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Why Data Differs in New Reports — and Why It's Better
Why Data Differs in New Reports — and Why It's Better
Ira avatar
Written by Ira
Updated today

If you've recently seen the New Reports tab in your store, you might notice differences in your sales metrics compared to classic reports. Understanding how your sales data is calculated is essential for interpreting your reports effectively.

Note that this new attribution logic was already working for:

  • New accounts on Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce that are connected to Omnisend starting from the 26th of July, 2024.

  • New accounts on all all platforms (except Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce) and custom integrations that are connected to Omnisend starting from the 28th of June, 2024.

If your account was connected before those dates, this article explains how calculations work in the new reports and contrasts them with classic reporting for migrated accounts.

Important Update: Classic Reports Sunset on January 16, 2025

Starting January 16, 2025, Classic Reports will no longer be available. All users will automatically transition to the New Reports.

Explore the New Reports BETA today to get familiar with the improved experience. If you have any questions, our support team is here to help via in-app chat or at [email protected].


1. Refunds and Cancellations

  • What changed: In the new reporting system, Revenue and Order Count include all orders placed, even those that are refunded or canceled later.

  • Example: A customer places an order worth $100 but requests a refund the next day. The $100 will still appear in your sales metrics because it reflects the initial sales activity.

  • Impact on Reports:

    • Refunds or cancellations do not reduce Revenue and Order Count.

    • This ensures that revenue and order counts consistently reflect initial customer actions, even if later reversed.

  • Why it’s better:
    The new system ensures stable metrics that aren’t affected by after-the-fact changes like refunds. This stability helps you track trends and analyze business performance over time.

Why don’t my metrics match my ecommerce platform?
Ecommerce platforms may deduct refunded or canceled orders, which can cause discrepancies. In Omnisend, refunds are included in sales calculations to maintain consistency.


2. Edited Orders

  • What changed: Post-order adjustments—such as manual edits in your ecommerce platform, changes to cash-on-delivery amounts, or similar updates—are excluded from sales calculations.

  • Example: A customer places an order for $50, but later, you have to modify it manually in your ecommerce platform; for example, the customer requests specific customization (e.g., engraving or color changes), and the price is adjusted accordingly by you, increasing the total to $70. In your reports, only the original $50 is included in Revenue and Order Counts.

  • Impact on Reports:

    • Changes made after order placement will not be reflected in your sales metrics.

    • This ensures that metrics are frozen at the time of order placement, offering an accurate snapshot of activity.

  • Why it’s better:
    Locking metrics at the time of order placement ensures consistency and avoids fluctuating data caused by manual adjustments.

Why don’t my metrics match my ecommerce platform?
Manual edits to orders (such as adding items or changing totals) may appear in your platform but are not reflected in Omnisend reports.


3. Attribution Date

  • What changed: In the new reporting system, sales are attributed to the date the message was sent, not the date the order was placed.

  • Example: You send a promotional email on Friday, and a customer places an order on Sunday. In your reports, the revenue is attributed to Friday under Revenue and Orders Count.

  • Impact on Reports:

    • Aligns sales with marketing activity, showing how campaigns influence revenue and orders.

    • Allows you to evaluate performance based on campaign send dates.

  • Why it’s better:
    This logic directly correlates your marketing efforts with their results, making it easier to measure the effectiveness of individual campaigns.

Why don’t my metrics match my ecommerce platform?
Orders attributed to Omnisend are reported based on the date the message is sent. In contrast, your ecommerce platform typically reports all orders under the date the order is placed. This difference in attribution timing can cause discrepancies when comparing metrics between the two platforms.


4. Last-Touch Attribution

  • What changed: In the new reporting system, sales are attributed to the last message the customer engaged with within the attribution window. This contrasts with classic reports, which used last-sent attribution (sales attributed to the last message sent).

  • Example: A customer opens an email campaign on Monday but clicks on an SMS reminder on Tuesday and completes a purchase. In the new reports, the SMS gets the credit for the sale under Revenue and Orders Count.

  • Impact on Reports:

    • Last-touch attribution better reflects customer behavior by crediting the message that influenced the final action.

    • This provides more accurate insights into the effectiveness of different channels and messages.

  • Why it’s better:
    The new logic ensures your reports highlight the touchpoint that had the greatest impact on the sale, helping you refine your communication strategy.


5. Configurable Sales Attribution

  • What changed: The new reporting system allows you to adjust attribution settings (e.g., attribution window or logic). Past metrics are recalculated automatically based on your current settings. This is a major improvement over classic reports, which did not recalculate past data when settings changed but only applied to new reports after the change.

  • Example: You initially set a 7-day attribution window but later decide to test a 14-day window. The system recalculates Revenue and Orders Count to include sales within the updated window.

  • Impact on Reports:

    • All metrics are dynamically adjusted to reflect the current attribution settings.

    • This flexibility allows you to experiment with different strategies while ensuring consistent and accurate reporting.

  • Why it’s better:
    Unlike classic reports, which remained static, the new system offers flexibility and ensures your metrics always align with your current business needs.


What Does This Mean for You?

The new reporting system provides greater accuracy, consistency, and flexibility compared to classic reports. While some aspects of sales calculation have changed, these updates give you a clearer view of your marketing performance and business trends.


🕒 Please note:

  • Classic Reports are calculated based on UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).

  • New Reports use what you select in time zone settings, ensuring the data aligns better with your business hours.

Why this matters: Due to the shift in time zone calculations, the metrics may differ slightly from previous reports.


If you have questions or need help interpreting your reports, feel free to contact our support team via in-app chat or at [email protected]. We’re here to help!

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