When you connect your Shopify store to Spur, we start syncing data so you can segment customers, automate messages, and track revenue.
But we don't store a complete mirror of your Shopify database. We only keep what we need to run automations and segments.
Here's what that means in practice.
What We Sync in Real Time
Products and Variants
Product names, IDs, and descriptions
Variant names, IDs, SKUs, prices
Product images
Inventory status
When you add a new product or update an existing one in Shopify, those changes appear in Spur within seconds.
Orders
Order ID, order number
Customer name, phone, email
Line items (which variants were ordered)
Order total, taxes, discounts
Fulfillment status (pending, fulfilled, delivered)
Payment method (COD, prepaid)
Timestamps (order created, fulfilled, delivered)
Every time an order is placed, Spur gets notified and stores the order data.
Customers
Name, phone, email
Total orders, total spent
Order history
Tags
Customer data syncs whenever an order is placed or when you update customer info in Shopify.
What We Don't Store
Archived or Deleted Variants
When you delete a variant in Shopify, Spur stops seeing it. We don't get a notification saying "Variant 123 was deleted," we just stop receiving updates for it.
If you later try to create a segment for a product that had deleted variants, Spur only knows about the variants that currently exist. We can't link old orders to deleted variants because we don't have that reference anymore.
Shopify handles deletes as archives, keeping the data internally so they can still query it. Spur doesn't get access to that archived data.
Historical Data Before Integration
Spur only syncs data from the moment you connect your Shopify store.
If you connected Spur on January 1st, 2025, we have full order data from January 1st onwards. We don't backfill orders from 2024, 2023, etc.
We do sync all existing contacts at the time of integration though. And we will also show past orders but a limited history of those in the shared inbox if you are viewing a customer's contact there. There will be an outlink that will take you to those orders and their complete details if you click on ''View in Shopify''.
Draft Orders
We don't sync draft orders. Only completed orders appear in Spur.
Abandoned Checkouts (Initially)
Abandoned checkouts sync after a short delay (usually within a few seconds). If someone abandons a cart, Spur gets notified and can trigger an abandoned checkout flow.
How Syncing Works
Shopify sends us webhooks (notifications) whenever something happens:
Order created → Spur gets the order data
Order fulfilled → Spur updates the order status
Product updated → Spur refreshes the product info
Variant deleted → Shopify stops sending data for that variant
We stay in sync with Shopify's current state, but we don't maintain a historical archive of changes.
Why This Matters for Segments
When you create a segment like "Customers who bought Product X," Spur does this:
Look up the current variants for Product X
Search through all orders for those variant IDs
Return contacts who placed those orders
If Product X used to have a variant that's now deleted, Spur doesn't know about it. Orders containing that old variant won't show up in the segment.
This is why segments sometimes show fewer contacts than Shopify's own analytics. Shopify can query by product ID and finds all orders even if variants changed. Spur can only query by current variant IDs.
What About Order Edits?
If you edit an order in Shopify (add a product, change quantity, update address), Shopify sends us an "order updated" webhook and we refresh our data.
Can You Manually Refresh Data?
Yes, there's a button in Settings > Shopify called ''Try this button'' highlighted in red that can do exactly this.
It won't backfill historical orders, but it will ensure all current products and variants are up to date. it will also fix webhook and sync issues if there are any.
What Happens If You Delete Your Shopify Store?
If you fully delete your Shopify store, Spur loses the connection and can't sync new data. But the data we already have (contacts, past orders) stays in Spur.
You can still message those contacts, but you won't get new orders or product updates.
Bottom Line
Spur syncs actively with Shopify's current state. We don't maintain a historical archive of deleted products, variants, or old catalog structures.
If you frequently update your product catalog (changing variants, deleting SKUs, restructuring options), keep in mind that those changes can affect how segments work.
For important customer segments, consider exporting them from Shopify and importing to Spur as static lists before making major catalog changes.