What is the Dashboard Shopify?

The Shopify Dashboard is your main hub for managing every aspect of your online store. From here, you can add products, process orders, view analytics, manage marketing, and customize your store’s design and settings. Let’s walk through each section of the Shopify Dashboard to give you a complete understanding of its features and how to use them effectively.

Accessing Your Shopify Dashboard

1. Log in to Shopify: Go to Shopify.com and enter your credentials.
2. Dashboard Overview: Once logged in, you’ll be taken to the main dashboard. Here, you’ll see an overview of recent activity, sales data, and other essential information about your store’s performance.

Main Sections of the Shopify Dashboard

1. Home

• The Home page provides a summary of recent store activity, including sales, traffic, and order status.
• Shopify also offers insights and suggestions here, like setup tips or marketing recommendations based on your store’s performance.
• It’s a great place to start if you want a quick look at your store’s health or any updates from Shopify.

2. Orders

• The Orders section is where you can manage and fulfill all incoming orders.
• All Orders: This tab shows every order, including fulfilled, unfulfilled, and canceled ones.
• Draft Orders: Create manual orders for customers, useful for wholesale or custom orders.
• Abandoned Checkouts: Recover potential sales by reaching out to customers who added items to their cart but didn’t complete the purchase.
• You can view individual order details, including customer info, shipping, and payment status, and mark orders as fulfilled.

3. Products

• In the Products section, you can manage your inventory, add new products, and edit product details.
• Collections: Group similar products together for easy navigation (e.g., Sale, Best Sellers).
• Gift Cards: If enabled, you can manage gift card products here.
• This section also includes tools for bulk editing products, adjusting prices, and updating inventory levels.

Also read: How to add products to Shopify store?

4. Customers

• The Customers section provides an overview of all your registered customers, including their purchase history and contact information.
• Use this data to create targeted marketing campaigns, reward loyal customers, and build relationships.
• You can also segment customers based on criteria like purchase frequency, total spend, or geographic location.

5. Analytics

• The Analytics section offers data on store performance, including traffic, sales, and customer behavior.
• Key reports include:
  • Dashboard: Displays key metrics like total sales, conversion rate, and average order value.
  • Reports: Detailed reports for sales, behavior, customer insights, and marketing performance.
  • Live View: Real-time view of visitors, including their location and activity on the site.
• Analytics are crucial for understanding what’s working in your store and where you can improve.

6. Marketing

• The Marketing section allows you to set up, track, and manage all marketing efforts from one place.
• Shopify offers templates for creating campaigns across email, social media, and search ads.
• Campaigns: Create and track campaigns directly within Shopify, and analyze their effectiveness.
• Automations: Set up automated emails for customer retention, abandoned carts, or product recommendations.

7. Discounts

• The Discounts section lets you create and manage discounts and promotional codes.
• Types of discounts:
  • Discount Codes: Custom codes that customers can enter at checkout.
  • Automatic Discounts: Automatically applied discounts based on set conditions (e.g., Buy One, Get One Free).
• You can set restrictions, expiration dates, and minimum purchase requirements for each discount.

8. Online Store

• Themes: Customize the design of your store by selecting and editing themes. Shopify offers both free and premium themes.
• Blog Posts: Create and manage blog content to drive traffic and improve SEO.
• Pages: Manage static pages such as About Us, Contact, and FAQ pages.
• Navigation: Customize your store’s menu, making it easy for customers to navigate.
• Domains: Connect or purchase a domain name for your store.
• Preferences: Set your store’s title and meta description, manage social sharing images, and enable Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel for tracking.

Settings and Account Management

The Settings section at the bottom-left corner of the Dashboard lets you control key aspects of your store. Here’s a breakdown:

1. General

• Set up basic information, like your store’s name, email address, currency, and store location.

2. Billing

• Manage your Shopify subscription, add payment methods, and view billing history.

3. Shipping and Delivery

• Set up shipping zones, rates, and delivery methods.
• If using Shopify Shipping, you can also purchase shipping labels at discounted rates.

4. Payments

• Set up payment providers, including Shopify Payments, PayPal, and third-party providers.
• You can configure options for credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other payment methods.

5. Checkout

• Customize checkout settings, like requiring customer accounts, asking for phone numbers, and adding custom fields.

6. Taxes and Duties

• Configure tax settings based on your location and sales channels. Shopify can automatically calculate taxes in certain regions.

7. Notifications

• Manage notifications sent to customers and staff for orders, shipments, and customer accounts.

8. Apps and Sales Channels

• Apps: Install apps from the Shopify App Store to enhance your store’s features (e.g., email marketing, customer service, product reviews).
• Sales Channels: Add sales channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon to expand your reach.

9. Files

• Upload and manage files used in your store, like images, videos, and documents.

10. User Permissions

• Manage staff accounts, set permissions, and assign specific roles for your team members.

Tips for Using the Shopify Dashboard Efficiently

1. Check the Home Dashboard Daily: Keep track of recent activity, insights, and alerts to stay on top of your store’s performance.
2. Use Analytics for Data-Driven Decisions: Regularly check your analytics to see what products and marketing strategies are performing best.
3. Leverage Apps: Shopify’s App Store offers thousands of tools to enhance your store’s functionality, from customer support to inventory management.
4. Automate Marketing: Set up automated marketing workflows for abandoned carts and customer retention.
5. Customize Your Theme: Spend time in the Online Store section to ensure your theme represents your brand well and offers a seamless shopping experience.

Final Thoughts

The Shopify Dashboard is a powerful, user-friendly tool that lets you control all aspects of your online store. With time, you’ll become comfortable with its features and will be able to manage your store more efficiently. Explore each section and customize settings as your store grows.