How to connect your online store to order analytics: a step-by-step guide
CS-Cart, WooCommerce, Shopify or PrestaShop: where to find the API key, which permissions you need and what happens after you connect.
Connecting your store to analytics is the first and most important step. Once it is in place, orders, products, customers and carts sync automatically, and you see your numbers without manual exports to Excel.
You do not need a developer. All you need is access to your store admin and five minutes.
What you need before you start
- Access to the admin area of your store (administrator).
- Your store URL, for example https://www.your-store.com.
- An API key with read permission. Write access is not needed, because analytics never changes anything in your store.
Security first
Create the key with read permission only. That way your store stays protected even in the worst case. We store keys encrypted and nobody else can see them.
CS-Cart and Multi-Vendor
- 1
Open the administrator
In the admin panel go to Customers → Administrators and open the user that analytics will connect with.
- 2
Enable API access
On the API access tab tick “Yes, allow this user to use the API”.
- 3
Copy the key
The API key appears. Copy it together with this administrator’s email and click Save.
WooCommerce
- 1
Open settings
In WordPress go to WooCommerce → Settings → Advanced → REST API.
- 2
Add a key
Click Add key, enter a description (e.g. Analytics), choose a user and Read permissions.
- 3
Save the details
Copy the Consumer key and Consumer secret. They are shown only once.
A common WooCommerce mistake
If the connection does not work, check Settings → Permalinks. Any option except “Plain” must be selected.
Shopify
- 1
Enable app development
In the admin go to Settings → Apps and sales channels → Develop apps and allow app development.
- 2
Create an app
Click Create an app and under Admin API select the read_orders, read_products and read_customers scopes.
- 3
Install and copy the token
Click Install app and copy the Admin API access token.
PrestaShop
- 1
Enable the webservice
Go to Advanced parameters → Webservice and turn on “Enable PrestaShop’s webservice”.
- 2
Add a key
Click Add new webservice key and generate it.
- 3
Set permissions
For orders, products, customers and carts tick only GET (read) and save.
What happens after you connect
The newest orders are imported first, so you see the current year almost immediately. Older orders are then imported in the background. For larger stores the first import takes a few hours, while you are already using the dashboard.
After that, data refreshes automatically, as often as every 15 minutes. You can also click “Refresh from store” at any time.
Frequently asked questions
Can analytics change anything in my store?
No. The key only has read permission, so it cannot change or delete anything in your store.
What if my platform is not on the list?
Send us an inquiry. We connect all leading platforms, and for less common ones we build a custom connection.
How long does the first import take?
A few minutes for smaller stores, a few hours for stores with tens of thousands of orders. The current year is available first.
