Articles on: Synctrack - Returns & Exchanges

A complete guide: Return Analytics

Overview

The analytics dashboard allows businesses to track their returns and exchange performance. With detailed insights into key metrics, businesses can identify return reasons, reduce costs, improve their return policy, and retain more revenue from returns. This guide will provide an in-depth look at the key features of the analytics dashboard.

What we'll learn

In this article, we will explore the following dashboards to understand each purpose and key metrics of each one, following:

Filter settings
Overview dashboard
Revenue insight dashboard
Upsell insight dashboard
Return + Customer insight dashboard
Operations dashboard
Reports dashboard

Filter settings

Following are the settings and configurations that are consistent across all dashboards within the analytics:

Timeframe: Analytics shown are according to the order creation date or the return requested/processed date, depending on the filter you filled in each

The maximum time frame for analytics is 365 days.

Field	Definition	Business Meaning
Order created date	The date the original order was created on Shopify	Helps merchants answer: "Out of all the orders sold last month, how many were returned?"Filtering by this date calculates the return rate for a specific sales period.
RMA created date	The date the customer submitted the return request in the app	Helps merchants answer: "How many return requests did we receive last month?"Filtering by this date shows the total number of newly initiated returns in a period, regardless of when the items were originally bought.
RMA resolved date	The date the return was fully resolved	Helps merchants answer: "How many returns did we finish processing last month?"Filtering by this date shows the actual number of closed returns, which is crucial for tracking total refunded amounts and restocked inventory for that month.

Overview dashboard

Available plans: Starter, Professional, Premium, Enterprise

This dashboard provides a high-level overview of your store’s return performance within the selected time period. It highlights key metrics such as return volume, return rate, and the financial impact of returns, helping you quickly understand how returns are affecting your business.

Default filtering: Order created date

Key Indicatiors	Chart types	Details & Formula
Total orders	Metrics	Total number of orders created in Shopify within the selected date range. Includes all orders, regardless of return or exchange status.
Total ordered items	Metrics	Total number of items purchased across all orders within the selected date range. Used to evaluate item-level performance.
Total requests	Metrics	Total number of return and exchange requests submitted within the selected date range. Reflects overall return activity.
Total return items	Metrics	Total number of items returned by customers within the selected date range. Indicates the volume of returned products.
Order return rate	Metrics	Percentage of orders that resulted in a return or exchange request. Calculated as (Total requests ÷ Total orders) × 100.
Item return rate	Metrics	Percentage of items returned out of total items sold. Calculated as (Returned items ÷ Ordered items) × 100.
Total order value	Metrics	Total revenue generated from all orders within the selected date range. Does not exclude returns or refunds.
Total return value	Metrics	Total value of returned items within the selected date range. This reflects product value, not actual refunded amount.
Return request/ Return items over time	Line Graph	Displays the trend of return requests and returned items over time. Helps identify spikes or unusual return behavior.
Return rate/ Items returned rate over time	Line Graph	Shows how order return rate and item return rate change over time. Useful for monitoring performance trends.
Net Revenue After Return	Area Chart	Compares total order value and total return value over time. Helps visualize the financial impact of returns.
Net items sold after return	Area Chart	Compares total items sold and returned items over time. Indicates how many items are effectively retained after returns.

Revenue insight dashboard

Available plans: Premium, Enterprise

This dashboard shows how return resolutions impact your revenue. It breaks down how much value is refunded versus retained through exchanges, store credit, or upsells, helping you understand how your return strategy affects profitability.

Default filtering: RMA created date

Key Indicatiors	Chart types	Details & Formula
Total retained revenue	Metrics	Total value retained from returns through exchanges, store credit, gift cards, or discount codes within the selected date range. Indicates how much revenue is recovered instead of refunded.
Retained Revenue Ratio	Metrics	Percentage of return value that is retained instead of refunded. Calculated as (Total retained revenue ÷ Total return value).
Exchange retained revenue	Metrics	Total value retained when customers choose to exchange items instead of requesting a refund.
Store credit retained revenue	Metrics	Total value retained when customers opt for store credit instead of a cash refund.
Gift card retained revenue	Metrics	Total value retained when refunds are issued as gift cards.
Discount code retained revenue	Metrics	Total value retained when customers receive a discount code instead of a refund.
Net refunds issued to customers	Metrics	Total amount of money refunded to customers after deducting any retained revenue. Reflects actual cash outflow.
Expected refunds owed to customers	Metrics	Total amount of refunds that have been approved but not yet issued. Represents upcoming financial liability.
Retain revenue value by resolution	Column Chart	Breakdown of retained revenue by resolution type (exchange, store credit, gift card, discount code) over time. Helps identify which methods are most effective in retaining revenue.
Retain revenue vs Net refunds over time	Line Graph	Compares retained revenue and refunded amount over time. Useful for tracking how well returns are being converted into retained value.
Retain revenue vs Net refunds comparion	Pie Chart	Shows the proportion between refunded amounts and pending refunds. Helps understand current vs upcoming financial impact.

Upsell insight dashboard

Available plans: Premium, Enterprise

This dashboard tracks the additional revenue generated through product exchanges, especially when customers choose higher-value items. It highlights how effectively your return flow converts potential refunds into new revenue opportunities.

Default filtering: RMA created date

Key Indicatiors	Chart types	Details & Formula
Total exchange upsell revenue	Metrics	Total additional revenue generated from exchange requests where customers pay extra (amount to collect). Indicates how much revenue is gained from upsell exchanges.
Total exchange request	Metrics	Total number of exchange requests within the selected date range. Reflects overall exchange activity.
Total upsell requests	Metrics	Number of exchange requests where customers paid an additional amount. Represents successful upsell opportunities.
Total free exchange requests	Metrics	Number of exchange requests with no additional charge (amount to collect = 0).
Total refunded exchange requests	Metrics	Number of exchange requests where a refund was issued to the customer instead of collecting additional payment.
Exchange upsell rate	Metrics	Percentage of exchange requests that generated additional revenue. Calculated as (Upsell requests ÷ Total exchange requests).
Average upsell	Metrics	Average additional revenue per upsell exchange request. Calculated as (Exchange upsell revenue ÷ Total upsell requests).
Total exchange upsell items	Metrics	Total number of items involved in upsell exchange requests. Helps measure volume of upsell activity.
Exchange upsell revenue overtime	Line Graph	Shows how upsell revenue from exchanges changes over time. Useful for tracking growth and performance trends.
Exchange upsell rate overtime	Line Graph	Displays how the upsell rate evolves over time. Helps evaluate the effectiveness of upsell strategies.
Exchange request by refund type	Line Graph	Compares upsell, free exchange, and refunded exchange requests over time. Helps understand customer behavior and exchange outcomes.

Return + Cusomer insight dashboard

Available plans: Starter, Professional, Premium, Enterprise

This dashboard provides insights into the key drivers behind product returns. By analysing return reasons, products, and geographic locations, merchants can identify patterns and take action to reduce return rates.

Default filtering: RMA created date

Key Indicatiors	Chart types	Details & Formula
Top 5 Product with highest return rate	Column Chart	Shows the top 5 products with the highest return rate. Calculated as (Returned items ÷ Ordered items per product). Helps identify products with potential quality or sizing issues.
Top 5 Product with highest return quantity	Column Chart	Displays the top 5 products with the highest number of returned items. Useful for identifying products driving the largest return volume.
Top 5 Customer with highest return value	Column Chart	Shows the top 5 customers with the highest total return value. Helps identify customers contributing most to return-related revenue loss.
Top 5 Customer with highest return rate	Column Chart	Displays the top 5 customers with the highest return rate. Calculated as (Returned items ÷ Ordered items per customer). Useful for detecting abnormal return behavior.
Top 5 Reason with highest return quantity	Column Chart	Displays the top 5 return reasons with the highest number of returned items. Helps identify the most common causes of returns.
Top 5 Countries with highest return rate	Column Chart	Shows the top 5 countries with the highest return rate. Calculated as (Returned items ÷ Ordered items per country). Useful for identifying regional issues.
Top 5 Countries with highest return value	Column Chart	Displays the top 5 countries contributing the highest total return value. Helps understand which regions drive the most financial impact.
Top 5 Sub-Reason with highest return quantity	Column Chart	Displays the top 5 sub-reasons with the highest number of returned items. Provides deeper insight into specific return causes.

Operation dashboard

Available plans: Premium, Enterprise

This dashboard helps you monitor the efficiency of your return operations. It highlights how quickly returns are processed, the impact of automation, and the operational costs associated with return shipping.

Default filtering: RMA created date

Indicator / Chart	Formula / Data	Chart Type	Description
Avg processing time	Avg time from Return request submitted → Resolved (days)	Metrics	Average time (in days) from when a return request is submitted to when it is fully resolved. Reflects overall efficiency of the return process.
Avg time-to-refund	Avg time from Return request submitted → Refunded (days)	Metrics	Average time (in days) from when a return request is submitted to when the refund is issued. Helps measure refund speed and customer experience.
Avg automation time	Avg time from Auto-Return request submitted → Resolved (days)	Metrics	Average time (in days) for return requests handled automatically (via automation rules) from submission to resolution. Indicates automation efficiency.
Avg time saved by automation	Avg processing time − Avg automation time	Metrics	Average time saved per request due to automation. Calculated as (Avg processing time − Avg automation time). Shows the impact of automation on operational efficiency.
Return requests management process	Funnel: Pending → Approved → Refunded → Resolved	Funnel Chart	Visualizes the flow of return requests through key management stages: Pending → Approved → Refunded → Resolved. Helps identify bottlenecks in the process.
Avg. processing time	Avg time between: Order placed → Return requested → Approved → Refunded → Resolved	Table	Displays average time spent between each stage of the return lifecycle: order placed → return requested → approved → refunded → resolved. Helps pinpoint delays in specific steps.
Return automations	RMAs triggered by automation rules (auto-approval, auto-refund, auto-resolve) — RMA quantity + estimated time saved	Table	Shows return requests processed via automation rules (e.g., auto-approval, auto-refund, auto-resolve), along with estimated time saved. Helps evaluate automation effectiveness.
Top label generation fee costs	Carrier name — Sum of label generation fee per shipment, grouped by carrier	Table	Total cost incurred for generating return shipping labels for each carrier within the selected date range. Helps track logistics expenses by carrier.
Fees management	Fee type (Return shipping, Restocking, Return fee, Exchange fee) — Count of requests + Sum of fee amount, grouped by fee type	Table	Total amount collected from each fee type within the selected date range. Helps evaluate cost recovery from returns.

Report dashboard

Available plans: Premium, Enterprise

Default filtering: RMA created date

The report dashboard give you the chance to deep dive into return data, audit performance, and support operational or financial reporting needs and export data for further analysis.

1. Product report

The report lists the products that have been returned by customers. You can also export the data by clicking Export.