How to automate daily analytics emails

Why automate analytics emails

Manual analytics checking creates friction. Login to Shopify or GA4 (30 seconds). Navigate to reports (45 seconds). Select yesterday (30 seconds). Scan metrics (2 minutes). Calculate day-over-day comparison mentally (60 seconds). Total: 5+ minutes. Skip one busy day and operational blindness begins.

Automated emails eliminate friction entirely. Report arrives inbox at scheduled time. Pre-calculated comparisons included. Scan in 90 seconds. Close. Operational awareness maintained with 70% less time invested.

Method 1: E-commerce analytics tools (easiest)

Peasy (Shopify, WooCommerce, GA4)

Purpose-built for daily email delivery. Connect store in 5 minutes. Reports deliver automatically every morning. $49/month. 14-day free trial.

Step 1: Visit peasy.nu. Click “Try free for 14 days.” Enter email. Choose platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, or GA4).

Step 2: Click “Connect” button for your platform. Authorize access when prompted. Peasy connects to your store and pulls yesterday’s data immediately.

Step 3: Add team email addresses (Settings → Team). Everyone receives identical report. Unlimited addresses on all plans.

Step 4: Set delivery time (Settings → Delivery). Choose 6am, 6:30am, 7am, or custom time. Reports arrive automatically every morning.

Step 5: Send test report (Settings → Send test). Report arrives within 30 seconds. Verify format. Setup complete.

What you get: Daily email with revenue, orders, conversion rate, traffic, top sources, top products. Pre-calculated day-over-day and week-over-week comparisons. Mobile-optimized HTML format. 2-minute read time.

Best for: E-commerce stores wanting complete dashboard elimination. Teams needing shared daily visibility. Founders valuing simplicity over customization.

Metorik (WooCommerce only)

Comprehensive WooCommerce analytics with email reports as secondary feature. From $50/month.

Setup: Connect WooCommerce (10 minutes). Configure report metrics in dashboard. Schedule email delivery (Settings → Email reports). Add recipients.

What you get: Detailed WooCommerce reports with customer segments, product performance, email marketing integration. Dashboard access included (emails supplement dashboard, not replace).

Best for: WooCommerce stores wanting full analytics platform with email delivery option. Need customer segmentation and cohort analysis beyond basic operational metrics.

Method 2: Platform-native automated emails (free)

Shopify automated emails

Built-in Shopify feature. Free. Basic daily summary.

Step 1: Shopify admin → Settings → Notifications → Staff order notifications.

Step 2: Enable “Daily summary.” Set delivery time (6am, 7am, 8am, or custom).

Step 3: Save settings. First report arrives tomorrow morning.

What you get: Yesterday’s revenue, orders, top products. Basic day-over-day comparison. Delivers to store owner email only (no native team sharing).

Limitations: Revenue and orders only. No conversion rate, traffic sources, or funnel data. Single recipient. Basic comparisons (day-over-day only).

Best for: Solo Shopify founders on tight budgets. Basic awareness sufficient (detailed analytics not needed daily).

Method 3: Google Analytics 4 scheduled reports (free, technical)

Custom reports from GA4 delivered via email. Free. Requires technical setup.

Step 1: GA4 → Reports → Library → Create new report. Click “Create custom report.”

Step 2: Add metrics: Sessions, users, conversions, revenue (if e-commerce tracking enabled). Add dimensions: Source, device, page.

Step 3: Configure layout. Choose table or chart visualization. Add date comparison (previous day, previous week).

Step 4: Save report. Click “Share” → “Schedule email delivery.”

Step 5: Add recipient email addresses. Choose frequency (daily). Choose time. Select format (PDF or link to report).

Step 6: Send test. Report arrives as PDF attachment. Open on mobile to verify readability. Adjust layout if poorly formatted. Save schedule.

What you get: Fully customizable metrics and comparisons. Any data GA4 tracks can be included. Free (included with GA4).

Limitations: PDF format (poor mobile experience). No pre-calculated percentage comparisons in most configurations (shows absolute numbers). E-commerce metrics require manual configuration. Setup complexity high for non-technical users.

Best for: Technical founders comfortable building custom reports. Non-e-commerce businesses (content sites, B2B, SaaS) where e-commerce tools don’t apply. Budget very tight but time available for setup.

Method 4: Looker Studio scheduled dashboards (free, advanced)

Create custom dashboard, schedule PDF delivery. Free. Highly technical.

Step 1: Visit lookerstudio.google.com. Click “Create” → “Report.”

Step 2: Connect data sources. Add GA4, Google Ads, Search Console, or other sources. Authorize access.

Step 3: Build dashboard. Drag widgets (scorecards, tables, charts). Configure metrics for each widget. Add calculated fields for comparisons.

Step 4: Design for email. Keep layout simple (complex dashboards render poorly in PDF). Test mobile formatting.

Step 5: Share → Schedule email delivery. Add recipients. Choose frequency and time. Select PDF format. Save.

What you get: Multi-source reporting (GA4 + Ads + Search Console combined). Unlimited customization. Visual dashboards via email.

Limitations: Requires technical skills (dashboard building, calculated fields). Time-intensive setup (30-60 minutes) and maintenance. PDF format (mobile experience poor). Overkill for simple daily operational checks.

Best for: Businesses needing multi-source reporting. Technical users or teams with dedicated analysts. Organizations with complex custom reporting requirements.

What to include in automated emails

Essential metrics (must have)

Revenue, orders, conversion rate, traffic (sessions or users), top 3 traffic sources, top 3 products. These six metrics reveal 80% of operational health. Missing any reduces report usefulness significantly.

Pre-calculated comparisons (critical)

Day-over-day (yesterday vs day before) shows immediate momentum. Week-over-week (yesterday vs same day last week) shows genuine trend through day-of-week variance. Both shown as percentages: “$4,200 (+8% vs yesterday, +12% vs last Monday)” = actionable. “$4,200” alone = not actionable.

Mobile-friendly format (important)

Most founders check analytics on phone during morning coffee or commute. HTML email format wins (displays natively). Plain text with hierarchy works. PDF attachments fail on mobile (require downloading, poor formatting on small screens).

Team delivery (valuable for growing businesses)

Everyone receives identical report simultaneously. Creates shared operational awareness without meetings, Slack messages, or email forwarding.

Common automation mistakes

Mistake: Too many metrics

Symptom: Email shows 20+ metrics. Takes 8 minutes to read. Information overload. Can’t remember what you read 2 hours later.

Fix: Limit to 6-8 essential metrics only. Everything else belongs in weekly deep-dive sessions, not daily operational emails.

Mistake: Wrong delivery timing

Symptom: Report delivers 7am but you don’t check email until 9am. Gets buried under other emails. Or delivers 5am while asleep, creating same burial problem.

Fix: Set delivery 15-30 minutes before your typical first email check. Wake at 7am, check email 7:15am? Set delivery 6:45am or 7am.

Mistake: No comparisons configured

Symptom: Report shows yesterday’s revenue ($4,200) without context. Can’t tell if good or bad. Requires manual dashboard checking to compare.

Fix: Ensure automated emails include both day-over-day and week-over-week percentage comparisons. Context transforms data into insights.

Implementation timeline

Day 1: Setup and test

Choose method based on platform, budget, technical skill. Follow setup steps. Send test email. Verify format and metrics.

Week 1: Parallel checking

Continue dashboard checking as normal. Also check automated emails. Compare: Do emails provide same insights as dashboard? Most founders discover emails provide 90% of needed information.

Week 2-3: Transition to automation

Make automated email primary check. Dashboard becomes secondary (for investigations flagged by email). Notice time savings.

Week 4+: Habit formed

Checking automated report feels automatic. Morning routine includes coffee, email, analytics scan. No conscious decision required. Dashboard checking reduced 80-95%.

Frequently asked questions

Can I receive reports for multiple stores in one email?

Depends on tool. Peasy offers multi-store consolidation (all stores in single report). GA4 and Looker Studio require separate reports per property. Shopify automated emails send separately per store. Managing 2-3 stores: separate emails acceptable. Managing 5+ stores: consolidation valuable.

What if I want different metrics than standard reports provide?

E-commerce tools (Peasy, Shopify emails): Limited customization. Show essential metrics only. GA4 and Looker Studio: Full customization. Any metric trackable can be included. Trade-off: more customization = more setup complexity.

How do I prevent automated emails from becoming noise I ignore?

Keep report focused (6-8 metrics maximum). Ensure metrics actually inform decisions (don’t include metrics you never act on). Review quarterly: still checking reports? Still finding them useful? If ignored consistently for 2+ weeks, either simplify further or acknowledge you don’t need daily analytics.

Peasy automatically emails your essential analytics every morning to your entire team—no dashboard logins required. Starting at $49/month. Try free for 14 days.