Blog
Attribution is confusing. These posts are not.
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David Grelle
Cohort analysis for ecommerce: how to build and read a retention cohort table
What cohort analysis is, how to build a retention cohort analysis from your store's orders in a spreadsheet, step by step, how to read the table, and what to do about what it shows you.
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David Grelle
Customer lifetime value on Shopify: how to find it and use it
How to work out customer lifetime value on Shopify: where the numbers live in your admin, how to calculate it by hand from an export, and the mistakes that make it look better than it is.
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David Grelle
Shopify COGS: what to include and how to track it
A plain-English guide to Shopify COGS: what cost of goods sold really includes, how to enter it in Shopify, and the mistakes that make your profit numbers lie.
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David Grelle
Shopify profit margin calculator: how to work out what you keep
A plain-English Shopify profit margin calculator: the formulas, a worked order from sale to what you actually keep, and the costs most stores forget.
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David Grelle
Blended ROAS and blended CAC: what they are and how to use them
Blended ROAS divides all your revenue by all your ad spend, and blended CAC divides all your ad spend by all your new customers. Here's how to calculate both, when they beat platform numbers, and where they mislead.
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David Grelle
Marketing efficiency ratio (MER): what it is and how to use it
The marketing efficiency ratio (MER) divides your total revenue by your total marketing spend. Here is what MER in marketing means, how to calculate it, and how it fits next to ROAS.
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David Grelle
Shopify conversion tracking for every ad platform
A practical guide to Shopify conversion tracking across Meta, Google, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat and Microsoft: how each platform gets your sales, the rules every setup shares, and how to stop them all claiming the same order.
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David Grelle
What are UTM parameters? How UTM tracking works, from link to sale
UTM parameters are short labels you add to a link so your analytics knows which ad, email or post sent each visitor. Here's what each one means, how to build them, how UTM tracking follows a click to a sale, and why the data sometimes goes missing.
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David Grelle
Shopify analytics, explained: what it shows and what it can't
A plain-English tour of Shopify analytics: the dashboard, the reports and Live View, which numbers to trust, and the questions about your ads and profit that Shopify's built-in analytics can't answer.
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David Grelle
The TikTok Events API, explained for online stores
What the TikTok Events API is, why the pixel alone misses sales, the ways to set it up, and the details that decide whether TikTok can count and match your purchases.
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David Grelle
What is server-side tracking? A plain-English guide
Server-side tracking records what shoppers do from your own server instead of their browser, so ad blockers and privacy settings stop eating your data. Here's how it works, how it differs from server-side tagging, and what it can't fix.
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Mariana Rodriguez
Shopify UTM tracking: how to set it up and read it
How Shopify UTM tracking works, where Shopify shows UTM data, how to tag Meta, TikTok, Google and email links, and the mistakes that break tracking before checkout.
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Mariana Rodriguez
First-party tracking: what it is and how it works
What first-party tracking means, how first-party cookies and server-side collection work, why browsers and ad blockers treat them differently, and what first-party tracking can't fix.
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David Grelle
The Snapchat Conversions API, explained
What the Snapchat Conversions API is, why the Snap Pixel alone misses sales, the ways to set it up, and the details that decide whether Snapchat can count and match your purchases.
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Mariana Rodriguez
True ROAS: what it means and how to calculate it from real orders
True ROAS is ROAS built from your store's real orders, counted once and net of refunds, instead of what each ad platform claims. Here's how to calculate it, with a worked example.
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David Grelle
Conversions API vs Meta pixel: do you need both?
Conversions API vs Meta pixel, explained in plain English: what each one sees, what each one misses, and why Meta recommends running both with deduplication.
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David Grelle
The best Shopify analytics apps, compared honestly
An honest guide to choosing a Shopify analytics app: the five kinds of analytics tools, what each one is actually good at, and how to pick the one that answers your real question.
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Mariana Rodriguez
Polar Analytics alternatives: a fair guide for Shopify brands
Looking for a Polar Analytics alternative? Here's what Polar does well, why brands look elsewhere, how it compares with Triple Whale, and which alternative fits which kind of store.
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David Grelle
Triple Whale vs Hyros: which attribution tool fits your business?
Triple Whale and Hyros both promise to show which ads make you money, but they were built for different businesses. Here's a fair comparison of how each works and who each one suits.
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David Grelle
What is a good ROAS? Start with your break-even ROAS
What is a good ROAS for an ecommerce store? There is no universal number. Here is how to calculate your break-even ROAS from your own margins, then set a target that actually makes your store money.
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David Grelle
What is the Meta Conversions API (CAPI)? A plain-English guide
The Meta Conversions API (CAPI) sends your sales and leads to Meta from a server instead of the browser. Here is what it is, how it works next to the pixel, the ways to set it up, and the details that decide whether it helps.
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David Grelle
The best marketing attribution tools for ecommerce
How to judge marketing attribution tools and software for an online store, what actually separates them, and an honest look at the main options, Soran included.
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David Grelle
Northbeam vs Triple Whale: an honest comparison for ecommerce brands
Northbeam vs Triple Whale, compared fairly: how each one tracks and attributes sales, who each is built for, and the questions that should decide which one you pick.
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David Grelle
Triple Whale alternatives: a fair guide to choosing the right one
Looking at Triple Whale alternatives? Here's a fair look at the main competitors, what each is built for, and the questions that tell you which one fits your store.
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David Grelle
Hyros alternatives: a fair guide to picking the right tracking tool
Looking for a Hyros alternative? Here's what Hyros does well, the reasons people look elsewhere, and how the main alternatives compare depending on whether you sell online, on calls or by subscription.
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David Grelle
What is customer acquisition cost (CAC)? How to calculate it for an online store
Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is what you spend, on average, to win one new customer. Here's what it means, how to calculate it step by step with worked examples, why industry averages won't help you, and how to tell whether your CAC is healthy.
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David Grelle
Customer journey analytics for ecommerce: how to track and read the path behind every order
What customer journey analytics and customer journey tracking are, how visits across devices and channels get joined into one path, where tracking breaks, and how to read journeys so you spend your ad budget on what actually works.
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David Grelle
Marketing attribution models, compared side by side
Every common marketing attribution model run on the same customer journey, so you can see exactly where each one puts the credit and which questions it answers well.
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David Grelle
Contribution margin for ecommerce: formula, per-unit examples and a calculator
What contribution margin is, the contribution margin formula in all three forms (total, per unit and ratio), a calculator you can build in any spreadsheet, and how to use the result to decide which products, campaigns and discounts are actually worth it.
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David Grelle
What is the Meta pixel? A plain-English guide
What the Meta pixel (formerly the Facebook pixel) is, what it tracks, how it helps your ads, how to install it, and where it falls short.
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David Grelle
Customer touchpoints: digital touchpoints, examples and how to track them
Touchpoints are every moment a customer comes into contact with your brand, from an ad to a delivery email. Here's what customer and digital touchpoints mean, the ones that matter at each stage of an online store's customer journey, and how to track them and tell which ones actually lead to sales.
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David Grelle
What is ROAS? The formula, a calculator you can copy, and ROAS vs ROI
What is ROAS? It's the revenue your ads bring in for every dollar you spend on them. Here's the ROAS formula, how to calculate it step by step, a spreadsheet calculator for break-even and target ROAS, and how ROAS differs from ROI.
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David Grelle
What is marketing attribution? A plain-English guide
Marketing attribution is how you work out which ads and channels actually earned your sales. Here's what it means, how it works, and how to stop every platform from claiming the same order.
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David Grelle
How to set up the Meta Conversions API on Shopify
A plain-English guide to the Facebook Conversions API (CAPI) on Shopify: what it is, the three ways to set it up, and the two details that decide whether Meta can actually use your sales.
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Mariana Rodriguez
How to calculate and improve customer retention rate
Learn what is customer retention rate, how to calculate it, and how to improve it.
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David Grelle
How to calculate customer lifetime value
Learn how to calculate customer lifetime value.
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David Grelle
Pros and cons of last-click attribution
Learn the pros and cons of last click attribution.
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David Grelle
How to send S2S postbacks to Outbrain from PostHog
Learn how to send S2S postbacks to Outbrain from PostHog.
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David Grelle
How to send S2S postbacks to MGID from PostHog
Learn how to send S2S postbacks to MGID from PostHog.
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David Grelle
How to send S2S postbacks to Taboola from PostHog
Learn how to send S2S postbacks to Taboola from PostHog.
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David Grelle
Server-side tracking for Shopify
Learn how server-side tracking can help you track Shopify better.
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David Grelle
What is Z-shaped attribution?
See how Z-shaped attribution model can help you track Shopify better.
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David Grelle
What is W-shaped attribution?
See how W-shaped attribution model helps you track the value of each marketing touchpoint and strengthen your conversion strategy.
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David Grelle
What is U-shaped attribution?
See how U-shaped attribution uncovers the real value of each marketing touchpoint and strengthens your conversion strategy.
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David Grelle
Top server-side tracking tools
Compare the best server-side tracking tools of 2025, their features, pricing, and ideal users.
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David Grelle
What is multi-touch attribution?
Explore multi-touch attribution: types, how they track customer journeys, and measure campaign impact.
Nothing matches that search.
Reading about attribution is one thing. Seeing your own is another.
- No credit card to start
- Every report and all ten models from day one
- Your data exports whenever you want it
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Connect your store
Shopify authorizes in a click and checkout tracking installs itself.
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Pick a goal
The conversion you actually get paid for. Soran credits every touch that led to it.
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Read your first report
Spend against the revenue it earned, on all ten attribution models.