Short answer
In Shopify admin open Orders, choose Export, pick your date range and the CSV format, then drop the file into a tool that reads it on your device. Look first at average order value, repeat buyer rate, cash on delivery share, and which cities and products earn the most. Keep the file off third party servers, because it holds customer names and emails.
Get the file
In Shopify admin go to Orders and choose Export. Pick the date range, then CSV for Excel. A single order appears on several rows, one for each item, so counting rows overstates orders.
The orders file holds customer names, emails, phone numbers and addresses. Use a tool that reads it in your browser and does not upload it.
The numbers to read first
Average order value: sales divided by orders, with cancelled orders left out. It is the number most other decisions lean on, from ad targets to your free shipping threshold.
Repeat buyer rate: the share of customers, matched by email, with two or more orders. A short date range reads lower than the true lifetime figure, so export a long range for this one.
Cash on delivery share: the share of orders paid on delivery. A high share tells you to look at returns, because COD parcels come back more often.
Where the money is
Cities and states: if a few places produce most orders, ads aimed there should cost less per sale. If an area produces many orders but also many returns, look at it before you scale it.
Products: count by product, not by size or colour, to see what really sells. Count by the full line name when you need to know which sizes to stock.
Choices that change the answer
Whether cancelled orders count, whether sales are shown before or after refunds, and which date range you use can each move the figures. Decide the rules first and keep them the same each time you compare.
Store time matters for busiest days and hours. The file carries the time Shopify wrote, so the tool shows that and not your local time.
Turn the numbers into action
Move ad spend toward the cities and products that earn. Offer a prepaid discount if COD returns are high, using the RTO calculator to check what you can afford. Build a reason for first time buyers to come back, since repeat buyers cost far less to win.
Export again each month and compare, with the same settings.