The discrepancy comes down to how and when refunds are recorded, as well as differences in Shopify’s reporting definitions.
How Profit Peak Calculates Sales
Profit Peak ties refunds back to the original order date, not the date the refund is processed.
Example:
A customer places an order on June 30
The refund is processed on July 2
Profit Peak deducts the refund from June 30’s sales
This allows us to show the true net performance of each sales day
This method ensures that you’re evaluating each day based on actual net revenue, which is crucial for identifying the factors that contributed to a day's success (or lack thereof).
How Shopify Handles Refunds
By contrast, Shopify logs refunds on the date they’re processed - in this example, July 2.
This means:
June 30’s sales would still show the full amount in Shopify
July 2’s report would show a negative amount for the refund
Additional Things to Keep in Mind
⚠️ Shopify’s "Total Sales" definition can vary by report
For example:
The Sales Report might include taxes, discounts, and refunds differently from the
Finance Summary, which is designed for accounting use
So if you're comparing numbers between different Shopify reports or between Shopify and Profit Peak, be aware that:
The structure and timing of data may vary
It's not always an apples-to-apples comparison
Why Profit Peak Does It This Way
More accurate performance analysis: Each sales day reflects its true net impact
Better decision-making: Helps identify what truly drove performance (or refunds) on a given day
Cleaner attribution: Campaigns, creatives, and product performance are evaluated based on the net value they actually generated