shipments due soon
shipments due soon
Definitions such as what the "acceptance rate" measures or how many days "due soon" covers are not given in the article. Check the help docs (purchase order reports) before relying on them in operations.

5What the article covers / doesn't cover

ItemStatusDetails
Review & export Stated Purchase order data can be reviewed and exported in Shopify Analytics
New reports Stated Three reports: Purchase order costs / Purchase order transfers / Purchases on order
Purchase Orders page metrics Documented Purchase orders, on order, total items, acceptance rate, and shipments arriving soon
Eligible plans Not documented —
Access via API / ShopifyQL Not documented —
Export format Not documented —
Metric definitions (acceptance rate, due soon) Not documented The article points to the "purchase order reports" help page for details

65 key points for developers

1. You can export the data, not just view it

Purchase order data can be exported from Analytics, which may cut down on manually copying figures into accounting or inventory reports. The export format isn't documented.

2. Linking transfers is the key

Purchases on order captures ordered purchase orders that have no linked transfer. In other words, if you don'tlink purchase orders to transfers as part of your workflow, your on-order figures may not match reality.

TAX

3. Tax amounts are estimates

The tax shown in Purchase order costs is estimated taxes. Don't treat it as the final amount; reconcile it against your invoices.

API ?

4. API access isn't documented

The article doesn't say whether the same data is available through the Admin GraphQL API or ShopifyQL. If you want to sync it automatically to an external BI tool, you'll need to verify this separately.

5. The three reports split the work: money, logistics, and backlog

costs = amounts, transfers = movement of goods, on order = purchase orders that are stalled.Assigning a report to each of your accounting, logistics, and purchasing teamsmakes your workflow easier to design. The Purchase Orders page metrics work as a summary of all three.

73 practical use cases

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USE CASE 1

Generate monthly cost-of-goods totals from Analytics

Challenge
Supplier costs and taxes for each purchase order are copied into a spreadsheet by opening purchase orders one at a time.
Approach
Review items, quantities, supplier costs, estimated taxes, and purchase order costs in the Purchase order costs report, then export it as the basis for accounting documents.
Impact
Less manual copying, and purchase order costs are easier to see at a glance.
Technical note
Tax amounts are estimates, so final figures need to be reconciled against invoices. The export format isn't documented.
USE CASE 2

Catch inbound delays early

Challenge
Tracking where ordered items currently are (in transit, shipped, or received) requires checking with suppliers or keeping manual ledgers.
Approach
Use Purchase order transfers to track transfer, shipment, and receiving progress, and check "Shipments arriving soon" on the Purchase Orders page to see upcoming receipts.
Impact
Clearer visibility into expected arrivals and easier receiving prep for the warehouse.
Technical note
The time window for "due soon" isn't specified. Confirm it in the Help Center before building it into your operating rules.
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USE CASE 3

Auditing purchase orders that are "ordered but stalled"

Challenge
Purchase orders have been placed, but no logistics arrangement (transfer) has been created, so neglected orders get buried.
Approach
Use the Purchases on order report to regularly surface open, ordered purchase orders with no linked transfer, and have the owner follow up.
Impact
Catch missed orders and missed arrangements early, and improve inventory planning accuracy.
Technical note
If transfers aren't linked, the numbers will be inflated, so before relying on the report, set a business rule that every purchase order must be linked to a transfer.

8One-line summary for proposals

"Purchase order data is now available in Shopify Analytics, and it can be exported.
Three reports let you track costs, logistics progress, and stalled orders.
It's a chance to bring purchasing management back into Shopify from external spreadsheets."