Shopify Changelog Recap
Shopify Changelog Recap: A New Sessions Baseline, Tax on Return Shipping, and Rollouts Setup
This recap covers Shopify changes posted from September 21 to September 27, 2026. The sessions change started on September 21, 2026, and the return shipping tax change took effect on October 23, 2026. Each section links to Shopify's own pages so you can check the details yourself.
Published September 28, 2026. Author: Ecomm Guys. 5 min read.
1. Session Metrics in Shopify Analytics Have a New Baseline
What changed. Starting September 21, 2026, Shopify Analytics measures sessions differently. Where the Human or bot filter is available, the default sessions view focuses on human visitors. Bot and system traffic is classified more consistently, and valid shopper journeys stay visible even when they don't include a standard pageview.
Shopify says your traffic, orders, and customer behaviour haven't necessarily changed. The metrics that might look different are sessions, conversion rate, add-to-cart rate, reached checkout rate, checkout conversion rate, bounce rate, pageviews per session, online store visitors, and searches. Orders, sales, and customer counts aren't affected.
Who it affects. Every store that uses Shopify Analytics, and anyone who tracks conversion rate or sessions from month to month.
What to do. Treat September 21, 2026 as a new baseline when you compare session-based reports from before and after that date. We'd also add a note to any monthly report or dashboard that spans the date, so readers know why session metrics moved.
Sources: Shopify Changelog, Sep 21, 2026
2. US Return Shipping Fees Are Taxed From October 23
What changed. Starting October 23, 2026, return shipping fees on orders shipped to US addresses are taxed like any other shipping charge, for stores using Shopify Tax or Tax Platform. Shopify calculates and applies the tax automatically. You see the estimated tax when you create a return, Shopify records the final amount when you process it, and the tax flows into your tax reports.
The Help Center adds that tax is calculated only where the fee is taxable in the jurisdiction the order shipped to. Restocking fees aren't taxed. Your existing shipping tax settings still apply, so if shipping is untaxed in a state, return shipping fees there stay untaxed.
Who it affects. Stores using Shopify Tax or Tax Platform that ship orders to US addresses. The Help Center ties the change to the US shipping address, so Canadian stores on those services that ship into the US are included. Orders shipped outside the US, stores using Manual Tax or Basic Tax, and tax-exempt orders are outside this change.
What to do. This took effect on October 23, 2026. Shopify asked stores with a manual workaround to calculate, collect, import, or reconcile tax on return shipping fees to review it before that date so tax isn't counted twice. If you still run one, review it now. Otherwise, Shopify says no action is required.
Sources: Shopify Changelog, Sep 25, 2026 and Shopify Help Center: Setting up return and cancellation rules
3. Rollouts Has a Redesigned Setup
What changed. Rollouts has a new setup flow for planning a launch, running a temporary event, or testing changes to your store. You choose the timing and the share of traffic, and the settings adjust to match a launch, a temporary event, or an experiment. One rollout can now combine changes to your theme, checkout, and customer account pages.
During setup, you can see what percentage of traffic the rollout reaches and how it's split between test versions. Conflicting settings now show in the setup flow, so you can fix them before the rollout starts.
Who it affects. Stores that use Rollouts to schedule or test changes.
What to do. We'd put the theme, checkout, and customer account changes for your next launch in one rollout, and clear any conflicts the setup flow shows before you schedule it.
Sources: Shopify Changelog, Sep 22, 2026
4. Shop Pay Installments on More Than One Business Entity
What changed. Merchants who run more than one business entity in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom can now turn on Shop Pay Installments for every eligible entity. Before this change, it was available on the primary entity only. Shop Pay Installments is Shop Pay's built-in buy now, pay later option, for merchants and buyers in those three countries.
Who it affects. Stores with more than one business entity in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom.
What to do. Turn on Shop Pay Installments for each eligible entity from your Shopify Payments payment method settings.
Sources: Shopify Changelog, Sep 22, 2026
5. Logs and Health Metrics for Custom Apps in the Dev Dashboard
What changed. The Developer Dashboard now shows how your custom apps perform. Each app shows its API request volume, error rates, webhook delivery health, and embedded admin page load speed, and each measurement has a threshold so you can tell good from bad. One filterable stream holds every API request, webhook delivery, and app event, which helps you find the cause when an app stops working. A new home page shows what needs your attention across all your apps.
Who it affects. Stores that run custom apps. Agencies and developers who build your custom apps see the same data.
What to do. Open the Developer Dashboard at dev.shopify.com/dashboard and check the new home page for anything flagged. If an outside developer looks after a custom app for you, we'd agree on who watches the dashboard.
Sources: Shopify Changelog, Sep 25, 2026
Also Worth Knowing
Profitability data in Shopify Analytics now includes duties and other shipping costs when both apply to the same order, and it handles orders in different currencies better. Shipping cost, duty, or profit values might change in reports such as Average profit margin by market and Profit margin by order. Source, Sep 23, 2026
You can book a call with us if you'd like help working through any of these on your store. The Shopify Changelog lists every Shopify change in full.
Last checked against Shopify's official pages on November 12, 2026.