It is not unusual for there to be a discrepancy between the number of sessions reported by Shopify and the number of users and sessions reported by Google Analytics. This can be due to a variety of factors, including differences in how the two platforms define and track sessions, as well as the possibility that not all of your website traffic is being captured by both platforms.
To better understand the differences between the data reported by Shopify and Google Analytics, it is important to first understand how each platform defines and tracks sessions.
In Shopify, a session is defined as a group of user interactions with your online store that take place within a given time frame. This time frame is typically 30 minutes, but can be adjusted in your Shopify admin settings. A session is counted every time a customer visits your store and views at least one page. A session ends when the customer either leaves your store or remains inactive for the duration of the session timeout period.
In Google Analytics, a session is defined as a group of user interactions with your website that take place within a given time frame. The default time frame for a session in Google Analytics is 30 minutes, but this can also be adjusted in your Google Analytics settings. A session is counted every time a user visits your website and views at least one page. A session ends when the user either leaves your website or remains inactive for the duration of the session timeout period.
As you can see, the definitions of a session in Shopify and Google Analytics are similar, but there may still be differences in the way that the two platforms count and track sessions. For example, Google Analytics may track sessions from users who are not logged in to your Shopify store, while Shopify may only track sessions from logged-in customers. Additionally, Google Analytics may track sessions from users who have not enabled cookies in their web browser, while Shopify may only track sessions from users with cookies enabled.
It is also possible that not all of your website traffic is being captured by both Shopify and Google Analytics. For example, if you have multiple subdomains or subdirectories on your website, you may need to set up separate tracking codes for each of these in order for Google Analytics to accurately track all of your website traffic. Additionally, if you have a large percentage of users who access your website using mobile devices, you may need to enable cross-domain tracking in Google Analytics in order for it to accurately track all of your mobile traffic.
In summary, the discrepancy between the number of sessions reported by Shopify and the number of users and sessions reported by Google Analytics may be due to a variety of factors, including differences in how the two platforms define and track sessions, as well as the possibility that not all of your website traffic is being captured by both platforms.
To better understand the differences in the data reported by these two platforms, it is recommended that you review the settings and configurations for both Shopify and Google Analytics, and consider implementing any necessary changes to ensure that all of your website traffic is being accurately tracked by both platforms.