Shopify returns and refunds, explained in a spreadsheet

Return rates per product, return reasons, refund amounts, open return requests, and how long returns take to close, in a live spreadsheet fed by your Shopify store. Find what comes back, why, and what it costs you.

Everything you need to analyze Shopify returns

Mixtable's analytical worksheets cover both sides of the problem: the money refunded and the return requests behind it. Start from the Product Returns template and dig from there.

Return rates per product

Quantity sold, returned quantity, and return rate for every product and variant, so problem items stand out immediately.

Return reasons

Count returns by Shopify's recorded return reason, and filter supported return metrics to a specific reason or status.

The refund money view

Refund amounts, refund counts, refunded quantity, and percent of orders refunded, per product or store-wide.

Open returns and close time

Open return requests and store-wide average hours to close a return, with close time also available per order or customer.

A ready-made starting point

The Product Returns template loads quantity ordered, returned quantity, and return rate for every product in one step.

Formulas on top

Sort by return rate, flag products above a threshold, or compute refund cost as a share of sales, like any spreadsheet.

Find the products that keep coming back

A high seller with a high return rate is a quiet margin leak. The Product Returns template puts quantity sold, returned quantity, and return rate side by side, so the products that need a fix, a better size chart, or a discontinue decision surface on their own.

  • Return rate per product, computed from ordered and returned quantities
  • Returned quantity and refunded quantity beside sales volume
  • Works at variant level too, to catch one bad size or color
  • Sort by return rate and your problem list writes itself
Rank by return rate

Why things come back, by recorded reason

Fixing returns starts with knowing the reason. Mixtable counts returns by Shopify's standardized reason recorded on returned line items, and lets you filter supported return metrics by reason or status, so sizing issues and damage stop being anecdotes and become numbers.

  • Return counts grouped by recorded return reason
  • Filter return metrics by reason, like defective or wrong size
  • Filter by return status: requested, open, closed, or declined
  • Combine with date ranges to see if a fix actually worked
Count your reasons

What refunds actually cost you, month by month

Returns are a process, refunds are money. Store-level refund amounts, refund counts, and percent of orders refunded, laid out over time, show whether the cost is drifting up and which months took the hit.

  • Total refund amounts, store-wide or per product
  • Refund count and percent of orders refunded as separate signals
  • Lay refunds out by month to see the trend
  • Put refunds beside net sales and compute the cost as a share
Track refund cost

Keep the returns queue honest

Beyond the money, returns are promises to customers. Open return counts and average close time show whether requests are piling up and how long a customer waits, so the process gets measured, not just the product.

  • Open return requests, store-wide or per product
  • Average hours to close a return, store-wide, per order, or per customer
  • Return request counts and rates over any date range
  • Metric columns are analysis views, not synced Shopify fields
Measure the process

The return metrics you can put in a worksheet

Analytical worksheets cover supported metric and filter combinations. These are the core metrics for returns and refunds analysis.

Return rate Returned quantity Return requests Return reasons Open returns Hours to close Refund amounts Refund count Refunded quantity Percent of orders refunded Return status filter Return reason filter

Mixtable vs other ways to analyze Shopify returns

Shopify records every return, but the analysis is up to you. Here is how the options compare.

Analysis taskMixtableShopify adminExporting to ExcelReturns apps
Return rate per product and variant Yes, in a live sheet Limited reports Manual joins Sometimes
Return counts by reason Yes Per return only Manual tallying Yes, their focus
Refund amounts beside sales metrics Yes, same sheet Separate reports Yes, manually Rarely
Open returns and time to close Yes, as metrics List view only No Yes, per app
Add your own formulas and thresholds Yes, it is a spreadsheet No Yes, manually Rarely
Stays current without re-exporting Yes, dynamic ranges Yes No Yes
Also manages the return workflow itself No, analysis only Yes No Yes, their core job

Comparison reflects typical returns analysis workflows. Mixtable analytics covers supported metric and filter combinations.

From install to a returns report in minutes

No exports, no pipelines. Start from the template and follow the problem.

1

Connect your store

Install the Mixtable Analytics Spreadsheet from the Shopify App Store and open a spreadsheet.

2

Open Product Returns

The template loads quantity ordered, returned quantity, and return rate for every product.

3

Sort by return rate

Your problem products surface at the top. Drill into variants to catch one bad size or color.

4

Check reasons and cost

Add reason counts, refund amounts, and percent of orders refunded, filtered by status or reason.

5

Watch the trend

Lay refunds out by month, add threshold formulas, and export to Excel or CSV when needed.

Shopify returns and refunds analytics questions

How do I see return rates for my Shopify products?

Install the Mixtable Analytics Spreadsheet from the Shopify App Store and open the Product Returns template. Every product loads as a row with quantity ordered, returned quantity, and return rate, live from your store, and you can sort by any column.

Can I see why customers return products?

Yes. Mixtable counts returns by the reason recorded on returned line items, and return metrics can be filtered to a specific reason, so you can quantify sizing issues, damage, and other causes.

Can I track total refund amounts over time?

Yes. Refund amounts, refund counts, and percent of orders refunded are available store-wide and per product, and you can lay them out by month to watch the trend.

Can I see open return requests and how long returns take?

Yes. Open return counts and average hours to close a return are available as metrics, so you can keep an eye on the queue and the customer experience, not just the totals.

Can I analyze returns at the variant level?

Yes. Return request counts, rates, quantities, reason counts, and open return counts work per product variant, which can reveal one problematic size or color. Average return close time is available store-wide, per order, or per customer rather than per variant.

Can I filter returns by status?

Yes. Return metrics can be filtered by return status, such as requested, open, closed, or declined, and combined with any date range.

Do refund metrics match what Shopify records?

Yes. The numbers come from your store's own order, refund, and return data, synced by Mixtable Analytics, and refund amounts are reported excluding tax so they line up with sales metrics.

Can Mixtable process the returns for me?

No. Mixtable analyzes returns and refunds; the return workflow itself stays in Shopify or your returns app. Many merchants use both: the app to process returns, Mixtable to see the patterns.

See what comes back, why, and what it costs

Open Mixtable for your store and put numbers on your returns.