Your First MerchantFlow Data Sync

Your First MerchantFlow Data Sync

The first sync is the process where MerchantFlow pulls data from your connected integrations for the first time. It is the handoff between setup and live workspace use -- once complete, your dashboard populates with real products, orders, ad spend, and analytics data.

When the First Sync Starts

MerchantFlow starts live sync activity after the workspace is ready for production data. For most merchant workspaces, that means three conditions are met:

• A commerce platform is connected (Shopify or WooCommerce)
• Onboarding is complete
• Billing approval is complete (Stripe checkout for web workspaces, or Shopify billing approval for embedded installs)

Demo mode does not start a live sync because it uses sample data.

What Data the First Sync Pulls

Depending on your connected integrations, the first sync can import:

• Products -- catalog data from Shopify or WooCommerce
• Orders -- historical and recent order data
• Analytics data -- traffic and conversions from Google Analytics
• Ad performance -- spend and ROAS from Google Ads, Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok Ads
• Fulfillment data -- 3PL cost data from Speedfulfill, CJ Dropshipping, or Gooten, if connected. ShipMonk and Printful sit behind default-off feature flags and are not connectable unless MerchantFlow enables them for your workspace
• Search data -- organic performance from Search Console, when enabled for your workspace
• Merchant Center diagnostics -- product feed status from Google Merchant Center, when enabled for your workspace

The exact scope depends on what is connected and configured in your workspace. Search Console and Merchant Center are off by default and require a Pro or Plus plan plus a MerchantFlow-side enablement, so most first syncs do not include them.

Why the First Sync Takes Longer Than Recurring Syncs

The first sync is typically the slowest because it includes:

• Initial account validation -- confirming access and permissions for each provider
• Historical import -- pulling existing products and order history, not just recent changes
• First-time configuration checks -- verifying provider settings are correct
• Larger data backfills -- importing more data than the standard recurring delta cycle

Most first syncs complete within a few minutes, but large catalogs with thousands of products may take longer.

Where to Monitor Sync Progress

You can check sync status in four places:

• Live indicator -- the real-time status badge in the dashboard header, next to the settings icon. It refreshes every 30 seconds
• Sync health dropdown -- click the Live indicator for per-provider connection status and a Sync All Integrations button
• Settings > Integrations -- detailed view of each connected service
• Settings > Integrations (the Audit Logs panel) -- timestamped log entries for sync events and errors

Background syncs keep running even if you navigate away from the starting page.

What a Successful First Sync Looks Like

After a healthy first sync, you should see:

• Products appearing in the products table
• Data on the main dashboard, P&L views, and marketing reports
• Connected integrations marked as healthy or warning (not disconnected)
• A recent last-sync timestamp in the Live indicator

What to Do If Only Some Data Appears

Partial data population is not always a failure. Check whether:

• Only some integrations were connected (for example, Shopify is connected but Google is not yet configured)
• The Google property or ad account selection was not saved after OAuth (a common setup mistake)
• The provider itself has a natural reporting delay (ad platforms often lag by several hours)
• The sync completed with warnings rather than a clean success

How to Rerun the Sync

If you need another pull:

• Use Sync All Integrations from the Live indicator dropdown for a quick rerun of all providers
• Use the Manual Sync Runner at the bottom of Settings > Integrations for a targeted or full rerun of specific integrations

For more details, see Manual Sync.

Recurring Syncs After Setup

After the first import, MerchantFlow switches to recurring background delta syncs:

• One scheduled job per workspace refreshes every provider together, on a default cadence of every 30 minutes
• There is no separate per-provider schedule - orders, analytics, ads, fulfilment, and feed data all move on that same cycle
• Providers may still expose data later than that depending on their own reporting delays
• You can trigger additional syncs manually at any time

A workspace only gets a recurring schedule once billing resolves to an active or trialing subscription (its own, or a parent or agency plan that covers it) and at least one integration credential exists. A workspace that cancelled but has already paid through a future date keeps its schedule for the rest of that prepaid term. Archived stores, agency workspaces, and partner workspaces are never scheduled.

For more about the sync system, see Sync Overview.

Troubleshooting: Dashboard Still Empty After First Sync

If the dashboard still looks empty after the first sync, work through this checklist:

1. Confirm you are not still in demo mode
2. Confirm billing approval actually finished (pricing plans)
3. Check connection health in Settings > Integrations
4. Check the current state in the Live indicator
5. Rerun the specific provider that looks stale from the Manual Sync Runner in Settings > Integrations

If data still does not appear, see Sync Troubleshooting or No Data Showing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the first MerchantFlow sync take?

Most first syncs complete within 2 to 5 minutes -- that is the estimate MerchantFlow itself shows on the setup guide completion screen ("It usually takes 2-5 minutes to import your full history"). Larger stores with thousands of products or extensive order history take longer, and the product does not commit to a ceiling; the onboarding completion screen says only that the initial sync "may take a few minutes". Recurring syncs after the first import are significantly faster.

Does MerchantFlow import historical data?

Yes. The first sync pulls available historical data from your connected platforms, including past orders and product catalog information. The depth of historical data depends on each provider's API limits.

Can I use MerchantFlow while the sync is running?

Yes. You can navigate the dashboard while the sync runs in the background. Data will appear progressively as each integration completes.

Related Guides

• Dashboard Overview -- Understand your workspace after sync
• Manual Sync -- Trigger on-demand data pulls
• Sync Status -- Monitor ongoing sync health
• Sync Troubleshooting -- Fix sync failures
• Connect Integrations -- Add more data sources

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Last updated: August 29, 2026