Shopify assigns conversions using last-click attribution in its built-in analytics dashboard. If a customer clicks a Facebook ad, then later finds you through Google, then finally types your URL directly before buying, Shopify credits that direct visit with the sale. The earlier touchpoints get zero credit in the platform's native reports. This model is simple and matches how most ecommerce platforms track by default, but it systematically undervalues awareness and consideration channels. Paid social, display campaigns, and even organic search that introduced the customer originally get ignored in your Shopify reports. You'll see bloated performance for bottom-funnel channels like branded search, email, and direct traffic while top-funnel spend looks weaker than it actually is. For better visibility, integrate Google Analytics 4 with your Shopify store and enable data-driven attribution or position-based models in GA4's conversion paths. GA4 uses machine learning to distribute credit across the journey based on actual influence, though it requires meaningful conversion volume to train properly—typically 400+ conversions per month per action. Below that threshold, last-click or linear models work better. Shopify's Marketing dashboard does show some multi-touch data under the customer journey view, letting you see sequences before purchase, but it still assigns revenue to the final click when calculating ROAS. This creates reporting gaps when you're running upper-funnel campaigns alongside retargeting. At Ottawa SEO, we run attribution comparisons in GA4 for Shopify clients spending above $8K/month on ads. Below that budget, the complexity doesn't justify the effort—just accept that your prospecting campaigns build the pipeline even if Shopify underreports them. Above $15K/month, consider dedicated attribution tools like Triple Whale or Northbeam that unify server-side data and handle iOS tracking loss better than cookie-based systems. The investment makes sense when a 10–15% budget reallocation based on true influence pays for the tooling within two months.